In his recent BAFTA TV Awards acceptance speech for best male performance in a comedy, British comedian Mawaan Rizwan recalled a conversation with his therapist earlier that week about how he “wanted to stop relying on external forms of validation… so, moment dangerous!”
However, almost a month after receiving the award (over the likes of David Tennant) for his BBC sitcom “Juice”, it seems the validation is here to stay. Rizwan is currently in New York, where the first episode of the wild cartoon series was screened to a sold-out – and, by all accounts, very enthusiastic – audience at the Tribeca Movie Competition on Sunday. There is another sold-out screening on Wednesday, while a third was quickly organized for next Sunday to meet demand.
Created and written by the 31-year-old — who admits he’s “crazy” — “Juice” sees him starring as Jamma, a bowl-cut, colorful tracksuit-wearing millennial who encounters chaos as he navigates work life and relationships. It’s filled with slapstick, Buster Keaton-style body comedy, and Boots Riley-inspired surrealism, with Rizwan falling over, going crazy, and twisting in and out of units that often have thoughts of their own. When Jamma feels anxious, things around him start to shake. When he climaxes in a pub bathroom, confetti explodes in his ears.
But despite all the madness, the show will be deeply personal, focusing on Rizwan’s own sexuality (he came out as gay to his Muslim parents when he was 24) and his family. In fact, much of the story over the six episodes revolves around how his mother and brother (played by his own mother and brother: Shahnaz Rizwan, who has recently become a household name on Indian TV, and Nabhaan Rizwan, who appeared in films like “Business” and “1917”) continue to steal the spotlight Jamma craves.
“Juice” – which stands out like “Fleabag” for its contemporary originality – is the fruit of more than a decade of Rizwan honing his comedic craft across an eclectic range of styles and platforms, from creating “silly” videos for beginners on YouTube in his bedroom as a child, to stand-up shows, to performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, to writing stints on series like “Sex Schooling” (“Laurie Nunn taught me everything,” he says) to increasingly repeated appearances on British TV programs (including as a guest on the cult program “Taskmaster”).
Although this may have increasingly become a common career path for many contemporary comedians in the UK. Before launching his own collection, Rizwan admits it’s not a path generally accessible to artists like himself – a working-class man who was born in Pakistan (his parents moved away when he was 3) with no connections. to the considerably elitist British leisure business. There was a lot of hard work and hustle along the way.
Rizwan’s first paid job actually came in 2010, following a conversation from a Pinewood Studios line producer about a filmmaking course he signed up for, which – after “firing unlimited emails” – led to him working shifts. 12 hours as a private individual. results aisle on Halle Berry’s box office bomb “Darkish Tide.” Her role: make the all-important titular tide by dipping a barrel into a tank of water while Berry clings to a sinking ship (not that he could watch – he was strictly told he was “not allowed to look at her”). . He loved it.
But now, some 14 years later and climbing the heights of the UK ever since. TV with the current BAFTA honor, Rizwan hopes to invade America. “Juice” — which has already been ordered for a second season by the BBC and which he is now busy writing — is attending Tribeca as part of an effort by BBC studios to find a U.S. home. Regardless of the madness on screen, judging by the response in New York and what he says is the universality of the story, Rizwan hopes there won’t be too many problems.
What was the Tribeca primary screening like?
It was so pleasant! I just love the American vibe. Everyone was so enchanted by this that they kept coming up to me and quoting stories and moments. It was so good. When people like something here, they actually say you already know it. It made me realize I’m done with Britain!
Does it seem like there’s a specific U.S. audience for the show?
Yes, if this was some kind of litmus, check it out. I’ve had people say there’s nothing better on American television and there’s a hunger for it, that there’s a very relatable familiar character and a common story, but wrapped up in a very authentic and surreal package.
Do you think there is anything that might need to be explained to non-Brits?
No, there’s nothing there that doesn’t make sense. I assume I don’t make many British references. I also feel that for many people of color in the diaspora around the world there is a kind of relatability. And even with so many queer stories, you kind of cross national borders. It cuts anywhere, especially when people are determined to be seen on screen. They don’t care what accent is being used. For Season 2: Jamma is American! And we make no reference to that.
So where did “Juice” come from? In your BAFTA speech, you mentioned that you had been trying to commission it for 10 years.
I mean, it’s a crazy gift. I started out eager to make a gift where I could visualize a panic attack, but make it fun. That was the starting line. And, believe it or not, it’s a very tiring promotion! And I said I didn’t want any specific result, that I wanted the art department to be dirty. I want viewers to feel like they are in the theme park of their emotions. But this is expensive to do and requires a lot of resources. So I feel like that’s why it took some time.
