Aziz Ansari has the most beautiful brown eyes – huge, like a cow’s, and full of more enthusiasm than words could convey. He’s also an actor and a brilliant standup, and has showcased these skills via a wildly successful television show (he plays lackadaisical Tom Haverford on Parks And Recreation) as well as a series of hilarious comedy specials. His most recent, Live At Madison Square Garden, was a sold-out affair. The man is going places.
Ansari is a first-generation American, born in South Carolina to Indian parents. He has gagged about this (“They were trying to find a place that combined racism and horrible public schools”) but his routines are more often riffs on modern life and human foibles. His jokes are multi-layered, filled with tiny details that betray his intense interest in other people. He never seems mean, even when he’s talking about human weakness; instead, he provides confirmation of your own neuroses, from the fraught question of when to text a potential partner, or the tension between your belief in animal rights and your need to eat delicious fried chicken.
His authenticity is evident in his choices: he’s a foodie, so he co-hosts a web series called Food Club. He has called out racist and gay jokes bandied about by other comedians, and he describes himself as a feminist: at one point in a standup show, having asked the women in his audience to raise their hands if they’ve ever been followed by a creepy guy, he says, “Everyone look around. That should not be happening.”
Aziz Ansari is a funny, principled guy – and he cooks. He just might be perfect.
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