The Brides of Pittsburgh star Sindhu Vee says she knew a celebrity would appear in the season finale, but seeing Shark Tank star Mark Cuban was a complete surprise.
Please note that there are spoilers for the eighth episode of the first season of The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh.
“[Production] They gave me a series of people they were going to go to, so I had to [say my lines] over and over again with different big celebrities, and none of them were in front of me,” Vee, who plays Sudha Pradeep, shared with TheWrap. “So I had to say: What if I was talking to this person?” What if it was that person? I didn’t know which one was going to happen. But the energy that I had to carry was as if they were there. So when I saw it and it was Mark Cuban, I thought: “This is so funny.” “This is crazy.”
The Cuban appears in the series minutes after Episode 8: “Interrogation Log #8,” as one of several famous investors that Sudha has contacted in hopes of getting some financial support for her husband Mahesh Pradeep, who needs money for his rocket company. That’s the only reason they moved to the US in the first place. After some fanciful comments from luminaries like Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Dre, the Cuban shows up.
“I’m at work, I’m at an event. Who gave you this Zoom link?” the Cuban questions before abruptly leaving the call.
Patel says the Dallas Mavericks co-owner accepted the offer and shot his video almost as quickly as he asked.
“That’s how great Mark Cuban is. We thought: ‘Hey, we want a billionaire at the center of the story, and it has to be just this. Who can we get? And Sony, which is producing Shark Tank, says, “Hey, what about Mark Cuban?” Let’s ask him if he’ll participate. “Because you have to honor and fulfill the contract,” Patel explained. “They asked him, the person called him, and he was at an event. After the question, he sent the video. He made it himself and sent it to the person. He says: “Mark already did that.” I said: “What do you mean?” He says: “I was perfectly willing to do it.” He just recorded it and sent it to us. I say: There’s no paperwork. He says: “Well, don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.” I say: Oh, thank you. Mark Cuban.”
“What is usually a nine-month process… Mark, he said, ‘Yeah, okay, I’ll do it,’ and then he sent it, and I was like, ‘What, what, a dancer. ‘ That’s how it was, that’s how it happened. And we were like, ‘Thank you, Mark Cuban. He’s a great guy, he’s a team player, and I think he was just a fan of the idea of the program.”
Vee mentioned unexpected moments like Cuban’s appearance and how the show provides a platform to show the world the diversity of Indian families.
“What I loved was that this show was so unexpected that it was a moment. [think] there’s a non-Indian crew somewhere watching this thing. [like]”Why didn’t I do this show?” V said: “It’s for anyone who loves comedy and unpredictability, and I love that.”
“Because when I see the world, I see it through Indian eyes. So I don’t think: Is what I’m saying too Indian? I’m simply in the world. I curse and swear and talk about sex or discipline my children. But I don’t think: Is it too Indian? But when you watch the show, you see Sudha working in the world, talking about anal and vaginal sex and this and that, and talking about her work. And I think a lot of people who are not used to that, who live in the West, look at Sudha and say, “Do Indian women say things like that?” Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. We’re not another species at all. And that’s very good for me about this program. And I think in the end, it gets to places where I think some people can really be an Indian family, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. “We’re not that different.” That’s very good for me about this program. And I think in the end, it gets to places where I think some people can really be an Indian family, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. “We’re not that different.”
A source