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Kumail Nanjiani is 'overwhelmed' after his character's debut on Star Wars show Obi-Wan Kenobi

Kumail Nanjiani is 'overwhelmed' after his character's debut on Star Wars show Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Marvel superhero plays Haja, a con-man who runs into Obi-Wan and suddenly gets stuck in "the bigger conflicts at play".
28 May, 2022

Kumail Nanjiani, the first Pakistani actor to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has stepped into another universe and it's none other than Star Wars! His character on the show just made his debut and it has got the Marvel superhero in his feels.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi aired its first two episodes on Disney+ on May 27 and Nanjiani was as excited to see himself on the show as his fans were. The actor reminisced about his childhood and realised how far he has come.

"I am so overwhelmed right now. My cousin had a better collection of action figures when we were kids. I was so jealous. I think I finally pulled ahead," he wrote in a tweet.

The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on an adventure set between the prequel and original trilogies of films, and the show has factored in some freshness into the mix which includes Nanjiani's character. He plays a con-man named Haja who makes his debut in the second episode of the series.

Episode two follows Obi-Wan on his search for a young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) who has been kidnapped. He is led to Haja, who is pretending to be a Jedi to help a mother and son escape off-planet, and sees right through the act, noting the magnets and tricks. Despite the con, Obi-Wan finds Haja resourceful and seeks his help in finding Leia. Later in the episode, he helps Obi-Wan and Leia escape the planet on a cargo ship.

"His name is Haja," Nanjiani shared in an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly. "And he's this guy who works on the streets of Daiyu, which is this new Star Wars location that we haven't seen before that's absolutely gorgeous. And he's the guy who's worked really hard to stay out of the bigger conflicts at play. He just kind of wants to be his own guy. Survival for him is all that matters.

"He's this sort of con-man guy who cons people for money," the actor detailed. "That's what's important to him. And then he has a run-in with Obi-Wan and suddenly he sort of gets stuck in the bigger conflicts at play, which is the thing that he really tries to avoid. So he is this street-level con-man guy who then gets embroiled in stuff that's way too big for him. And he has to make a choice."

Fans have reactions more, if not as, emotional than the Eternals actor to seeing him on Star Wars.

Have you seen Haja in his element yet?

Comments

Narejo May 28, 2022 06:22pm
Congratulations!! A great feat indeed
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Syed Hasni May 28, 2022 06:31pm
How many obi's does it take to kenobi? Only wan. Its a Kumail Kind of Joke. Stick to desi Jokes, You sound more original with those ones esp the Movie tape got stuck in the VCR.
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Ehsan May 28, 2022 08:00pm
Kumail represent Pakistan so proudly and so happy to see him succeed in Hollywood
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Raj Joshi May 28, 2022 08:38pm
I personally know the parents of Kumail in New Jersey. They are very nice people. I am very happy for Kumail.
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Pops May 28, 2022 10:11pm
Well deserved. Enjoy watching Kumail act every time.
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GreenAura May 29, 2022 06:05am
Love you dude, keep going!
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Tadka May 29, 2022 08:24am
Congrats. starwars is a childhood blessing
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Ga May 29, 2022 08:35am
Second Pakistani after Riz Ahmed. Awesome !
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Jamal May 29, 2022 12:07pm
Kumail is so overrated.
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Dr. Rafiq Khan May 30, 2022 04:00am
Strange to see Pakistanis embracing Kumail considering he used to be Shia and because Kumail doesn't care about Pakistan nor his former religion. Watch his interview on Chelsea Handler's Netflix show where he takes a dump all over Pakistani history.
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Aiza R May 30, 2022 07:52pm
I prefer Riz Ahmed.
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