Actors of Indian descent proud to lead Broadway’s ‘Aladdin’

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — As kids growing up in different states, Shoba Narayan and Michael Maliakel shared a love of one favorite film — “Aladdin.” Both are of Indian descent, and in the animated movie, they saw people who looked like them. That shared love has gone full-circle this month as Narayan and Maliakel lead the Broadway company of the musical “Aladdin” out of the pandemic, playing Princess Jasmine and the hero from the title, respectively. The show and it’s two new leads had a few performances to celebrate Broadway’s return from the pandemic this fall when it was forced to close for several days after COVID-19 cases were detected.