RIZWAN MANJI,

BORN Toronto, Canada

BACKGROUND Manji traces his ancestry to Kutch in Gujarat. His parents were both born in Tanzania and emigrated to Canada.

PROFILE When Manji was in junior high school in Calgary, drama was an optional subject. “I was horrible at playing the saxophone, so I just chose drama. I ended up being cast in a school play, it was a comedic role. When I got my first laugh, I got hooked on to it right away,” he says. Manji first came to the fore in a couple of desi films, the first being

American Desi and the second one was the mockumentary about a wannabe Indian actor - Fillum Star:

The Peter Patel Story. While he did film and television work, the “pivotal moment” came with the NBC sitcom Outsourced. "We premiered as their highest rated show,” Manji says. It was a watershed moment to be an Indian origin comedian on network television. Manji is currently filming in Halifax, for the pilot of a new show, The Patels.

Laugh line:

As his American boss is talking to him about karma, Manji's character Rajiv Gidwani responds: “Thank you for your lessons in karma. Maybe I can come over for some sitar lessons.”

(Source: Outsourced)