There's a moment in the first episode of Hulu's new limited series Welcome to Chippendales when Kumail Nanjiani's Somen "Steve" Bannerjee dons a suit for the first time. It's a moment reminiscent of Christopher Reeves pulling off Clark Kent's iconic glasses and standing a little straighter as his alter ego, Superman. But unlike the Man of Steel, Steve Bannerjee turns out to be more like Lex Luthor.
The incredible true story of Bannerjee's epic rise and stunning fall as the founder of the Chippendales male revue empire is adapted for Welcome to Chippendales. Nanjiani is joined in the show by an all-star cast that includes Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis.
What to Watch had a chance to talk with Nanjiani at the Welcome to Chippendales red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, and we asked him about that important moment for his character. Here's what he said:
"Putting on that suit is a big moment [for Steve Banerjee]. You know, that's when he's like, 'I'm finally what I want to be.' So he walks a little differently. He carries his body a little differently. And then he finds out that he's one of those guys who's not good with power.
"His mom says to him in episode 3 that some people are not meant to be rich. It really hurts him because he knows that's true. And then we see that he's not made for success because if he has power, he's going to do some bad stuff. A guy like him is best having no power at all. So for me, it's not the parts about him that change, it's the parts about him that don't change that, to me, lead him down the dark path."
In the series premiere, Bannerjee leaves his job at a gas station to purchase an old disco. He envisions a backgammon club for LA's elite backgammon enthusiasts. To achieve that dream he transforms his look and personality to become more like his Hollywood idols.
The walls of his little apartment are covered in pictures of James Bond in tuxedos. He can rattle off the names of Rolex watches, including the ones in his top three. When Playboy bunny Dorothy Stratten (Nicola Peltz Beckham) walks into his club, it puts him one degree of separation from his ultimate idol, Hugh Hefner.
In that early moment in the series, though, the act of putting on his finely tailored suit, glittering cufflinks and shiny shoes reflects Bannerjee casting off his past like a spent chrysalis.
Soon the backgammon club turns into a disco and from there an exotic male revue; the rest is history. But it's a dark history, fraught with Bannerjee’s thirst for more money, power and influence, and it leads to an even darker outcome.
Welcome to Chippendales is available on Hulu, with new episodes streaming every Tuesday.
