Laughter and enlightenment - a young actor embraces the opportunity to take on the West's prejudices
KEY POINTS:
He is a South African of Indian descent, playing a Pakistani Muslim on an American television series, filmed in Vancouver, Canada. So when a crisp English accent - one which makes Prince William sound dead common - comes down the receiver, you can't help but wonder if you've got the right number.
Indeed it is the right number, and it is actor Adhir Kalyan's drawn vowels ringing down the line. Kalyan, who appears on TV2's new Saturday night comedy series Aliens in America, is in Los Angeles, his newly adopted home.
The series, set in America's Midwest, centres on the socially challenged teenager, Justin Tolchuk (played by Dan Byrd) and his family.
Determined to increase her son's social currency, Justin's mother signs on to host a foreign exchange student, envisaging a good-looking, athletic Scandinavian.
Instead, they are greeted by Kalyan's enthusiastic character Raja Musharaff - a devout Muslim from Pakistan, whose parents have recently died.
Although the series is a comedy, playing on middle America's ignorance and fear of foreign cultures, it has become something more, Kalyan says.
"Our primary objective with this show was always to entertain the audience, to make them laugh and to really give them a show that the entire family could enjoy."
But when the series went to air, it quickly became a talking point within various communities.
"It definitely resonated with people," recalls Kalyan.
"I was very pleased with that because it was something that set this show apart from other comedies on television. It has a conscience and it does stand for something."
Through the heightened reality of comedy, the writers were able to raise sensitive subjects without turning the audience off, says Kalyan.
In the pilot episode, Raja is introduced to the class, before the teacher asks how they all feel about Raja's "differences". One girl puts up her hand and says: "I guess I feel angry because his people blew up the buildings in New York."
Though Kalyan doesn't think such a situation would arise in a real classroom, the exaggerated scene deliberately plays on some people's perceptions.
"With drama, when you're trying to spoon-feed a message, the audience tends to push it away.
"When people laugh at something and then find themselves feeling uncomfortable, that's when they might question their motivation and their thoughts on a particular idea."
The technique seemed to work, with the series soon being discussed in various universities and within the Muslim community.
"I remember getting numerous messages on Facebook from people at Georgetown University because they were discussing it in one of their classes."
Kalyan also attended several Muslim conventions around the United States to talk about the series with Muslim youth.
"I was very apprehensive, I didn't know what the response was going to be. I was greatly humbled by the experience because there were people coming up to me, literally going 'thank you so much for the show. It has made a huge difference in our lives and the lives of people in our community'."
The young actor may not have predicted how the series would be received, but he was well aware that his character was a first for American television, and took it upon himself to research Raja's background thoroughly.
"Because so much of what Raja does is based on his faith, it was important for me to have more than a superficial understanding of Islam.
"Since September 11, the actions of a few men on that day have really violated Islam. They used this religion as a weapon of destruction. They used it for selfish purposes and to further their own agendas.
"In the wake of that, they have really formed this modern day perception of Islam as an aggressive religion of violence, which is not the case at all.
"Being one of the first positive portrayals of a Muslim character on television, I felt a responsibility to that community to infuse the character with a sense of authenticity."
Kalyan's research included talking to leaders of the Muslim community in London, where he was living at the time. He also spent time learning about Pakistan's history and how its culture was shaped by Islam.
In America, the actor donned traditional Muslim dress and took to the streets of LA to get a real sense of Americans' perception of - and reaction to - Muslims.
"People wouldn't be hostile or unfriendly, but they would definitely have a look and try and suss out whether I was okay or not.
"Sometimes I would try and put them at ease by taking an iPod out of my bag, or opening a popular magazine. As soon as there's that idea of identification, then suddenly they're at ease because they're familiar with it."
It is the same idea and message that Aliens in America tries to reflect, says Kalyan.
"For all of our differences, there are many similarities that we share. I hope that's what people will take away from the show."
LOWDOWN
Who: Adhir Kalyan
Born: August 4, 1983, in Durban, South Africa
What: Plays Raja Musharaff, a Pakistani Muslim exchange student billeted to Wisconsin, USA, in Aliens in America
When: TV2, Saturdays, 7pm
