With her appearance in ‘Deli Boys 2’, Canadian-Indian artist Lily Singh is not just adding a credit to her resume; he’s stepping into a role that feels like the culmination of everything he’s worked for on his own. In a candid interview, the actress opened up about what the show means to her, the state of brown representation in the West, and more.
Lilly Singh ok’Deli Boys 2′ and brown representation
Lilly Singh made no effort to hide her desire to join ‘Deli Boys 2’. For an entertainer who has spent years championing more authentic South Asian stories on Western screens, landing a role on a popular comedy-heavy show clearly struck a different chord with the powerful cast.She said: “My whole career, I’ve tried really hard to bring stories like this to life. And it’s an honor for me to be on a show that’s already so incredible, so comedic, with such a great cast, and I get to be a part of this wonderful family. It’s a dream show for me. I love that all the characters are so messed up and troubled. The wife who’s flirting with other men and disrespecting my husband, and it’s so funny, please.
Lily Singh on why “messy” brown characters are a big deal
For Lilly Singh, the show’s significance goes beyond entertainment. He spoke thoughtfully about what true representation looks like, and why it hasn’t been a persistent problem in North American media.“I’m sure there are different conversations in India about representation, but there’s no barrier to getting brown people on camera there. The struggle here is that we’re fighting to have our skin color only on screen. So when you get to have a show like this, where it’s not just South Asians on screen, when they get to have such a range of personalities, that’s really special because in the past the characters have been very smart, sharp, straightforward, or they’re not messy, and that’s a shame,” he said.He went further, setting the bar for true representation. He added: “For us, or at least for me, the real representation would be to see characters who manage to make mistakes and swear a lot, have sex and get into a range of things, like we’ve never seen before. So it’s a big win for us.”
Lilly Singh talks about growing up without a mirror
Lilly also reflected on what it felt like to come of age in the West to look at the screen with almost no brown faces and what this absence quietly costs young people.She said, “The only representation of black people in particular was Hindi cinema. As for North American cinema, I had nothing. The closest ones were ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ ‘Sister Sister,’ and ‘Family Matters,’ which were mostly Black shows. We didn’t have ‘Never Have I Ever’ or ‘Deli Boys’. So I always think, how would my life be different, growing up, if I had shows where I really saw myself? But I’m glad that now, growing up, they can see themselves on screen, and it opens up what’s possible for them.”
Lilly Singh tells her that people remind her of them Will Smith and Shah Rukh Khan
Lilly saved her most self-aware and funniest observation for last. When asked how the audience perceives his comedy, he revealed that the two figures that shaped him most spectacularly are not what one might expect.“One of the most common comments I get on my Instagram is, ‘You remind me a lot of Will Smith,’ and that’s because I learned comedy from ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ or secondly, ‘Your facial expressions remind me of Shah Rukh Khan.’Created by Abdullah Saeed, ‘Deli Boys Season 2’ is a dark crime comedy web show that premiered on May 28, 2026 on Hulu.
