VAN WILDER 2: THE RISE OF THE TAJ: The Rise of Kal Penn, continued
By Brad Balfour

December 4, 2006

Do you like the trend of comics taking serious roles?

KP: I don’t know what it’s like. I’m not a stand-up comic, but for me, it’s just sort of random that I fell into comedy. I would love to follow in the footsteps of people like that.

How much of a Bollywood fan have you been?

KP: I've watched some Bollywood films. And I like them.

Have they had any inspiring moments that you'll include in your films in the future?

KP: No. Most of the films that come out of India that I like, I guess you'd call them independent films—"Mr. and Mrs. Ire," "Bombay Boys," stuff like that. I enjoy watching the big song and dance stuff too; I can see myself in one of those [laughs]. As far as the post-colonial stuff... Most of what I’ve seen is when it ends up in Bollywood films—I’m not well enough versed to probably say anything about it—but it seems like it’s either really well-versed or really over-the-top.

There’s a middle ground, especially when you’re doing a T&A movie—like a college comedy—you can do it in a different way. It can be in the middle of fencing or it can be at a poetry reading. Something kind of out of left field, so that you’re poking fun at human nature and it’s fun for everybody. It’s not like you’re burdening the audience with it—you’re letting them have fun with it.

So you’re not looking for your opportunity to be in a Bollywood film?

KP: I wouldn’t say I’m searching for the opportunity but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it.

Especially a Bollywood version of a T&A college comedy?

KP: Here’s the thing: I love storytelling. So if someone were to come to me with a great idea for a Bollywood film, I’d totally consider it. I think it would be interesting to do.

There is quite a contrast in genres going from this film to your other recent project, “The Namesake,” Mira Nair's adaptation of the Jhumpa Lahiri novel about American-born Gogol who wants to fit in (despite his family who clings to their traditional past). Was it difficult to clearly establish the difference in character of one film to the other?

KP: The goal is to never just do one specific genre of film—it’s to do a bunch of stuff with storytelling. Working with Jhumpa Lahiri [and Mira Nair] was incredible. I’d love to take my career in that direction as well.

A lot of South Asian-Americans got their start working on films with South Asian subjects. In a way, you actually are finally getting to one.

KP: I actually did a few smaller South Asian-American films that I didn’t find particular interesting to work on. I’ve done my fair share of those. This, I wouldn’t be misled because of the ethnicities of the characters. I think this is a very American film and is not at all in the same ballpark as other films that have South Asian characters in them. You have a world class filmmaker and a Pulitzer prize-winning author—in my view, it just so happens that they’re characters of South Asian descent—but the book is more like a "Catcher in the Rye" and the film is more like a "Notebook," in terms of the beauty that comes from this loneliness, more than it is, like, a "Bend it Like Beckham." It's a great film, but I don’t think that "The Namesake" is like "Bend It Beckham;" it’s more like "The Notebook."

What’s the contrast of working with a director that’s focused on comedy and a director that’s focused on drama? Do you get more improvisational with the comedy?

KP: I think it depends on the director. And also with "Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj," you have a character I played when he was four years younger and a very different person. They probably trusted the cast more in a film like this to just improvise because you know the characters much more. It’s a freer form story than maybe a drama would be. It’s a teen comedy—we hope people just have fun with it.

Did you feel weird, after doing a film like "The Namesake, to play a character that plays up the Indian accent?

KP: It wasn’t a big deal for me, because I don’t equate accent with stereotype. I think that if a character has an accent and the character is also one dimensional and does not contribute to the plot, and is the butt of a joke, then it’s very stereotypical, but a character can have an accent and drive the plot of the film and get the girl and fence somebody and put somebody in trouble, and help the underclassmen pass exams and be a real human being.

It wasn’t a concern in this case. It has been a concern before but this wasn’t one of those cases, because I didn’t feel the film was stereotypical. In fact, I thought the first "Van Wilder" was a bit stereotypical, so it was a great opportunity to keep the universal humor that people like—with Taj being the underdog—but make it funnier for reasons everyone can relate to.

How’s your fencing now--you were definitely shown up by your English girlfriend (played by Lauren Cohan)?

KP: It’s better than it was before, but ask her…

She whooped your ass?

KP: Um…she did, actually. I had no fencing background. I was so scared to shoot with the foil.

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