Entertainment / ANOKHI TODAY Special Report: Russell Peters Is The Indian Detective!

ANOKHI TODAY Special Report: Russell Peters Is The Indian Detective!

Entertainment Nov 23, 2017

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Brampton is renowned for a few things. The top three, without a doubt, include comedic genius and Canadian icon Russell Peters — who is The Indian Detective!

Russell Peters Is The Indian Detective — **Russell Peters Is *The Indian Detective*: Peters poses in his spiffy uniform as Toronto cop Doug D’Mello.** Photo Credit: www.bellmedia.ca

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (we forgive you if that’s the case), you’ll know that Peters has been working diligently on a limited TV series. You might have seen snippets on his Instagram. The project, which marks his first leading scripted role, is The Indian Detective —. The show is a fabulous mix of comedy and drama that follows Doug D’Mello (Peters), a Toronto cop who seems to be the joke of his precinct. Nonetheless, it seems that his “detectiving” skills just needed a change of location to really flourish. When travelling to Mumbai to see his father (Anupam Kher), D’Mello gets caught up in a murder case along with his neighbour (Mishqah Parthiephal).

I had the pleasure of speaking with Peters about the project and the role’s exciting challenges. As the lead, Peters knew he had the important job of driving the tone of the show by ensuring he was always happy and pleasant on set, fostering a positive atmosphere. He says, “The pressure was on me to set the stage for everybody because if I come in in a bad mood, that’s my problem. That shouldn’t be anybody else’s problem.”

The other test for Peters was acting. However, considering the show was written with him in mind as the lead, Peters was a natural! The show has a dramatic flair that Peters asked Spotnitz (the mega-talented executive producer) and Smita Bhide to focus on since it is their strength.

Meanwhile, Peters took charge of adding the comedic elements to the show, which were consistent with his vein of comedy and often reworked on set. He says, “On set, when we would do the scene, although they’re really good writers, a lot of times, you’d read it and you’d go, ‘That’s great.’ And then you’d go to shoot it and act it out and realize that it doesn’t work the same way, so we’d have to switch it up on the fly.” Peters also noted that he tried out some of his off-the-cuff comedic interventions just to see how the cast would react.

The cast included many big names and talents, such as Christina Cole, William Shatner, Anupam Kher (and his suave toupée), Hamza Haq and Mishqah Parthiephal. Peters says that for him, it wasn’t necessarily about learning from these people. Instead, he explains, “It was more about me learning how to be in an ensemble-type situation and becoming a team player because everything I’d ever done has been a solo act.” He also gained insight on how to be more malleable when dealing with different people and situations, which will undoubtedly help him grow and adapt as his career continues to prosper.

But it wasn’t always serious on set. There were good times, too. Peters recalls that in Episode 3, during a pivotal and dramatic scene at the police station, he just couldn’t fight the giggles. He says, “Every time we shot it, I’d laugh. It was sort of messing up the actress. I just couldn’t stop laughing, and I would try to bite my lip and try to be in the moment.” But it was all to no avail. As a result, that shot took a long time to nail down.

Shooting on location was also fantastic for Peters, as the cast and crew travelled to Cape Town, Mumbai and Toronto — some of his favourite places.

The show premieres worldwide this week on Thursday, November 23, at 9:00 PM EST on CTV and CTV GO. Don’t fret if you’re not able to watch it on CTV. It will be available on Netflix for Canadians in July 2018.

To celebrate the show’s premiere, Peters hosted a party on Monday, November 20, at his home. His inspiration was to bring the party to him. Admittedly, according to Peters, this decision also made getting to bed at a decent hour much more feasible!

Aside from the show’s launch, up next, Peters will be embarking on his Deported world tour. He also has a couple of movies coming out, including Supercon, that I’m sure fans will get a kick out of. As well — spoiler alert! — the last episode of The Indian Detective ends with a cliffhanger. When I ask him if Season 2 would be a possibility, Peters says he “is definitely open to it.”

Take my word for it, though — The Indian Detective is totally worth checking out. You’ll laugh, gasp and be on the edge of your seat. Don’t miss it!

Main Image Photo Credit: www.bellmedia.ca

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Author

Devika (@goberdhan.devika) is an MA graduate who specialized in Political Science at York University. Her passion and research throughout her graduate studies pushed her to learn about and unpack hot button issues. Thus, since starting at ANOKHI in 2016, she has written extensively about many challe...

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ANOKHI TODAY Special Report: Russell Peters Is The Indian Detective!

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

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