Tag Archives: Russell Peters

Links: The Indian Detective

From Hannah Sung of The Globe and Mail:

Link: Russell Peters talks political correctness and new TV show The Indian Detective
“It’s kind of a fantasy situation. I’m just a regular constable in Toronto and I go to India and I get treated special. And I live up to the potential that I always knew I had. Do you ever just think to yourself, ‘If I could go back in time with what I know now, I would have been so smart,’ you know?” Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:

Link: Russell Peters on his ‘less jokey’ new TV series ‘The Indian Detective’
Russell Peters says his new TV series asks a simple question: “What would the average Joe do in this situation?”

Loved by audiences around the world as a successful stand-up comedy headliner, “The Indian Detective” — which premieres Thursday on CTV — casts Peters as a less-than-stellar Toronto police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when he visits his father in Mumbai. Continue reading.

From Mark Daniel of the Toronto Sun:

Link: Russell Peters talks ‘The Indian Detective’ and why he’ll never host the Junos again
For his first leading role in a scripted TV series, Canadian funnyman Russell Peters knew he didn’t want to do a 30-minute sitcom.

The stand-up star, who came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ annual list of the highest-earning comedians last year, wanted to prove he can do more than just tickle your funnybone. Continue reading.

 

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Humour and heart at the centre of Russell Peters’ The Indian Detective

There’s a definite Beverly Hills Cop vibe to The Indian Detective and that’s a good thing.

Debuting Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, Russell Peters stars as Doug D’Mello, a Toronto cop who stumbles upon a murder case while visiting his father, Stanley (Anupam Kher) in Mumbai. Like Eddie Murphy’s Detroit-raised Axel Foley does in Beverly Hills, Doug finds himself woefully out of place in India, despite his heritage. But his wit and charm—not to mention some pretty decent detective work—woos legal-aid lawyer Priya (Mishqah Parthiephal) as the pair investigate dirty dealings in India that reach back to Toronto and involve twin gangsters Gopal and Amal (Hazma Haq) and real estate developer David Marlowe (William Shatner).

Written by Frank Spotnitz and Smita Bhide and executive-produced by Spotnitz, Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Mark Burton, Clayton Peters, Paul Canterna and Russell Peters, the four-episode The Indian Detective isn’t just a vehicle for the Canadian stand-up comedian to mug through. He’s emoting folks, making Doug an interesting and multifaceted character who uses his quips to great effect.

We spoke to Peters about the development, tone and future of The Indian Detective.

I’ve watched the first two episodes and I really enjoyed them.
Russell Peters: Thanks. Episode 3 is really good. I’ve watched all four and Episode 3 is my favourite.

You said, in another interview, that you were leery of the process of being cast in something where you weren’t playing yourself. Why the concern?
It wasn’t that I was leery about playing somebody else. I understand that that’s acting. But, if they want me to tone down myself … you don’t hire Vince Vaughan to be somebody else. You hire Vince Vaughan because of his personality … hence the same thing with me. I’m not putting myself in the same category as Vince, but it’s that kind of thing. I’m me, and people want to see me be me. But, I can be me and be somebody else at the same time.

Doug is an instantly likable character. There are a lot of laughs, but there is also a lot of heart and drama to this show. 
The way I had it planned is that it would have more dramatic moments and then the network wanted it to be funnier. I’ll be honest, I’m glad they went with their instincts over mine because it did work out better.

Were some of the funny lines ad-libbed?
I would say 90 to 95 per cent of those lines were ad-libbed. You can tell because they flow a lot easier out of my mouth than some of the other words.

Can you talk a little bit about the scripts written by Frank and Smita?
Frank and Smita came to my house a few years ago, and we were trying to determine what the direction of the show was going to be. Then they came to us about a year later with the scripts. I had actually forgotten about it by then. I always kept forgetting about it because I was doing other things and said, ‘OK, well, let me know when we’re going to shoot it.’ And then, last year, my brother said, ‘Remember that show? They’re getting ready to shot.’ I said, ‘With who?’ And he said, ‘You, you idiot.’

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It proves, once again, how long television development can take.
It’s like a teenaged boy’s voice; it takes a long time to develop.

The first episode really immerses the viewer in Mumbai and India overall. You really get a taste of the music, the food, the colours and the vibe. Was that important?
It was very important to me and that was one of the things I kept saying was ‘We can’t fake Mumbai.’ It’s impossible to fake. And, even the times that we did fake it on set, our set designer was amazing because we interspliced the fake Mumbai with the real Mumbai and you can’t tell which is which.

What was it like filming in Mumbai and Cape Town?
Cape Town was the long one, that was two months. Mumbai was only a week and Toronto was two weeks. But Cape Town was amazing. So much fun. We worked six days a week, 14 hours a day, but I still loved it.

Let’s discuss the characters a bit. By Episode 2, it would appear Priya and Doug have a connection. Is there romance by the end of Episode 4?
The second you see Priya on screen, you immediately want to be with her too. It’s the TV world. Where else can a guy that looks like me end up with a girl like that than in the world of TV? Because in real life I don’t think she wanted to stare at me once.

And William Shatner?
Shatner, first of all, is 82 years old. He doesn’t look it at all. He looks like a 62-year-old that says, ‘You want to go and pound some scotch?’ He was so nice, so professional, so cool. We’re filming and he’s doing his lines and I forgot we were shooting a TV show. I’m like, ‘Damn, that guy looks just like William Shatner.’ [Laughs.] He says his line and he’s just staring at me and I’m like, ‘Oh, can I get my line again, please?’ I’m sure he thought I was a complete f–king moron. I got a little star-struck.

The Indian Detective is four episodes. Could there be more?
When you do see Episode 4, we leave it a little open.

The Indian Detective airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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Link: Russell Peters lets comedy take a back seat in The Indian Detective

From Tony Wong of the Toronto Star:

Link: Russell Peters lets comedy take a back seat in The Indian Detective
“It took a while, there were so many people in and out over the years. I was also leery of the process. They would pitch me something, but my idea was that if you’re hiring me to be me, then let me be me. But if you’re hiring me to be somebody else, then hire somebody else.” Continue reading.

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CTV’s The Indian Detective, Starring Russell Peters, Premieres Nov. 23; plus first-look photos

From a media release:

Following on the heels of the recent success of CTV’s THE DISAPPEARANCE, CTV’s latest original event series, THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, debuts Thursday, Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, as announced by Russell Peters today. Securing a coveted Thursday night timeslot immediately following the two biggest shows on television, THE BIG BANG THEORY (8 p.m.) and YOUNG SHELDON (8:30 p.m.), the four-part, one-hour, comedy-drama stars the global comedy sensation in his first starring scripted role for television, and was filmed on location in Cape Town, Toronto and Mumbai last spring. Click here for a sneak peek.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, a classic fish out-of-water story with equal doses of comedy and high-stakes drama, follows Toronto cop Doug D’Mello (Peters) as he becomes embroiled in a murder case while visiting his father in Mumbai. The investigation leads Doug to uncover a dangerous conspiracy while dealing with his own ambivalence towards a country where, despite his heritage, he is an outsider.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE also stars Canadian icon William Shatner as a billionaire property developer from Toronto who may have ties to the criminal underworld; Bollywood Movie Award-winning veteran actor Anupam Kher (The Big Sick, Silver Linings Playbook, Bend It Like Beckham) as Stanley D’Mello, Doug’s father and a retired airline pilot who moved back to India after the death of his wife; Christina Cole, (Casino Royale, SUITS) as Constable Robyn Gerner, Doug’s tough, beautiful, all-Canadian partner; Mishqah Parthiephal (SNAKE PARK) as Priya Sehgal, an earnest and dedicated lawyer, born into an upper-middle class family in Mumbai; and Hamza Haq (mother!, QUANTICO, Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2), as Mumbai drug lord Gopal Chandekar, and who recently appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Canada’s Rising Stars: 15 Breakouts Making an Impact in Hollywood” list.

