Interview with Aerogram!

The Picture House in Pelham, New York, hosts a January 22 screening of Brahmin Bulls and Q&A with Sendhil Ramamurthy. The film will be released on VOD later this year. 

Waiting by my phone for my latest interview to begin, I’m a bundle of jittery excitement. It’s not every day that I expect a call from an actor who has transformed South Asian American media depictions beyond mere ethnic caricatures, and in the 10-plus years since he broke into showbiz, Sendhil Ramamurthy has done just that. His career trajectory mirrors his personal history, marked by unconventional paths, a patchwork of traditions, and a steadfast resolve to stray from stereotype: a Tamilian lineage with an upbringing in San Antonio; a pre-med major in Boston turned drama school graduate in London; a recurring role on hit American TV shows like Heroes and Beauty and the Beastalongside a part in 2011’s acclaimed, offbeat Bollywood crime drama, Shor in the City.

I look over my notes once more in the few minutes I have left. We’re scheduled to chat about his most recent release, another exercise in cultural convergence, as Sid Sharma in independent filmmaker Mahesh Pailoor’s Brahmin Bulls. The story of an estranged father and son whose cautious reunion is threatened by the return of a woman from their past, the film festival favorite stars Ramamurthy opposite veteran actors Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, and Michael Lerner, as well as Justin Bartha of The Hangover series fame.

At precisely 10 a.m. — a welcome surprise these days, when punctuality is an increasingly rare trait — my ringtone blares and his signature baritone seeps through, tentative yet friendly as he asks if he’s dialed the right number. True-blue Texan that he is, he warns me good-naturedly that he only has a few minutes to chat before a Cowboys game will command his attention. There’s no time for nerves. I take that as my cue to fire away.

For the interview, please head over to their website!