Kumail Nanjiani Will Play Chippendales Founder Somen 'Steve' Banerjee in Hulu's Immigrant Series
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Kumail Nanjiani is coming to Hulu.
The Academy Award nominee, 43, will star as Chippendales founder Somen "Steve" Banerjee in the upcoming Hulu series Immigrant.
The eight-episode limited series will tell the "insane, darkly comedic, crime-ridden story behind the unique male revue that became a cultural phenomenon."
Banjeree was an Indian American entrepreneur who struck gold in 1979 when he added a male stripper dance troupe for female audiences to the lineup at his Los Angeles nightclub.
The first of its kind, the Chippendales have evolved to performing Broadway-style burlesque shows all over the world and at their flagship venue in Las Vegas.
But Banjaree's legacy is shrouded in scandal. Hours before he was to be sentenced in 1994 for having his business partner, Emmy-winning director and choreographer Nick De Noia, killed in 1987, Banjeree died by suicide.
He was also indicted for plotting to kill some former Chippendale dancers he allegedly considered a threat.
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Nanjiani is known for his roles in Silicon Valley, Stuber and The Big Sick, which earned himself and wife Emily V. Gordon an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, after basing the film on their real-life love story.
He will also star alongside Angelina Jolie in Marvel's The Eternals, a role for which he worked out extensively.
"I feel like it's the only thing tethering me to sanity," Nanjiani told PEOPLE last year of keeping up with his fitness during quarantine.
Immigrant is written by Robert Siegel. In addition to his starring role, Nanjiani serves as an executive producer, alongside Gordon, Dylan Sellers and Chris Parker of Limelight, as well as Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi, who are also writers on the series.
RELATED VIDEO: How Kumail Nanjiani and Wife Emily V. Gordon's Quarantine Podcast Brought Them Closer: 'It's Been Really Good for Our Relationship'
Siegel is currently making his Hulu debut with Pam & Tommy, starring Lily James as Pamela Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Tommy Lee. The limited series, which Siegel wrote, is about the former couple's infamous sex tape leak and the scandal that followed.
