Actor Kumail Nanjiani says mainstream America has normalised racism in language

Pakistani-American comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani thinks racist language has become "much more acceptable in mainstream circles" in recent years, reports 'Female First UK'.

The 44-year-old actor, who was born in Karachi, noted that racist attitudes remain in America, two decades on from his stand-up comedy debut in the country.

Reflecting on his early days as a stand-up comedian, Kumail explained, quoted by 'Female First UK': "By and large, it was still unacceptable to be racist in the public sphere back then. George Bush even quoted the Quran in a speech - could you imagine (Donald) Trump doing that?"

He added: "Now, I feel like racist language has become much more acceptable in mainstream circles. I told myself back then that most people still saw me as American. I'm not so sure any more."

As per 'Female First UK', Kumail hasn't performed any stand-up comedy in three years, and he's now unsure about what his fans want to see. The comedian-turned-actor is also aware of the expectations that now follow him.

He told 'The Guardian' newspaper: "I really want to do more comedy, but I don't know what people want me to talk about any more. Do they want jokes about my life? And will my jokes before this break still work? I can't exactly go to a tiny open mic to test it out, since people know me, there's an expectation now."

(KB/IANS)