Aziz Ansari's real-life parents appear in his acclaimed new Netflix comedy, "Master of None," and the comedian took to Instagram Wednesday to express his gratitude with a heartfelt message.
"My dad took off most of his vacation time for the year to act in 'Master of None,'" he began. "So I'm really relieved this all worked out. Tonight after we did 'Colbert' together he said: 'This is all fun and I liked acting in the show, but I really just did it so I could spend more time with you.'"
Ansari revealed just how touched he was by his father's gesture.
"I almost instantly collapsed into tears at the thought of how much this person cares about me and took care of me and gave me everything to give me the amazing life I have. I felt like a total piece of garbage for all the times I haven't visited my parents and told them I wanted to stay in New York cause I'd get bored in SC."
The 32-year-old went on to remind his fans to appreciate their own parents while they're still here.
"I'm an incredibly lucky person and many of you are as well. Not to beat a dead horse here and sorry if this is cheesy or too sentimental but if your parents are good to you too, just go do something nice for them. I bet they care and love you more than you realize."
Ansari said that he's been "overwhelmed" by the response to the second episode of "Master of None," aptly titled "Parents," which follows his character's attempt to seek a closer relationship with his mom and dad by learning more about their experiences growing up in India. In fact, Ansari found that working with his own parents, Shoukath and Fatima Ansari, on the episode brought the family together.
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"In reality, I haven't always had the best, most open relationship with my parents because we are weirdly closed off emotionally sometimes," he wrote. "But we are getting better. And if you have something like that with your family — I urge you to work at it and get better because these are special people in your life and I get terrified when my dad tells me about friends of his, people close to his age, that are having serious health issues, etc."
"Enjoy and love these people while you can," he poignantly added.
