Vogue: How does it feel to see the show out in the world and connecting with viewers?
You know, you just think, Hows it doing on Rotten Tomatoes?
But when its your thing, youre like,Oh my God.
Photo: Jai Lennard
Its been a funny experience to watch that, but the audience thing is totally separate, right?
Because its not so quantitativeits purely qualitative.
I was like, Okay, it cracked something there, right?
Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh inDeli Boys
I love the idea that theres a bunch of six-foot-three white dudes in Long Island watchingDeli Boys.
Did you always know you wanted to tell a family story?
Im constantly learning more about this medium of writing, which Ive only been doing for about eight years.
I was raised by my mom mostly, and I have an older brother.
Im working on my next pilot now thats a different vibe.
Do you have favorite crime or mob movies or shows that helped influence the tone ofDeli Boys?
That high-minded stupidity vibe is huge for me.
The shows focus on generational attitudes toward theIndia-Pakistan conflictis so fascinating.
Is that something youve seen shift within your lifetime?
The idea that we are somehow adversaries is a postcolonial setup, and Im not into it.
We are truly of the same culture, right?
It goes every single way, right?
Its not just Pakistanis and Indians.
Are there any themes or ideas you hope to continue exploring withDeli Boys?
Purely on a story note, I want to see more backstories of our smaller characters.
Ive really thought about their backstories, and Michelle and I have discussed some of that.
We dont have a season two as of now, so its all just kind of fantasy, right?
But we were just kicking things around, and theres so much fun stuff to play with.
It was this terrifying news piece, and it always sat with me.
It reminded me of this idea of scary twins, and thematically I love that for a Pakistani village.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
