Kumail Nanjiani to play Chippendales founder in ‘Immigrant’

Actor-comic Kumail Nanjiani is set to star in “Immigrant”, based on the true story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian-American entrepreneur who started Chippendales.

Nanjiani, who is a Pakistani-American, will play Banerjee in the limited series from Hulu that will detail the insane, darkly comedic, crime-ridden story behind the unique male revue that became a cultural phenomenon.

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According to Variety, “Immigrant” is written by Robert Siegel and executive produced by Siegel, Nanjiani, Limelight’s Dylan Sellers and Chris Parker, and Emily V Gordon as well as Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi, who will also write on the series.

Writer Gordon, who is Nanjiani’s wife, previously collaborated with the actor on the 2017 rom-com “The Big Sick”. Loosely based on their real-life romance, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for best original screenplay.

Twentieth Television will produce the eight-episode series “Immigrant”.

This is the second project on Chippendales in development. Indian-origin British actor Dev Patel is also on board to play Banerjee in a feature film directed by Craig Gillespie of “I, Tonya” fame.

Patel, known for “Lion” and “Modern Love”, was announced to headline the film in 2017. It has been in the works for two decades by Permut Productions’ David Permut.

Meanwhile, Nanjiani’s small screen credits include “Silicon Valley”, “Portlandia” and the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. He will next be seen in “Eternals”.