Click to play videoNew York: Mike Myers' latest comedy The Love Guru pulled in a disappointing $14 million on its opening weekend in North America. But it was a dream Hollywood debut for Indian American actor Manu Narayan who shares plenty of screen time with Myers as the Love Guru's straight-arrow sidekick Rajneesh.
"Just to watch him, learn from him, see how meticulously he prepares for each scene and then to see him throw it all away in front of the camera, I mean, improve a lot of things and see where the comedy comes out of that and try to follow him - it was a wonderful experience," says Narayan.
Narayan first drew attention when the A R Rahman-Andrew Lloyd Weber musical Bombay Dreams opened on Broadway four years ago, with him in the lead role. Given his ease with the song-and-dance routine, the actor, whose family roots are in Chennai, says he's open to offers from Indian cinema.
"Kamal Hassan actually called at one point and asked me to do his Dasavathaaram with him. I wasn't able to for scheduling reasons and I kicked myself because I really wish I had done it. But at the time it just didn't work out. But I would love to work with him or Mani Ratnam or somebody in the north. I mean, either way it would be a dream come true if I could do that," says he.
Up next for Manu is an album release in July from his band Darunam, which serves up a mix of Indian, American and Balkan music.
Manu Narayan's role in The Love Guru may bring him more visibility than praise. But at the very least, he now joins an ever expanding pool of young Indian talent in Hollywood.
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