Ismail Actors Make Headway in Hollywood

Excerpts from the Paper

Ismail Actors like Rizwan Manji Make Headway in Hollywood
As millions of viewers watch the new NBC comedy Outsourced, it’s easy to see how far Ismail actors have come.
Rizwan Manji, 36, is an Ismail actor who plays Rajiv Gidwani, the assistant manager of a call center in India, on the show Outsourced. The show is unique in that it is the first sitcom ever on national television in America to feature a primarily South Asian cast. It’s also currently the number one show on the famed “Must See T.V.” NBC lineup. Manji says that it has been a hard but fruitful road, and he is proud that he could be a part of this groundbreaking new sitcom. “It hasn't always been easy being an actor. There has been a lot of rejection and long stretches without...

.....t- in fact, it has led him to a better understanding of many of the characters he plays. “Being Ismaili and a Muslim is a very important part of my life.... I hope that it has instilled in me a moral and ethical compass that not only guides me through my career but in all aspects of my life.”
Manji lives with his wife, Taslim Manji. He ha one daughter, Avana Manji, with another child on the way. Though it is still a struggle at times, Manji feels that his life is full and that the door of opportunity for Ismail actors is absolutely widening. “It is still a struggle but there are more and more "brown" actors showing up in sitcoms, dramas and films. A South Asian actress from London just won an Emmy Award so things are definitely looking up.”