'Big Bang' star loved playing brash taxi driver in Canadian film 'Dr. Cabbie' | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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'Big Bang' star loved playing brash taxi driver in Canadian film 'Dr. Cabbie'

Actors Vinay Virmani and Kunal Nayyar (right) are seen in an handout photo from the film 'Dr. Cabbie.' Nayyar, one of TV's favourite supernerds in "The Big Bang Theory," jumped at the chance to play a loud, brash, Punjabi-rapping taxi driver in the Canadian film "Dr. Cabbie." THE CANADIAN PRESS/ HO, eOne Films

TORONTO - Kunal Nayyar, one of TV's favourite supernerds in "The Big Bang Theory," jumped at the chance to play a loud, brash, Punjabi-rapping taxi driver in the Canadian film "Dr. Cabbie."

"I play Raj on television, an astrophysicist who can't talk to women without alcohol, and here I was getting the opportunity to play an oversexed cab driver — that was very appealing to me," the 33-year-old actor said in a phone interview while on set in Los Angeles shooting the hit sitcom.

Nayyar’s character in the film, Tony, befriends Deepak, a doctor who has recently arrived in Toronto from New Delhi. Tony convinces him to start driving a cab for extra cash since he's facing major roadblocks finding work as a doctor. After delivering a baby in the back of his cab on a rainy night in bumper-to-bumper traffic, one thing leads to another and Deepak finds himself running a full-fledged clinic in the back of his cab.

"Sometimes when things don't work out, you have to find an alternate way to navigate your way through life and that's what 'Dr. Cabbie' is about," said Nayyar.

When asked about his own experiences finding another way, Nayyar laughs.

“Are we writing a book because I can give you an opus — I'm an actor," he said. "I'll save those stories for my therapist."

Nayyar was hand-picked for the role by the co-writer of the film, Vinay Virmani, who also plays the lead role of Deepak. The script was inspired by a cab ride Virmani took in downtown Toronto right after finishing his first film, "Breakaway," three years ago. The Brampton, Ont.-born actor was moved by his driver’s story — a practising physician in India, he worked to get certified in Canada but ultimately couldn't get placed in a residency program, which he needed to complete the process.

"One year turned into two, two turned into four, and he said, 'At the end of the day now I don't even feel like I have the confidence to be a doctor anymore,'" said the 29-year-old, recalling the driver's story.

This prompted Virmani to think about discrimination within the professional sphere — a common challenge immigrants face that he hadn't seen addressed on screen before. He pitched the idea to a few producers, with Bollywood heavyweight Salman Khan's production company signing on.

Virmani describes it as a "cross-cultural comedy," borrowing the cheeky humour and even a little bit of the song and dance from Bollywood, while grounding the story in a North American context. Although some scenes were shot in New Delhi, the bulk of the film was shot in Toronto, which proved to be distracting at times for Virmani.

“Being Indian, you have cousins that want to come on set and want to meet Kunal Nayyar," Virmani said, laughing.

But the real challenge for him was to play a first-generation immigrant, which was in contrast to his role as a second-generation hockey player in “Breakaway” — a story loosely based on Virmani's life.

"The hardest part for me was being a fish out of water in terms of being a character from India that has to take in Toronto and the western world as if it's new to me," said Virmani.

He headed to New Delhi two weeks before shooting there to spend some time with family members, observing their mannerisms and attempting to nail down the right accent for the role.

"The Indian accent isn't the stereotypical accent that comedians put on," said Virmani. "I was very adamant that I'm not going to play the role as your typical Apu from 'The Simpsons.'"

Visiting Delhi twice — once to scout and once to shoot — before filming in Toronto was instrumental for director Jean-Francois Pouliot to get a grasp of cultural subtleties that would help inform the crossover film.

"There’s a mix of naivete and wisdom that I found that is typical in the Indian culture and I tried to carry that into Deepak," the Montreal-based director said in a phone interview.

He also watched a lot of Bollywood films as he prepared. "The Bollywood influence was totally new to me, allowing me to break the rules and try new stuff," he said.

But there was one type of film he made sure to avoid.

"I did not watch any crossover films. I did not want to," said Pouliot, adding he wanted to make sure he wasn't subconsciously influenced, ensuring his ideas were "fresh."

"Dr. Cabbie" is in theatres Friday.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2014
The Canadian Press

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