The result is an endearingly old-fashioned comedy, not just in its style and the sweetness of its plot, but also in its bright-eyed optimism about immigrant opportunities. It also gave him an ease with ensemble work that allows him to blend with other actors instead of sucking attention.
Pudi, whose quirky performance as a television-obsessed student on the NBC comedy “Community” was a consistent delight. Surrounding Sami with a strong support group of fellow South Asian professionals working menial jobs, the director, Lena Khan (who wrote the script with Sameer Gardezi, and whose own grandfather was a tiger hunter), knows exactly the story she wants to tell. With a likable cast and a wholesome message about the true meaning of success, “The Tiger Hunter” might balk at the harsher details of immigrant life, but it has a generosity of spirit that lifts everyone up. Problems arise immediately when an expected engineering position disappears in a downsizing company, leaving Sami with a temporary job as a draftsman and a visa that’s set to expire in 30 days. The year is 1979, the fashions are horrendous and Sami has but two ambitions: To win the love of his childhood sweetheart and achieve the social status of his father, a celebrated tiger hunter who died when Sami was a child.
A gentle, warmhearted immigrant comedy that’s rarely more than mildly amusing, “The Tiger Hunter” follows Sami (Danny Pudi), an aspiring engineer, from his rural Indian village to a job opportunity in Chicago.
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