CURRY BEAR

10. Noureen Dewulf

Number 10 on the list is Noureen Dewulf. We first heard about her when she appeared on Maxim’s top 100 sexiest females list. Back then all she had done was an awesome role in small movie called “West Bank Story”. Now she’s been featured in movies like “Ghost of Girlfriend’s Past”, “Maneaters”, and “The Goods”. She’s also appeared on a few shows like “Chuck”, “90210”, and “Reno 911”. She has some really interesting movies coming out like “The Taqwacores” which is about a Pakistani engineering student who joins a punk rock band. She will also be in more spoofs like in “The Comebacks”. This spoof is called “The 40 year old virgin who knocked up Sarah Marshall and felt superbad about it.” However, it’s not her projects that are fascinating to me. It’s her mysteriousness. How she get that last name? Is she Muslim? What does that tattoo on her mean? Why won’t her husband let us have that threesome?

9. Aasif Mandvi

If you watch The Daily Show you know who my number 9 most fascinating person is. Aasif Mandvi is a correspondent on The Daily Show. This in my opinion is one of the most hilarious fake news shows ever. Aasif has come a long way since firing Spider-Man from delivering pizzas. I see great things in the future for Aasif because everyone who leaves The Daily Show ends up becoming a huge success (Steve Carrell, Ed Helms, and Stephen Colbert). The other thing about Aasif was that he was there when we needed him. After the 2008 November Mumbai, attacks the world just stood in horror. Everyone was speechless and angry. A comedy show like The Daily Show would probably not even mention something like that. But Aasif did a skit calling those terrorist mother fuckers. It wasn’t that clever, it may not have even been that funny but damn it we needed to hear that!

8. Imran Khan

Imran Khan is becoming the most popular Bhangra artist of all time. Imran Khan took his Punjabi singing, got rid of the traditional Bhangra sound, and embraced the hiphop beats. This along with his melodies, lyrics, and catchy hooks has made him a household name not just in the UK but even here in the States to most South Asians. This isn’t your mothers’ Bhangra. He’s also not your mothers’ Imran Khan, (the cricket player). His lyrics are unique, fun, and very entertaining to listen to. I can honestly say there is not a single song I do not like on his album. For that alone he is number 8 on my list of most fascinating South Asians.

7. Sonal Shah

Number 7 is another actress who I found out about through my favorite show, Scrubs! Before even being on television Sonal was on webisodes on ABC called Scrubs: Interns. The cool thing was she was the star of the show. I think that’s the first time a Desi has ever starred in a show. The show centered on her making a documentary of her journey as a med student. She was later given a reoccurring role on the show Scrubs when it returned on ABC last year. She is now back on the show Scrubs as it returns for another season. Sonal also has background in dancing and has been known to be on a desi dance team or two. Also, rumor has it she has a huge crush on Curry Bear and tried to seduce me using butter chicken. A woman covered in butter chicken: my only weakness. How did she know?!?

6. Kunal Nayyar

Kunal Nayyar may be a name you don’t recognize off the top of your head, but ask any Desi engineer who watches The Big Bang Theory and they can tell you exactly who he is. He is Rajesh Koothrappali a.k.a Raj. The hilarious astronomer friend who is too shy to talk to girls without alcohol. His character on the show is hilarious and the show makes hilarious Desi references, like the infamous Ashwaria Rai Vs. Madhuri Dixit debate, or the arranged marriage incident, or even when poor Raj lost his Patang Prize fighter kite and had it replaced with a Hello Kitty Kite. Seriously, why are you people not watching this show? It’s fucking hilarious.

5.Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling is known as the weird Indian chick from “The Office”, but did you guys know she has her own stand up album out? I checked it out and it was one of the funniest comedy CDs I have heard in a long time. Not only does she star as the hilarious Kelly Kapoor on the show but she is also a writer on the show. She has written many of the episodes including the infamous Diwali episode. Remember, they are Samosas not Smores. She has directed a few of their webisodes and The Office’s first music video called “Male Pima Donna”.

