Jaipur Lit Fest: Kal Penn talks about discrimination in conversation with TV9 Network MD & CEO Barun Das

New Delhi: The 2025 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival is in full swing, serving as a premier platform for intellectual engagement with leading voices from all walks of life. The main highlight of day two of the grand event turned out to be American actor-author Kal Penn’s captivating conversation with Barun Das, MD & CEO of TV9 Network.

The duo, considered legends in their respective fields, reflected on various engaging topics, garnering huge applause from everyone. The former White House staff member not only discussed his memoir You Can’t Be Serious but also shared his personal math stories, among other anecdotes.

Talking about Penn’s book, Das asked, “Most of your book talks about discrimination and your being an actor. I have always thought art is one rare man-made concept that is supposed to unite. You talk about the discrimination you faced. Do you think it’s a conscious thing?” Elaborating on his question, he gave the example of The Big Bang Theory’s India-based character, Rajesh Koothrappali, who always sits on the floor while having dinner with his friends.

Penn replied by saying, “That is such a great question. I think it is a great segue to talk about the time I started in entertainment because I think it is very different from 20 years ago than it is now, in a good way.” He added, “When I started as an actor, there were very few people who looked like me. I had the privilege of going to a publicly funded performing arts high school in New Jersey, where I was born and raised.”

After moving to LA, the first thing Penn noticed was that back then, if you were brown, you were only being considered for roles that were bit parts, and those bit parts were stereotypical. He stated, “What folks are really trying to say is that Hollywood historically pigeonholed certain roles as a function of lead characters who tend not to be South Asian.”

“Once we figured that out, it was a conversation about what you do to get your foot in the door. In some cases, it means you are gonna have to take jobs that maybe you don’t wanna take to build up your resume,” Penn stated. He further said that, in other cases, one has to be strategic about it.