Deli Boys upends stereotypes
A new American comedy series created by Abdullah Saeed is coming to Hulu on Thursday, March 6. Deli Boys follows the lives of privileged Pakistani American brothers Mir and Raj Dar in Philadelphia, who unexpectedly dive into a life of crime after the sudden death of their father, Baba. Their successful father used their convenience-store chain as a front to smuggle drugs. After his death, the FBI seizes the family’s assets, leaving the brothers with nothing but the family deli.
Enter Lucky, the coolest, badass auntie played by critically acclaimed Indian American actress Poorna Jagannathan, who guides them through their new life. As Baba’s closest confidante and business partner, Lucky takes the brothers under her wing to teach them how to lead a life of crime. Â
The 10-episode first season is brimming with zany humor and heart, highlighting deeply layered and flawed South Asian protagonists whose cultural identities are intricately woven into their personal journeys.
This nuanced integration of desi-ness into the plotline was intentional and evolved from a diverse group of talented writers of different cultural backgrounds. Nikki Kashani was one of them.
Diverse identities underpin the story
“I think what the show Deli Boys does really well is it really invites you into these people’s lives without feeling didactic, without feeling like you’re trying to sit someone down to teach them a lesson,” said Kashani in an interview with India Currents. “It’s more like – let’s take you on a really fun adventure that’s going to be filled with lots of twists and turns and laughs, and hopefully by the end of it, you get to know us a little bit better.”
The writing room for Deli Boys has writers who are children of immigrants from different cultures – Pakistani, Indian, Chinese, and Persian. Living in the diaspora is a different experience for each of them, reflects Kashani.
 “We all walk different paths to get to where we were but there’s this shared sense of camaraderie between us, because we’re able to relate on what it was like to grow up in an environment where you’re dealing with this duality, and you’re trying to, show people who you are, rather than tell them who you are.”Â
You can generate so much story from having to straddle two identities, “in discomfort,” she adds. “I think one of the things that writers have in common, is at one point in another, you felt maybe like an outcast, or you felt so much grave discomfort that the only way to sort through these emotions is to write about it.”
Growing up Persian
Though she endured hardships and felt underestimated growing up, Kashani says “I’m so grateful those things happened to me because now I can go back and I can use that as a way to relate to other people.”
A first-generation Iranian American writer who grew up in Los Altos in the Bay Area, Kashani earned her B.F.A. in film and television production from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and then was accepted into the very competitive Disney Writing Program in 2023 – one of twelve writers selected out of thousands of applicants.
During an intense interview process, she remembers being asked “What’s your voice, what’s your life story, what’s your perspective, and how are you bringing that into the world?”
One emotion is confusion, Kashani says, “Because you’re born in America, you are American, but then you have this very strong cultural background.”
She was raised by immigrant parents in Los Altos. “You’re just constantly embarrassed all the time, and couple that with the fact that I have a very larger than life family, a very vibrant family. But at the same time, they have this… you gotta work hard, play hard mentality. You have to pull in the good grades to be able to enjoy the life that you want for yourself. And so it took some time for me to, like, really be comfortable with that.”
But growing up as a first-generation Persian American within the post-9/11 era, even in the very liberal Bay Area, Kashani says she was bullied. “You mix elementary school kids and the political climate, … I felt like I was getting bullied all the time – just little microaggressions, you know like, slurs that they would say.”
Kashani came into her own in high school because her friends were creative, she says. “We kind of grew up in the YouTube era – so we were just making YouTube videos on the weekends. Even in my own household, so much of our family activity would revolve around being creative and making fun short home videos or dancing or singing, and it was just always so lively at home.”
Writing became the way she bridged the gap between her school persona and her home self. She loves her Persian heritage. “I’m so proud of being Persian, says Kashani. “It’s something that I lean into a lot, and not because I feel like I have to, or because it differentiates me but really, just truly because I love the community and I love the liveliness and vibrant life.”
Nuanced representation shapes the storyline
Deli Boys showrunner Abdullah Saeed challenged his writers to bring to the table new things that people hadn’t seen.
For Kashani that meant upending stereotypes. To outsiders, Asian cultures are perceived as patriarchal, she says, because systems are set up to be patriarchal within these countries. “But when you go inside of the home, it’s actually very matriarchal. Like, you know, my mom was the one that was allowing me to do things and not do things. Mom’s the disciplinarian.”
So when it came to Deli Boys, says Kashani, “You have these two brothers who lose their father, but it’s their auntie, played by Poorna (who) steps in. She is just filled with so much grit and so much leadership, but she knows when to cater to the boys’ emotional needs, when to tell them to just dust it off, pick themselves back up, and keep moving forward.”
Kashani thinks this is true of the experience growing up with immigrant parents who have a different perspective on how to move through life because they lacked the luxuries their children grew up with. She wanted that represented in Deli Boys.
“When we talk about representation, it’s not like, okay, let’s just like, play to the stereotypes and to either disprove them or to prove them. But let’s actually show what it’s like to be inside of this lead of a female character.”
Everyone is the hero of their story
The writers wanted to showcase family-oriented cultures.“I can say whatever I want about my sibling, but the second somebody else says something about my sibling, it is unacceptable. “We move in a group. We move as a unit. We move in a family. You do anything for your family, you know?” Showing those elements allows people to understand immigrant family life, says Kashani, by “taking them on this big adventure and then showing them where your values lie along the way, and humanizing these people.”
Another perspective discussed in the writing room was the idea that villains don’t think they’re villains, says Kashani. “Everyone thinks they’re the hero in their own story and that when they’re backed up against a wall, they do whatever it takes to provide for their family.”
That formed the genesis for flipping the narrative on its head with a story of pampered brothers turning to crime to survive. It made for a fun and challenging writing experience for the team, says Kashani.
The Deli Boys writers room
The writers room for Deli Boys had seven writers alongside show runners, creators, and executive producers, with Saeed writing the pilot.
Kashani explained the collaborative process begins with mapping out where the season at large is gonna go before every episode is broken down, “and that’s when you all start pitching funny scenarios and funny jokes and funny character arcs and funny characters.”
As a staff writer on Season One, Kashani was the lowest level writer. “It was like my first room..so you’re kind of like a sponge, observing how other people are moving about. It’s very inspiring… because the level of talent in that room is just absolutely amazing.”
Then creativity takes over and “everyone’s just feeding off each other,” she says. “It just feels like improv, honestly! You’re pitching the leads of the room, and then as the story starts to take shape, you just basically sort of outline it on the board. You sort of go scene by scene, and you arc out the episodes that way. And then the writer of the episode brings that to life.”
Kashani co-wrote episode 8 with Ekaterina Vladimirova, an experience she called an honor and a privilege. “It is such a testament to the great leadership that we had in our room and I think they empowered me to know that I was there for a reason. I was hired for a reason.”
But comedy rooms can also be tough, said Kashani. “Imagine telling a joke to a group of people who don’t laugh, and you just want to evaporate into thin air.” But the writing room also was a comfortable space where Kashani and the writing team felt empowered to speak their minds.
“Coming into this story with our own perspectives on what it’s like to be a minority …and being able to have shared experiences is really important, says Kashani.
Deli Boys releases on Hulu on March 6.
“It’s so unique because it has a lot of heart and soul,” says Kashani, “but then so much adventure and so much expansiveness, and is so unexpected.”
After she wrapped on Deli Boys, Nikki worked on Amazon’s new show Every Year After (premiering in 2026) based on the New York Times Best Seller, Every Summer After where she wrote her first solo episode of television.
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