2.
CB: Haha, well writing the screen play itself is a great way to get involved with it. You got a chance to work with one of my favorite actors, Naseeruddin Shah. Since I will never get a chance to work with such a legendary man in my life, could you please tell me what it was like working with him so that I may live vicariously through you?
Aasif: He is a horrible horrible person. I’m just kidding. He was tremendous. He was a horrible horrible person who beat me everyday but other than that I was very impressed and in awe to work with the guy. He is a tremendous actor and I am eternally grateful to him for doing our film.

3.
CB: I knew he was horrible. He probably leaves empty milk cartons in the fridge too. Now, can you tell us any interesting stories about something that took place while filming this movie? I want to know stuff about Today’s Special that is not in the Trivia section of IMDB.
Aasif: You want to know something about Today’s Special that you won’t find on IMDB huh? What can I tell you? I feel like I exposed so much about this film but I’ll just say that everyday on set I had a goatee on set of the film and I have a goatee person who would take care of my goatee and make sure my goatee was the same color and same shape.

4.
CB: Every time I watch the trailer for Today’s Special, I get hungry for Indian food. If I were to take a date to watch this movie, would you recommend getting dinner before or afterwards?
Aasif: If you want to take a date on this film I would eat first then I would take some Indian food in a to-go bag and take it back to her place and eat it there.

5.
CB: Eat it there? Are we still talking about the food? Anyway, in the movie, your character Samir gives up his dreams to help out his father with his restaurant. What were your dreams when you were younger and were you able to achieve them? Is there something left in life that you still want to do?
Aasif: My initial dream when I was young was to jump a motorcycle off the Grand Canyon. I have yet to achieve that. Other than that I achieved everything else.

6.
CB: I’ve read that you’re a Mumbai native. I’m a Mumbai native myself (Ghatkopar West represent!). Where did you live in Mumbai and how did you end up in Hollywood?
Aasif: That’s a little bit of a stretch. I was born in Mumbai and left when I was a year old. So I lived at my grandparents and at the hospital. My grandparents had a place on Muhammad Ali Road so I guess that would be the place where I am from in Mumbai.

7.
CB: I didn’t know Muhammad Ali the boxer had a road named after him in India! Man that guy is famous. Ok so I stalked you on IMDB and saw that you’ve appeared in a lot of movies and your career began in 1988. Some of my young readers were not even born at that time. We often hear about actors struggling to make it in this business. How has this journey been for you?
Aasif: I mean you know it’s been a journey that’s all I can say. It has its peaks and valleys and you know it’s like you said. I’m old is what you’re really saying when you say my career started in 1988 but I had tremendous experience and got to work with tremendous people and hope to continue to do that. In some way it’s weird because even though I been in this business for a long time. I feel my career is only now starting.

8.
CB: You’re old? Please, Shah Rukh Khan is like 100 and still playing teenagers. Speaking of Shah Rukh Khan, tell us your favorite Bollywood movie, actor and actress. And no, the answer can’t be Naseeruddin Shah.
Aasif: My favorite Bollywood? Gosh! I don’t watch enough Bollywood to know what my favorite Bollywood movie is. But I will say that the movie that makes me smile the most is the first Bollywood movie I ever saw, that none of your readers would even know. It’s a movie called “Haathi Meri Saathi”. And that movie still to this day. I forgot that movie because I watched it when I was a kid. It was the first Bollywood movie I ever saw and I found it on youtube and it’s awesome. Just to watch it again. Watched clips on youtube and that song is so great. (For Actors) Outside ones I have worked with I’m a big fan of Irfan Khan and I actually even like Shah Rukh Khan. Even though I don’t think he is a great actor but I think he is an incredible presence. And as far as actress goes my favorite actress is Nandita Das.

9.
CB: Haathi Mere Saathi! I love that movie. It’s also the nickname I’ll give my wife when she gets pregnant. What does Aasif Mandvi do for fun when he’s not acting in movies or being a correspondent on The Daily Show?
Aasif: Aasif Mandvi basically eats, sleeps and goes to see a movie now and then.

10.
CB: Really? God all that fame, so much wasted. OK last question. If you could kiss one actress on screen, who would it be?
Aasif: Actually, I’d like to kiss them off screen. Anyone who is up for that can let me know.

Please check out this movie at your local theaters and help support it online:
Today’s Special Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/todaysspecialmovie
Today’s Special Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TodaysSpecial
Today’s Special Twitter: http://twitter.com/todaysspecial

If you only follow Bollywood, then chances are you may not have heard of him. But this man is a legend in South India. When most people think of South Indian movies, we think of Indian thriller and the most insane special effects/stunts ever imagined. Rajinikanth’s movies also fall in this category. In a Rajinikanth movie, you will see him dodging bullets, taking down helicopters, stopping a criminal by throwing a bottle at him from 500 yards away, beating up goons with his South Indian Kung Fu and proving that everything you learned in Physics is wrong. He is the highest paid actor in India and only the 2nd highest paid actor in all of Asia after Jackie Chan. His movies often make as much money in just the South Indian region alone as SRK movies make globally. He is extremely popular in Japan, South Africa, Germany and many other nations. He has starred in close to 200 movies and at 60, he still plays the lead in his movies.

I enjoy Rajinikanth movies because I know what to expect. Rajnikanth is all about style. He may not have the face of Hrithik Roshan or Salman’s body, but when it comes to style he is #1. Whether it is flipping a cigarette in his mouth or getting off a bike, the man is all about style and no one does it better than him. I go see a Rajinikanth movie expecting to be entertained by his style and action scenes that make you feel like you’re tripping on acid and that is exactly what I get.

Rajinikanth has achieved God-like status in South India. He is worshipped the same way India worships it’s #1 athlete Sachin Tendulkar. His story of going from rags to riches is inspiring and gives hope to the poor. When his die hard fans watch his movies, you can see sparkle in their eyes. This is no lie – find a Rajinikanth fan, play one of his movies and watch his eyes. You’ll be lost in a dream. Rajinikanth movies are so far-fetched that on the internet, he is spoken of as India’s Chuck Norris. You know what I’m talking about – those Chuck Norris facts that have gained popularity. If you look on the internet, you’ll find some Rajinikanth facts. Here are some more facts:
- When Rajinikanth smokes on screen, it is actually the cigarette smoking Rajinikanth.
- When Rajinikanth smokes, he gives cigarettes Rajinikanth cancer.
- Rajinikanth is the result of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
- The Large Hadron Collider was actually created to find out if Rajinikanth started the big bang.
- Rajinikanth movies are the reason why the global financial crisis hasn’t affected India.
- Women have periods because Rajinikanth can’t bleed.
- Only Rajinikanth can tell you if it’s the time to disco.
- Pappu can’t dance saala, because Rajinikanth broke his legs.
- NASA discovered water on the moon only because Rajinikanth took a piss there.
- The world’s best Cricket player, Sachin Tendulkar, is actually Rajinikanth’s avatar.

If you have never seen a Rajinikanth movie, then the next time you and your friends are bored, rent one and watch it. If you have a South Indian friend, then it’s even better to watch it with him.

Here are some awesome and ridiculous Rajini movie clips: