Sheikh Niloy's comedy show breaks stereotypes and bridges cultures

Imagine producing your first project to then accidentally debuting on it by playing the role of a narcissistic Bengali-American character named Sahir. Well, Sheikh Niloy had different plans, but eventually, he succeeded in portraying the charming yet obnoxious Sahir, obsessed with his good looks. The 20-year-old Sahir shares his living space with equally narcissistic roommates – Dante, Gaia, and Aria – all on a quest to discover their elusive self-worth.

Recently, I stumbled upon a reel of "Narcissists of New York City" (NNYC), and Sahir immediately caught my attention. He impressed a young American girl with the cheesy yet romantic dialogue, "Ami ferot aschhi tomar jonno oh shundori." The series is replete with elements of comic relief, but as the story unfolds, we witness a more vulnerable and elusive side of Sahir, endearing us to his innocence.

It was a breath of fresh air to see a Bangladeshi actor in a leading role instead of playing the stereotypical geeky character bullied for his accent. While Hollywood seldom explores stories featuring South Asian characters, Bangladeshi actors and directors are gradually breaking this mould by producing and writing narratives that highlight Bangladeshi culture.

"I had a knack for comedy, and my friend and I were discussing creating something unique and special to us. Thus, we decided to create "NNYC". Through this project, I aimed to showcase incidents I witnessed of narcissists growing up around me," said the producer.

Niloy had no initial plans to act in his debut project, but fate had other ideas, and he ended up playing the role of Sahir.

"When casting for this project, I watched a total of 800 auditions. For the role of Sahir, we received only 13 submissions, and amongst them, only three were of Bangladeshi descent. Of those three, only one was an actor. I played the character myself since no one else was fit for the role. It perplexes me that the significant number of Bangladeshi artistes in showbiz is not visibly evident in New York. I want to change this and shed light on our culture and the Bengali American experience, infusing a unique perspective into the entertainment industry to foster greater inclusivity for our community," added Niloy.

While Niloy and Sahir might be polar opposites in real life, their Bengali connection and love for acting act as a familiar bridge between the two characters.

"Growing up in a Bangladeshi family, we are constantly urged to pursue an academic career over the love of the arts. At the time, I was pursuing mechanical engineering, but deep down, I knew that acting brought me happiness. When I preferred acting to engineering, they criticised my decision. However, they are now the most supportive people ever. A bit of everyday Bengali family criticism is highlighted in episode five when Sahir receives criticism for acting," stated the actor.

Discussing his favourite episode, Niloy revealed his bias towards episode 11, as the scene holds a special place in his heart.

"In Episode 11, titled "Drunk Dreams", Sahir encounters his younger self in a dream. A particularly poignant moment from this episode, which I shared on my Instagram, captures a heartfelt conversation between Sahir and his younger self. During this exchange, Sahir poses a soul-searching question, inquiring if his younger self ever felt the pressure to become someone else to matter, to be acknowledged, seen, and heard in the world. The response is a resounding 'no,' accompanied by a plea for validation," said the actor.

"In that pivotal moment, Sahir reassures his younger self that no external validation is necessary, affirming that he is perfect just the way he is," he added.

Before filming the show, a personal tragedy struck Sheikh Niloy as his father passed away just a day before they were scheduled to start filming.

"We were supposed to go into production on April 10, and on April 9, my father passed away. I still remember the last thing I told him: I can't wait to tell him about what happens during the filming. The news about his death shook me, and thus, I immediately went off to Bangladesh to see him for the last time. He was my solid rock who supported my dreams and was also one of the producers of my project. Episode 12 is actually dedicated to him. I am grateful to my whole cast and crew for being with me. So that kind of helped me to go through the whole process of the grievances," expressed the actor.

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Although "Narcissists of New York City" was recently released, Niloy has organised a red-carpet photoshoot for the cast, extending invitations to prominent influencers. The 12-episode series is currently accessible on Vimeo worldwide, with select episodes on Dailymotion. For those interested, the series is also available on Amazon Prime in the US and the UK.