Canadian comedian and actor Mark McKinney hopes to see an Indian adaptation of his American show "Superstore" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move making way for a story infused with Bollywood's formulaic fare of elaborate song and dance sequences.
Asked about his idea for a 'desi' spin to the story, McKinney told IANS over an email: "I would have the store be in Delhi or Mumbai, so it would probably be bigger and busier than our Cloud 9 in St. Louis and, my God, would there be Bollywood romance songs between Jonah and Amy (characters from the show)?
"If there is, I will move to India to watch this show! Also for the pilot, I would go back in time and set it on the day Mr. Narendra Modi declared that the 500 and 1000 rupee notes were only good until midnight."
In "Superstore", McKinney essays the role of Glenn Sturgis, the manager of the big-box utility store. The staff considers him to be a father-figure. The show follows the lives of different individuals working in the store.
The third season is currently on air in India on Comedy Central.
Apart from having a gripping storyline, "Superstore" also boasts a very diverse cast.
McKinney says the "part of the expanding (of television's understanding of diversity) is simply showing the picture, on TV, of what America really looks like".
"Showing the positive ways people relate to their ethnicity. For example, during the Olympics, Mateo was a proud Filipino and it's he, not Latina Amy, who is the one dealing with the issue of being undocumented. At the same time, Amy fights people's attempts to stereotype her, as she pretends to understand a fast-talking Latino suitor but then realises she has no idea where they are going on their date because her Spanish is fading.
"This, plus the setting of a store that we all can see ourselves either working or shopping in, give the characters an appealing comedic balance and relatable quality," added the actor, who has been associated with showbiz since 1987 with show "Seeing Things".
He is best known for "The Kids in the Hall", "Saturday Night Live" and "Slings and Arrows".
Talking about his character, the actor said: "These first seasons for me have been about gradually revealing the way Glenn's angels and demons work on him. Glenn is equally capable of breaking the rules to get Cheyenne health care as he is of terrorising his employees to buy wife Jerusha's not-so-great knitwear. He does them both out of love but sometimes with childish intensity."
What's next for you?
"Currently, I am acting in two indie films: the comedy 'Room For Rent' and 'Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh'. That's a mouthful!
"We are calling it 'Seven Stages'. It's a very funny dark comedy about a couple who discover that members of a strange cult believe they have to kill themselves in their apartment's bathtub to reach heaven. I am also co-writing a sequel to 'Slings and Arrows', a show I co-created which we are calling 'The Amateurs'," he concluded.
(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)
--IANS
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