4. Amir Khan

Amir Khan the prize boxer who almost a month ago had a first round knockout in about a minute. Not only did the WBA World light-welterweight champion win the silver medal at the Olympics but he was also named ESPN.com 2007 Prospect of the year. The British-Pakistani boxer is now sparring partners with Manny Pacquaio. However, the thing that fascinated me about him the most was all his charity work. Even though he beats people up for a living and tends to wear those horrible Ed Hardy shirts, he’s an awesome person who has helped many. In July 2006 Khan became involved in the No Messin’ campaign, which promotes child safety around British railways. After the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Khan went to Pakistan and handed out food parcels to children in a camp. He has also raised more than £6,000 for a firefighter who was badly burned while trying to save a family from an arson attack in Bolton. He has spent £1 million of his own cash on opening the Gloves Community Centre and boxing gym in Bolton to get youths off the streets.

3. Aziz Ansari

By now Aziz Ansari should be a house hold name. Whether he is calling up Kanye West on his speed dial in the middle of a comedy skit or he’s hiding in a van on the show parks and recreation, Aziz is handing out laughs like they were flyers for a Desi party at your local college. Aziz is without a doubt in my mind one of the funniest Desi people I have ever seen. Anything he does is hilarious. He was on Human Giant, Scrubs, and even on an episode of Flight of the Concords. He was the funniest thing on all three of the shows, just like he is the funniest person on Parks & Recreation. He is like the King Midas of comedy, anything he touches is gold. Aziz, please never touch my penis. Talk about a golden shower.

2. Jay Sean

I was debating whether to make Jay Sean number one or not. No one has blown up like Jay Sean. The guy had his song “Down” played on every radio station, every second of every day. The sad part is that I’m still not sick of his songs. I can’t get enough of “Do you remember?” and “Down”. In fact whenever I have to use the word “Down” I have to repeat it four or fives times out of habit. I knew the guy had talent, I knew the guy had looks, but I had no idea the guy was this cool. If you have read Curry Bear’s interview with Jay Sean, the guy is joking around about Sexy Pills and burying dead bodies in the forest. All this talent and he’s funny too? Not fair. I mean this guy can do no wrong. He has just about everything in the entire world going for him. Girls love him, guys want to be him, and a certain bear want to know if he can lie to white girls and tell them he’s related to him. Jay Sean is the kind of person who has so much going on for him that you just want to hate him out of jealousy, but you can’t. He’s just that awesome. That’s why he is going down down down down down as my number 2 most fascinating South Asian of 2009.

1. Iqbal Theba

Now many of you may not know the name of the number one most fascinating person of 2009. However, is there anyone alive who isn’t watching the biggest hit show of the season? I’m talking about Glee! Yes, Glee is one of my new favorite shows and a lot of it has to do with the Indian Principal Figgins, Iqbal Theba from Karachi, Pakistan. Many of you might be going what is so fascinating about this guy? Well, I’d be saying the same thing if I hadn’t done an interview with him. This guy has years on everyone in the business. For years he’s been the only Desi person in Hollywood. Taking small tiny roles and waiting for things to change in the business, Iqbal has been around for 20 years. Most of the people on my list are barely in their 20s. If you check him out on IMDB, you will notice that he has been in just about everything and anything. When I realized this, I thought to myself he’s not one of these Desi people riding the coat tails of the success of a few Desis in Hollywood. He made those coat tails! Just about every actor I have put on this list would not be there if it was not for guys like Iqbal becoming pioneers in this industry. When I look at his bio page and read about how he came to LA with nothing but a few bucks in his pocket and a boatload of determination, it really made me believe that anything is possible. He majored in Civil Engineering and had his whole life mapped out for him, yet chose the path less traveled, chasing a dream that could have just as easily never have been a reality. Wow kind of reminds you of the new Aamir Khan movie “3 Idiots”, right? When I did my interview with Iqbal it really stuck with me. Then when I read some of the comments people left about him I knew people found his story and determination just as fascinating as I did. To me the most fascinating person isn’t the prettiest, most talented, or strongest. It’s the person who kept going even after 20 years of rejection. It’s the guy who got out of bed every morning after being frozen with fear. Iqbal Theba, your story fascinates me like no other.