The Franchise: Who is the lead Indian actor in the superhero satire series? Character and background explored

Himesh Patel from a still in the trailer of The Franchise | Image Source: HBO Max
Himesh Patel from a still in the trailer of The Franchise | Image Source: HBO Max

The Franchise is one of HBO’s new comedy series about the behind-the-scenes of filming a superhero series or movie. It follows the lives of a filming crew as they work on an infamous cinematic feature. With cathartic mistakes having a heck of a genesis, this comedy show’s humor will leave you rolling on the floor laughing.

Beyond the humor, the series has an intriguing narrative uniquely concocted by Baseball Productions. The series currently has two successful seasons with 15 fun-filled episodes. What makes it a masterpiece of sorts is that some of the actors have actual experience in producing superhero movies.

Moreover, as mentioned, the series allegedly focuses on the good, bad, and ugly of the filming process for MCU and the DC Extended Universe. So far, reviews have been positive, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a solid 71%.

Apart from the great storyline, the comedy-drama has a diverse cast of actors and producers. Recently, fans have zeroed in on the Indian lead actor Himesh Patel, who plays Daniel Kumar.


Who is Daniel Kumar in The Franchise?

Patel’s character Daniel Kumar is an assistant director for the fictional superhero series Tecto: Eye of the Storm. Kumar and his team adapted the movie from Maximum Studios and are working hard to keep things fresh and innovative.

As the first assistant director, Kumar has a lot on his plate, dealing with the mood swings of the main director, Eric, played by Daniel Bruhl. This suggests Kumar has a high level of tolerance and helps keep both the crew and his director grounded despite frustrations.

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Speaking to ScreenRant about his role in The Franchise, Patel highlighted one aspect he’s excited for viewers to see in the satire show. He elaborated:

“Anything we make for the screen always has a crew like this (The Franchise) and they never get seen because that’s not their job.”

Patel continued, expressing his thrill for working on a show that showcases the crew and “putting them on a screen.”


What was Himesh Patel doing before The Franchise?

Apart from the satire series, Himesh Jitendra Patel is a renowned British actor of Indian descent from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. Before appearing in The Franchise, Patel took part in several successful projects like Don’t Look Up, Tenet, Black Mirror, Enola Holmes 2, and many others.

When he isn’t in the limelight, Patel dabbles in creative writing per IMDb and has written an episode for EastEnders. He was also an associate producer for My Pure Land in 2017.

Patel’s experience and performance as an actor have earned him four Emmy nominations over the years. His most recent nomination was for Best Lead Actor in a New Scripted Series in 2023. He has amassed many such laurels.


Catch Himesh Patel in The Franchise, now streaming on HBO Max.

For more character guides, stay tuned to SoapCentral!

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Edited by Sezal Srivastava