“Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh Believe ‘Deli Boys’ Will Impact Lives, Drawing from Their Own Life-Changing Experience”

Deli Boys isn’t the comedy the world expected but is exactly the one the world needs right now. Stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh know that they’re just along for the ride.

In the new Hulu comedy series, the actors play Raj (Shaikh) and Mir (Ali), brothers who find out about the shady business dealings of their father, Baba (Iqbal Theba), only after his gruesome death. For the blissfully ignorant brothers, Baba’s untimely passing kicks off an unending rollercoaster of drug trafficking, marriage proposals, murder, and more, stretched across 10 hilarious episodes that leave fans wanting more.

For some fans of the show, however, seeing themselves represented on screen in this way is long overdue. Over the course of the first season, the show — written and created by Abdullah Saeed — dives deep into South Asian cultures, referencing foods, shows, and experiences unique to certain members of the population. It also features an almost exclusively brown cast, including Never Have I Ever alum Poorna Jagannathan, who plays the scene-stealing Lucky Aunty.

For Shaikh and Ali, jumping onto the show was obvious for so many reasons. But one of the chief reasons is that the show tells a story with a unique point of view without making it feel like a lesson. Ali — a standup comic whose ensemble credits also include shows like WandaVision and Shrinking — explained that at this stage in his career, finding the funny is first and foremost.

“What really jumped out to me was the fact that it was like comedy first. Oftentimes, shows that have any sort of group other than the mainstream type of thing, it ends up being some sort of a thesis statement on what it’s like to exist as XYZ group in America, and it’s almost like an exam paper,” Ali told Decider during a recent interview. “I loved this script because it was the shows I wanted to see as a kid, which is just crazy fun comedy.”

And it’s written by and for people who look like them. It’s one of the first projects, they say, that really granted them the permission to speak, act, and play the stories of the people they know in their own lives. Getting the chance to do that is something they’ll never forget.

“The characters have so much substance and dynamic. They’re flawed and they’re just real humans,” Shaikh explained. “We don’t get to see that enough in people like us, and we don’t get enough opportunities to portray characters like that.”

Keep reading for more of Decider’s interview with Ali and Shaikh for Deli Boys.

DECIDER: Let’s start at the beginning. How did this show come to you guys and what made you want to say yes in the first place?

SAAGAR SHAIKH: I first read the script in April of 2022, and when I read it, I was like, “This is the best goddamn thing I’ve ever read.” It’s the first time I was able to see myself as either character. Usually, we’re looking for supporting characters that we can come in for a day or two and work on it. But with this one, I knew immediately that I had to be a part of this project. I had to be one of these two guys. I’m just really glad it worked out.

ASIF ALI: It was an incredible script. You know, we’ve both been acting for a long time. Usually, you’re just happy to work. But it’s very rare and special when you get something that you have a shot in, but you also genuinely on the paper are like, “This is really funny and I would love to be in the show. I would have loved to have this show to watch when I was growing up.

Shaikh: The characters have so much substance and dynamic. They’re flawed and they’re just real humans. We don’t get to see that enough in people like us, and we don’t get enough opportunities to portray characters like that.

I think so many people are going to find Deli Boys relatable but are there certain parts of the show that you really resonated with? Maybe more than others?

Ali: What really jumped out to me was the fact that it was like comedy first. Oftentimes, shows that have any sort of group other than the mainstream type of thing, it ends up being some sort of a thesis statement on what it’s like to exist as XYZ group in America, and it’s almost like an exam paper. And I loved this script because it was like the shows I wanted to see as a kid, which is just crazy fun comedy. But then, in this case, it’s just like a South Asian family and all of their quirks and whatever. It’s just the fact that it was comedy first and that was like the whole tilt on. It really was so exciting. And then working in a space where, you know, you’re South Asian, you’re Indian, there’s Indians, there’s Pakistanis, there’s Vietnamese people, there’s Italian people. All of those groups get to bring in their own little specific nuances when we’re shooting that really add a nonforced kind of thing. People are eating with their hands. Saagar, when we were shooting, we had a scene where we’re cutting up drugs on a table and he was like, “What if we do? What if we do the squat?” and they were like, “Okay.” And the fact that they even listened to us and were like, “Yeah, let’s do it,” that in and of itself was so special.

Shaikh: It’s a cultural nut. I actually sit like that a lot. A lot of people in my family do. If it wasn’t us that pitched it, nobody else would pitch it. And it’s such an easy nuance to add. One thing that particularly stuck out to me about the show was the idea of secrets. Because there’s so much about my dad. Here’s something about my dad: he doesn’t talk about his life before he was married. I’ve tried to sit with him and interview him and I bought all this podcast equipment so I could get it on tape. And so maybe one day I’ll write a book about my life or whatever. And I’ll start with the beginning of my dad’s childhood and he will not open up. I even have reached out to some of his old friends and I’ll ask them, “So what was my dad like?” and they’re like, “Oh, you’re just going to have to ask him.” Why won’t you tell me what is up with that?”

Ali: He has information on people, for sure.

Shaikh: The fact that the boys didn’t know this much about Baba’s life really resonated with me.

There are so many lines in this show that are brilliant and hilarious on so many levels, whether you know all of the nuances or very little. Do you guys have any favorites?

Ali: I think “Tiffin the Tiffin” because Tiffin is a such a specific South Asian thing. Juxtaposing that sort of very American, kind of like your brothers or your family kind of thing, but then adding a South Asian twist to it, I really love that. And I feel like even in the screenings, that was like a thing that like my even my parents resonated with. There’s so many.

