AMRITA MUDAN
‘Never brown enough’ - An exploration into the representation of South Asian diaspora in Western film and television.
Amrita Kaur Mudan
7th march 2018
Stereotyping
What is the rationality behind the lack of South Asians in Western film and television,
and why are they more often than not typecast with stereotypes?
Satire, Comedy & Identity
How has the reprisal of comedy to combat racism challenged these stereotypes,
and has it made an impact on the diaspora and how they are perceived?
Representation in Contemporary Film & TV
Has the up rise of South Asian faces in Hollywood been positive for the diaspora
in regard to representation? Are times changing?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES - INTERVIEWS
Growing up in the U.K. as a British-Asian woman, smothered by media monopolised by white people, I subconsciously looked for representation amidst my childhood. Whether Shanti in The Jungle Book (1967) – remarkably, the only female Indian character in a Disney feature - or Jasmine from Aladdin (1992) (who is, in actual fact, Middle Eastern), it’s been a topic of intrigue that has presented itself persistently and routinely for British-Asian diaspora - are we represented enough? Are we represented as we should be? One could propose the most widely known South Asian character in western film and television is Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from The Simpsons (1989-). Albeit this does not account for all South Asian characters, a consequential number are economically and sociologically characterised with sweeping generalised stereotypes; typecast as frugal shop keepers, impetuous around women, with whimsical accents.
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the impact of representation, or lack thereof, on British-Asian diaspora. An important factor to investigate is whether representation on screen has advanced over the past twenty years, specifically regarding the younger generation. Furthermore, another focus of this dissertation will be representation of South Asian comedy in the UK, and whether Hollywood has provided more opportunities and authentic exposure for diaspora. I have chosen to focus on these areas because I feel it’s particularly relevant in our current climate; although research has been conducted pertaining to older releases, there’s insufficient academic inquiry into media originated over the past decade, specifically the more recent developments post 9/11, Brexit, and Donald Trump’s election.
The key research method for this dissertation will be semi structured interviews, as there is a dearth of academia on this particular area of research, therefore gathering information from a variety of individuals will grant me access to direct knowledge of this area of interest, that can be applied and utilised with the proposed research questions as case studies. Using theoretical framework and a semi-structured approach to develop interview questions, the answers will provide an in-depth insight to the perception of South Asian diaspora. Post 9/11, Asians are often perceived as ‘anti-Western’, causing racial tension in the UK and US, therefore formulating questions that receive answers based on opinions and thoughts in a cultural faculty, rather than psychological, is an element I have been cautious about.
In regard to the practicality of the research, I have undertaken independent qualitative research with diaspora of various backgrounds; Indian, Pakistani, black, white, and mixed race, ranging from the ages of 21 to 33. I determined interviewees based on race, age and occupation. This choice was rationalised on the grounds of accumulating a variety of answers that give authentic insight to the reception of South Asian representation in western film and television. I deliberately singled out participants based on their level of interest and knowledge in matters of race and ethnicity, and how familiar they are with current and preceding roles for people of colour on screen.
It’s imperative to gather a broad spectrum of answers; although representation can and should be discussed objectively through statistical analysis, it is often determined by an individual’s subjective view of what they consume on screen. Age is also a vital consideration; the topic in question is something that is often discussed on social media, regarding new releases and old, particularly amongst young people, as representation arguably affects them far greater than older generations. Therefore, I focused on recruiting adult participants under the age of 30, however to expand the research and acquire a diverse range of answers, I additionally interviewed a participant above the age of 30.
Through these findings, it’s indisputable that this research is of importance in our present state of affairs. Considering the recent success of productions such as Academy-award winning Moonlight (2016), Get Out (2017) and HBO’s Insecure (2016-) and so forth, it is evident there’s a yearning from audiences for a sense of legitimacy with respect to representation of those from minority ethnic backgrounds. However, as progressive as this is for black audiences, (pertaining to representation on screen alone), these developments are not all-embracing, South Asian’s are yet to obtain the same degree of representation; it is irrefutable that this is a necessary conversation to be had.
STEREOTYPING
What is the rationality behind the lack of South Asians in Western film and television, and why are they more often than not typecast with stereotypes?