But did it start as a gift in Edinburgh?
Yes, it was a live gift. However, it was my seventh or eighth Edinburgh Fringe. Annually I would use this as an experiment. I’m from technology where Edinburgh was so expensive to do, but where a lot of people thought if you do Edinburgh you’ll get your TV show. And so it was really torturous for them. But I saw it as an opportunity to get on stage every day for 30 days and just watch stupid stuff. So it took me a few years to determine what I wanted to say and the way I wanted to say it. And it just so happened that it was the show that basically took off.
How were your other shows in Edinburgh?
The first year, I did an extremely hacky survey, as man and microphone. The following year I wanted to reinvent myself, so I made a non-verbal comedy. I did a comedy and dance show a year ago. I was in a double clown and a trio sketch. I did every style of comedy and just tried on all the costumes and realized what I didn’t want to do. It was a very long-winded trial and error strategy to discover my voice. But now I feel even more bulletproof because I took the scenic route.
And “Juice” was the fruit of all of this?
Yes, it was the first time that I took all the slapstick, corporeal and surreal things and combined them with very emotional and confessional stories. And I don’t think people have seen this style of telling many of these stories before. So that struck a chord. So when we came to make this the TV show, I wanted it to have the same feeling that people had on the live show, which is, “I don’t know where this is taking me. However, I am emotionally invested. Also, I’m confused. And I like.”
How did you get your mother and brother to star? You’ve included them in your YouTube videos, but a deeply private TV series on the BBC is a very different thing.
In fact, my mom said, “Sorry, my schedule might be really busy.” She has now signed with my agent! But no, I told her the story and it made her very emotional. There’s a lot of our family and our ethos as a family and our relationship there. I remember the first day we showed up in our trailers, which were next to each other, and I thought, “Oh my God, my mom is on set, it’s going to be chaos.” But actually, we all had a little tear in our eye, thinking about where we started. In fact, it is not certain where we come from that you will be able to make a living from the humanities. All obstacles are in opposition to you. So that day we were like, not only are we doing this, but we’re doing this together.
I saw your stand-up routine about how you made your mother known – before you – through your YouTube shows. Is this really true?
Yes, my mother actually bought a role in a Bollywood gift! And my brother did great things. But we all started out in our little house making these silly movies. So the journey was crazy. I actually put my mom in my YouTube videos because I was afraid she was going to say, “No, you can’t do comedy as housing, that’s ridiculous.” I assumed that if I made her worry, she wouldn’t say no. I am the mass manipulator!
How does it feel to now have recognition from the British Academy?
It’s a nice improvement. It’s very validating. And what I like is that it introduced a whole new audience. There’s a lot of buzz around it right now, which is really good. Furthermore, the discourse has been circulating. I think my publicist was saying it’s certainly one of the most watched BAFTA speeches. However, it went viral.
It was an important speech. I especially loved that you described the award as “actually the least humiliating thing that has ever occurred to me.” But was all this rehearsed and written?
In fact, I fainted. I don’t know what I mentioned. I used to fill the silence. I really didn’t think I would win. I mean David Tennant, come on!
Shahnaz Rizwan and Mawaan Rizwan in ‘Juice’ (L), Nabhaan Rizwan in ‘Juice’ (R)
Did the dialogue with your therapist actually happen or was it written for laughs?
That is what happened! In fact, unrelated to the BAFTAs, I was talking to my therapist about not expecting external forms of validation. After that this happened. And it’s a really dangerous time, because I’m really trying to make art from a place that’s not meant to be. On to the shiny part. Just do it because I want to make art. But from here it’s downhill! The BAFTAs were so good that now I’m a horrible person and only work for external forms of validation.
If “Juice” is picked up for the US, do you have any hopes and goals for what that would result in? Is there an ultimate sport?
I try to dream big, but I have no expectations. My friend is full of these beautiful catchphrases that have helped me in my life, and he says, “You show up, speak your truth, but stay detached from the outcome.” There is that factor of simply having fun with the trip. I try not to think about it too much, because I feel like a lot of people in our industry get a little resentful and bitter when the goals they planned don’t come to fruition. It’s a bizarre combination of getting a five-year plan and also staying very loose. I don’t want to think, “Why am I not hosting ‘SNL’ yet?” But hosting “SNL” is a big dream.