East West - The Asian American Lifestyle Magazine

First he was Taj, then he charmed us as Kumar and now star-on-the rise Kal Penn returns to the Van Wilder franchise as the comedy’s leading man. Kal reprises the role of Taj Mahal Badalandabad in Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, which hit theaters December 1.

In the film, Kal’s character heads to Oxford University to complete a graduate degree, teach underclassmen, fence and do a whole lot more. The versatile actor chatted with us recently about the movie, his upcoming role in the highly anticipated The Namesake and his foray into television.

East West: How does it feel now that Taj is the lead character?  

Kal: It’s great. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it. In the first one, Taj was sort of a side-kicky stereotypical kind of guy and it was a unique opportunity to develop the character, make him 3-dimensional. It is four years later and now he’s the cooler guy; he’s got his quirks from the first film, but he’s come into his own. He’s more original and doesn’t really care what other people think, which is fun to play.

East West: When you were approached about doing the first Van Wilder, it is reported that you were initially concerned about the character and cultural stereotypes…

Kal: Oh, yeah. I said no at first.

East West: But then you did it and now there is a second one. How and when did the spin-off idea for a second Van Wilder come up?

Kal: About a year and a half ago. We sat down and the guys who produced it said they wanted to spin it off and do Taj’s own movie because a lot of the feedback they got from the first film was that people liked the character. It was similar to what I said to the first movie. “No, I don’t want to spin it off. I don’t want him to be a stereotype in the sequel.” They said, “No, no, no. Our idea is four years later he goes to graduate school and becomes a teaching assistant.” I said OK, now this is interesting.

East West: So then, this time around were you able to get more involved with the development of the character?

Kal: That’s kind of why I wanted to do it actually, because generally the bigger the part, the more well-rounded the character. I wanted to make sure he was redeemed as a person, while having fun obviously and keeping the themes the same. When do you get to see a guy like this rise above and become the cool guy? It’s not that often.
I was able to help develop it with them and executive produce the film.

East West: The movie is a bit raunchy and silly. What do you say to all those South Asian aunties out there that are your fans? You know…they all want you to marry their daughter!

Kal: First of all, they all lie to me and say they love these movies. I’m like, “No, you don’t. You shouldn’t even be watching them! They’re for college students.”
I think most of them understand that I’m playing a character and this isn’t who I am in real life.

East West: You also directed a music video for the movie’s soundtrack, right?

Kal: I did. Johnny Lives! has this great song “Get Steady,” which is our title track on the soundtrack so I co-directed the music video for that. It was fun. I want to get more involved in music video directing so it was cool to do that.

East West: Why should people see this movie?

Kal: First and foremost, I think it is fun. It’s a fun, light-hearted comedy about a guy who used to be a dork and is now cool. But it is not because he has completely assimilated or compromised, but rather it is because he has originality. This is kind of the quintessential American dream, so to speak –doing your own thing, rising up from being the underdog, passing that torch on and having a ridiculously good time.

East West: Do you relate much to Taj?

Kal: No, not very much. I’m just a completely different person.

East West: Opposites?

Kal: I think so. Except maybe the desire to teach.

East West: What would you want to teach?

Kal: Sociology or history, probably.

East West: We’ve come to know you through comedies, but you’ve now ventured into drama with The Namesake and your role in “24.” Which genre do you like better?

Kal: I like storytelling, so I would like to continue to do both. I really enjoyed working on The Namesake and “24,” the film especially because Mira Nair was such a huge influence on me as an actor.  

East West: What was the most important thing you learned from her?

Kal: Probably…dignified storytelling and that there is beauty in everything. She really seems to capture the beauty in everything. Even if it’s a tragic moment, there’s inherently something beautiful about it, which is wonderful.

East West: Do you think you’ll do more television?

Kal: My role on “24” was very unique. It was very different than a lot of the other roles I’ve played. So, I’m always open to auditioning for parts like that, whether they are on TV, stage, film, whatever.

East West: How about some reality TV?

Kal: No!

East West: Do you watch any reality TV?

Kal: They are boring to me, except the Flavor Flav show. Why did I say that!

That show is amazing. It’s the same morbid curiosity I get from watching FOX news. Should I have not said that?  It’s hilarious. You think, “Really, that’s how you’re behaving?” It’s phenomenal.

East West: OK, one last question. You’ve really become a role model for the South Asian community with your success.

Kal: Thank you.

East West: How does it feel?

Kal: You know, it’s funny. I never went to “Indian” acting school. I just went to drama school and film school so it’s a little weird because when you take that path, they are like, “Oh my god, you’re not going to be a doctor or an engineer?” and you’re kind of shunned. Then suddenly you start working, and it’s like “Oh, that’s our guy.”
So I take everything with a grain of salt. My feeling is that I hope it encourages people in our parents’ generation to encourage their kids to go into the arts. And I hope it encourages the kids who watch these movies to speak up if they don’t want to major in medicine or engineering or whatever it is they are being pressured in to. I hope they do something they love to do, whether it’s history or literature, development studies, arts, whatever it is. That’s my hope.

*photos courtesy of Van Wilder:The Rise of Taj

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