'Every movie, I feel, is a miracle'

Aziz Ansari discusses the challenges of transitioning from television to film in his feature directorial debut, Good Fortune.

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Aziz Ansari rose to fame for his portrayal of Tom Haverford, the sarcastic, underachieving government official in the hit sitcom Parks And Recreation.

The 42-year-old actor and comedian went on to write and star in the acclaimed comedy-drama series Master Of None, which earned him two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

Following his television success, Ansari has written and directed his first feature film, Good Fortune, a magical body-swapping comedy starring Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.

The film follows Gabriel, played by Reeves, a well-meaning but inept angel who meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker, portrayed by Ansari, and a wealthy venture capitalist, played by Rogen.

Ansari, whose previous directorial project, Being Mortal, was halted during production in 2022, says he's thrilled to finally have his first feature out in the world. "Every movie, I feel, is a miracle," says Ansari.

"If you watch a movie and then look it up on Wikipedia, no one's story ever goes, 'We got the script, we got the money, we got the actors, we made it, and it was done in a couple of months.' That's no one's story.

"Especially now, to have a film that's an original idea, that's in theatres, and that's a comedy, even doing one of those three things is really hard right now. So I feel really lucky."

Ansari began writing Good Fortune during the Covid pandemic, after years of exploring the idea of a friendship between two men from opposite ends of the economic spectrum. To better understand his character's perspective, he researched the gig economy in Los Angeles.