by Corey Arterian

Unless you detest everything on TV or are an angry Republican who refuses to watch The Daily Show, you know who Aasif Mandvi is. He’s the token correspondent that generally covers stories dealing with India (where he was born) or the Middle East. In a recent episode, he yelled at Jon Stewart for not referring to him on the story dealing with the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan: “I’m your Indian guy!... How could you not have called me on this?!” He’s been referred to as the “Senior Foreign Looking Correspondent” when reporting a story, although his official title changes often. While most of us know him in this role, he has actually done a lot outside of that comedic sphere. In fact, he got The Daily Show gig in 2006, which is fairly far into his career. What he considers his “big breakthrough” is his one-man show from 1998, Sakina’s Restaurant, which is based on his family’s experience as immigrants. He originally hales from Mumbai, India, but as a baby his family moved to England only to move again when he was a teenager to Tampa, Florida. He draws on the experiences he has had as an Indian that spent his formative years in England and ended up in the United States. At the time when he was performing Sakina’s Restaurant, he was interviewed by New York Daily News and addressed his issue with national identity: “When I go to India I am a foreigner, and when I am over here I am an immigrant. The fact that I grew up in England and I have been here for 17 years [makes it] a case of not really having your own place.” However, he seems to have found a home within acting and has been quoted saying that “being an artist is not a profession you choose, it chooses you.”

He has been a part of many productions on the stage and the screen. I was surprised to see that he played Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! on Broadway. I would never have pegged him as a singer, but you learn something new everyday… Aside from having a funny name and a funny shtick on The Daily Show, it seems that Aasif Mandvi has many insights to offer. Tonight, he will be engaging in a Q&A session with theater professor Luis Alfaro in Bovard Auditorium at 8 PM. Do not fret fellow poor college students, this event is FREE. I will be the first to admit that I only know him from his work on The Daily Show, which was enough to get me to go to this event, but since learning about his complex background there is an added dimension to what we can learn from him.