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In the premiere episode of THE INDIAN DETECTIVE (Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO), when a suspected heroin shipment Doug (Russell Peters) and Robyn (Christina Cole) were secretly investigating turns out to be children’s bikes, Doug’s dream of becoming a detective fades into oblivion. Coerced into going to Mumbai to visit his father Stanley (Anupam Kher), Doug meets Priya Sehgal (Mishqah Parthiephal), a beautiful, passionate legal-aid lawyer. Together, they fight to uncover the truth behind a false murder confession, and while finding his stride in Mumbai, Doug realizes his failed case back home might have roots in his homeland.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE is executive produced by Golden Globe®-winning and Emmy®-nominated Frank Spotnitz (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, THE X-FILES) of Big Light Productions and Lance Samuels and Daniel Iron (MADIBA, THE BOOK OF NEGROES) of Blue Ice Pictures.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE is a co-production between Big Light Productions, Blue Ice Pictures, the IDC, Wonder Films, and Bell Media. The series was created, executive produced, and written for Russell Peters by Spotnitz and Smita Bhide (HUNTED, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES). The series is directed by BAFTA award-winner Sandy Johnson (BENIDORM, JONATHAN CREEK) and produced by Trevor Hopkins (FORTITUDE, CUFFS). It is executive produced by Blue Ice Pictures’ Daniel Iron and Lance Samuels (MADIBA, THE BOOK OF NEGROES), Wonder Films’ Mark Burton (Water, Tallulah), Russell Peters (HIP-HOP EVOLUTION), CPI Pictures’ Clayton Peters (Breakaway, RUSSELL PETERS VERSUS THE WORLD), and Paul Canterna. Co-executive producer is Sharon Remmer (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE).

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE is an official co-production among Detective Doug Productions Inc., Instinctive Film GmbH, and Brightway Investment (Pty) Ltd.

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After shooting in South Africa and India, CTV’s new dramedy The Indian Detective starring Russell Peters wraps production in Toronto

From a media release:

CTV along with producing partners Big Light Productions and Blue Ice Pictures announced today that production has wrapped on THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, following international production in Cape Town, South Africa and Mumbai, India earlier this year. The four-part, one-hour, comedic drama, starring international comedy sensation Russell Peters in his first scripted TV series, is set to premiere as part of CTV’s 2017/18 schedule.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE follows Toronto cop Doug D’Mello (Peters) as he becomes embroiled in a murder case while visiting his father, Stanley (Anupam Kher), in Mumbai. The investigation leads Doug to uncover a dangerous conspiracy while dealing with his own ambivalence towards a country where despite his heritage, he is an outsider.

As THE INDIAN DETECTIVE, Peters is a charming, smart, ambitious Toronto cop of Indian heritage whose dreams of becoming a homicide detective are put on hold when he is unjustly suspended.

Additional cast members also confirmed today include Canadian icon William Shatner (STAR TREK), who wrapped filming in Cape Town earlier this year playing a billionaire property developer from Toronto who may have ties to the criminal underworld.

Additionally, award-winning actor and Bollywood veteran Anupam Kher (Silver Linings Playbook, Bend It Like Beckham) stars as Stanley D’Mello, Doug’s father, a retired airline pilot who moved back to India after the death of his wife. He’s a lovable rascal, trying to reconnect with his son in his golden years. Christina Cole (Casino Royale. SUITS) plays Constable Robyn Gerner, Doug’s tough, beautiful all-Canadian partner. Mishqah Parthiepal (Snake Park) stars as Priya Sehgal, an earnest and dedicated lawyer, born into an upper-middle class family in Mumbai; Priya has chosen to dedicate herself to serving the legal needs of the poor of the Annapuri Slum.

Equal doses comedy and high-stakes drama, THE INDIAN DETECTIVE is executive produced by Golden Globe®-winning and Emmy®-nominated Frank Spotnitz (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, THE X-FILES) of Big Light Productions and Lance Samuels and Daniel Iron (MADIBA, THE BOOK OF NEGROES) of Blue Ice Pictures.

THE INDIAN DETECTIVE is a co-production between Big Light Productions, Blue Ice Pictures, Wonder Films, and Bell Media. The series was created, executive produced, and written for Russell Peters by Spotnitz and Smita Bhide (HUNTED, TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES). The series is directed by BAFTA award-winner Sandy Johnson (BENIDORM, JONATHAN CREEK) and produced by Trevor Hopkins (FORTITUDE, CUFFS). It is executive produced by Blue Ice Pictures’ Daniel Iron and Lance Samuels (MADIBA, THE BOOK OF NEGROES), Wonder Films’ Mark Burton (Water, Tallulah), Russell Peters (HIP-HOP EVOLUTION), CPI Pictures’ Clayton Peters (Breakaway, RUSSELL PETERS VERSUS THE WORLD), and Paul Canterna. Co-executive producer is Sharon Remmer (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE).

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