Kalpen Suresh Modi, who broke into Hollywood as Kal Penn with the Harold And Kumar series, following up with films like The Namesake and Superman Returns, is in the city. “I would have liked to spend more time in Mumbai but I'm planning another trip soon. So much has changed,“ admits the Indian origin American actor who will next be seen in Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, a film set against the backdrop of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.


“The script was a compelling read and I immediately said yes. It gave me the chance to work with Hollywood icon Martin Sheen who plays Warren Anderson, the then CEO of Union Carbide,“ he says.

Despite having acted in several films and TV shows, including House, 24 and How I Met Your Mother, Penn admits that his most “emotionally-stirring“ experience as an actor was in Mira Nair's The Namesake. “I'd work with Mira, Irrfan (Khan) and Tabu in a heartbeat. I've been in touch with Mira and I hope something comes along in the near future,“ he says.

Kalpen who became Kal Penn because he was told a change in name would get him more work, insists that it's become easier for actors of Indian-origin to make it in Hollywood. “America is more open to diverse talent now. We get to play different characters as opposed to being reduced to a stereotype,“ says the actor who took a three year sabbatical to work for the Obama administration as the associate director of the White House's Public Administration office. “In America, it's common to take a sabbatical. It was a world completely removed from films, I have strong political beliefs,“ he reasons.

Now the focus is on the hit franchise Harold And Kumar, the stoner comedies he's been a part of with John Cho. “Harold And Kumar will return in an animated TV series early next year. Currently, I'm working on the voiceovers,“ he signs off.