Shaikh: There’s the credenza line that people really like. The “What is a credenza?” When we were saying that, we knew that this was going to be funny.

Is there anything you guys learned about yourselves or the way you do your job through this show? Either as an actor or a person?

Ali: You spend so much time, especially in this business, thinking that to do XYZ job, you have to have some sort of otherworldly gift, kind of to be able to be a lead to the show or something like that. And oftentimes, it’s simply that you just haven’t had the opportunity. And this particular show is so great. I mean, everybody on it, it felt like that, “Oh, hey, we’re all getting this chance to make this really, really cool show, and we’re all being asked to do more than we have been asked to do on other projects.” And the way that everybody rose to the occasion did more than maybe we thought we could do initially at the beginning. But by the time we got to the end of the show, and we were at the wrap and all of that, it really did feel like it is just a matter of getting the opportunity to do something and really giving it your all.

Yeah, they always say timing is half the battle and this felt like the right time. Asif, you’ve been part of so many ensembles on Shrinking, Agatha All Along, WandaVision, New Girl, how did those prepare you for this?

Ali: I learned a lot from working on different sets, seeing how different leads operate. You pick up little things, whether it’s on set or off set. Off set, like the way they treat the crew and the way they handled themselves. And then on set, the way people can turn things on, turn things off. But truly, what I really enjoy about comedy in particular is that comedy sets are always so fun and they’re always such a joy to work on. In my experience, if you work on a good comedy, you know it’s in your best interest for everybody to be having fun and having good energy with each other. And particularly in shows like Shrinking and WandaVision and even New Girl, there’s these types of ensemble shows [where it’s about] being able to find your spot in order to push the story forward. And everybody’s teeing everybody off and not necessarily stepping on each other’s toes. Everybody can get shine. That helped me a lot.

I want to turn to the brother dynamic. You guys pull it off seamlessly. How did you channel that and get to that point?

Shaikh: I feel like it truly could have been a hit or miss. But in this case, it was pretty quick. Asif and I didn’t actually meet for the first time until our screen test together. And that was over Zoom. And then the first time we met in person was like three days before we started shooting in Chicago. We were doing just like some rehearsals, but it was really light. And both of us knew how lucky we were to be there. And we were on the same page about a lot of things, so the chemistry just came really fast. Really easy. There’s already this shorthand, we know each other’s struggles because we’ve lived them ourselves. There was just like this easiness on set between the both of us and Abdullah [Saeed] and we didn’t have a lot of hurdles to jump.

Ali: Thankfully, because that is a risk. The development and writing and production all takes years. And then when it comes to casting, it’s like you have three weeks to figure out who the cast of the show is that ostensibly will have chemistry that will last for five seasons in a first episode. So it’s a huge gamble. But, you know, Saagar and I thankfully got on. For now. We’re really good friends and we’re going to take it season by season.

And the chemistry is there with Poorna, who, I’m sorry to say, is the true star of the show.

Ali: You don’t need to tell us. We’ve been saying it since Episode 1. And she’s being nice about it, like, “Oh no no.” I’m like, “Shut up, this is your show, you are the engine that moves this show along. You’re the character that immediately everyone falls in love with.” Both on set, off set and on camera.

Shaikh: We were just on in Times Square earlier today, and we were we were passing out fliers for our show because we do weird shit like that. And people asked me if we are the Deli Boys and then they’d see Poorna and they couldn’t stop shaking. They’re like, “Guys, get out of my way. Poorna, how are you doing? Can I get a photo with you immediately? They love her.”

And she’s so effortless, too. Poorna has such a rich history in Hollywood, did you learn anything from getting to work with her? Did she give you any advice?

Shaikh: She makes it look very effortless. And I look at her too like, “I want to be a little more poised in my work.” And I feel like she just has that thing that I want. And so I, I’m very observant of Poorna. She’s one of a kind, truly.

Ali: I mean, there’s only so much you can learn from somebody. And then also there’s something that people just have. And so she is very talented, and she works very hard, but she also just has something.

Shaikh: And she doesn’t take anything too seriously, which I so appreciate. Yeah. So many people in this industry can and are very self-serious.

Ali: We just had a joy working with her and watching her get to play. Speaking of stereotypes and archetypes, she’s played the good mom thing for so much of her career. To be on the show when she gets to finally kick some ass and shoot people and be the head of this criminal organization, I always liken it to in cities like New York where you see like a kindergarten class going to the museum and it’s a teacher and all the kids are holding their hands, “You get a buddy to cross the street.” She was like that for us, you know what I mean? We knew when we were on set and shooting that this dynamic is so funny and it’s so unique.

I’ll wrap with this: Are we in for Season 2? I feel like I know the answer.

Shaikh: Our hopes are high. Our expectations are moderate.

Ali: We’re enjoying every second of it. And that was a thing that we would say to each other on set like, “This isn’t normal. We have to enjoy this. We have to be present.”

Shaikh: We know that this is a very special moment for us. And it is not normal. People do not get to experience what we are experiencing. We’re hyper aware of that. And we’re just blessed to be where we are. We’re happy for what we have right now.

Ali: But we would obviously love to do [Season] 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. But yeah. And just the way that the show ends in this first season, I mean, it opens itself really up to this amazing universe of places that we just dip our toe in in this first season. And the whole writer’s room created such a fun world that we love to play in. And we would love to keep playing it.

The entire first season of Deli Boys is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.