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How Jay Chandrasekhar super-trooped his way to directing success

Chandrasekhar's breakthrough came from the 2001 cult hit, Super Troopers, which was rejected 75 times before it found an audience.
CBC Radio ·
Jay Chandrasekhar's memoir talks about how Super Troopers helped him launch his Hollywood career. (Supplied)

Jay Chandrasekhar may now be a director of episodes of television shows like Arrested Development, Community and The New Girl, but he wasn't always enjoying success.

Chandrasekhar's breakthrough came with the 2001 cult hit, Super Troopers. The movie premiered at Sundance, won an audience award at South by Southwest and grossed more than $23 million. According to Chandrasekhar, who co-wrote and starred in the film, it got rejected 75 times before it found an audience.

Chandrasekhar talks about his path to success in his new book, Mustache Shenanigans: Making Super Troopers and other Adventures in Comedy, which is part memoir, and also a sort of outsiders' guide to breaking into show business. 

In his q interview, he talks about breaking into Hollywood as an Indian-American and the memorable experience of working with the legendary Burt Reynolds.

— Produced by Dawna Dingwall.

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