To gather an accurate understanding of why South Asians are unabatedly cast with stereotypes, it’s necessary to look at how representation of them was introduced in the west. One of the most well-known and ‘classic’ portrayals of the Indian-American was Peter Sellers as Hrundi Bakshi in The Party (1968). ‘[This film] and the role of Hrundi Bakshi mark the transition from prior British colonial-native narratives to American model-minority narratives and a transition from British understandings of South Asians to American interpretations of South Asians.’ (Dave, 2013:6). Sellers was not playing a native, as this is what the Western population would’ve been familiar with to a certain degree. Immigration of South Asians to the United States didn’t increase until The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, enacted in 1968, a few months after The Party (1968) had been released. Therefore, this suggests Sellers’ portrayal was based on the South Asian population in the UK, where he was born and raised. Only 21 years after the partition of India and Pakistan and the end of East India Company’s rule, it isn’t surprising that British people had a preconceived notion of what it meant to be a South Asian.
Indian Congress MP Shashi Kapoor, states that ‘large sections of both Indians and British still remain unaware of these imperial crimes against humanity.’ To this day, a lot of Britons pride themselves in the ‘accomplishments’ of British Colonialism, blissfully unaware of the 35 million deaths and the utter barbarity that their rule and partition caused, yet India is yet unable to outgrow its legacy, debilitated and saddled with the effects of colonization, both native and diasporic.
This portrayal has carried itself as the representation of South Asian characters in the 20th century and continues to in the 21st. “Actors and comedians, such as Hank Azaria, the voice of Apu, and Mike Myers, Saturday Night Live alumni and actor who plays an Indian guru, both credit Seller’s performance as inspirations for their development of cross-racial and cross-ethnic characters.” (Dave, 2013:4). The problem with cross-ethnic representations is that it bounds itself to the notion of nationhood; that people from a particular background, specifically non-white, are prone to be or act a certain way. Whether interpreted as positive or negative, this incontestably has a damaging effect. ‘Stereotypes are powerful because they are based on well-functioning structures coordinated with recent dispositions, with previous experiences, wishes and expectations, and these structures themselves have shaped viewer dispositions on a mass scale.’ (Schweinitz, Jord, Scheussner, Laura (2013:11).
When exploring this theory, Hank Azaria’s portrayal of Apu from The Simpsons (1989-) claims precedence; ‘Ultimately, the practice of brown voice is a form of cultural inflection: a variation on cultural citizenship that reinforces a static, racialized position for South Asian Americans regardless of their status of occupation in the United States.’ (Dave, 2013:11). Although Apu wasn’t necessarily a negative character – a family man who runs a convenience store, with a PhD from CalTech - he is ultimately defined by the stereotypes placed upon him by the writers of the show. Arguably, for a period of time, Apu was one of the only mainstream representations of South Asians in western film and TV. In a number of the interviews conducted to inform this dissertation, Apu’s name frequently arose when questioned on which characters in western TV and film can be thought of that are South Asian. When further probed, Participant 1, a black British male, expressed his distaste for this portrayal of South Asians. ‘We’ve had so many discussions on race, that looking back, I got a sense this was like a caricature of South Asian men, on those who run convenience stores, and even being from the UK, you can tell it’s mocking this man whose come from nothing to start a life in America, and yeah like, The Simpsons is satire, but sometimes satire doesn’t always do the job it’s meant to.’
There is healthy debate into the intentions and repercussions of Apu’s character; one argument is that all The Simpsons characters are riddled with stereotypes, for example, Mr. Burns, the greedy corporate, Chief Wiggum, the fat lazy cop, Ned Flanders, the incessant Christian. However, that was not the singular outstanding representation that greedy corporates, lazy cops and religious neighbours had in the media. I am unable to recall or locate a story of a Christian teased with the phrase ‘Okily Dokily!’, yet unsurprisingly there is an abundance of South Asian’s that can recall childhood memories of ‘Thank you, come again!’ following them down the hallway at school. Hari Kondabolu, creator of documentary ‘The Problem with Apu’ told the BBC that the representation ‘is funny, but [it] doesn’t mean it’s accurate’ and that it ‘demonstrated the insidiousness of racism… because you don’t even notice it when it’s right in front of you. It becomes so normal that you don’t even think about it.’ Subsequently, reception from South Asians is a topic of discussion that holds value in this debate; a pattern amongst interviewees and individuals I’ve discussed this area of interest with, is that representation doesn’t affect them; they appear to enjoy the representation that we currently possess.
When probed for thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors on screen, Participant 5, 33, British-Indian, stated that it ‘wouldn’t change my opinion… obviously when I see Mr. Singh on the screen I get excited, but that’s cause I’m like ‘Oi Mr. Singh!’’. Although he’s only a few years older than majority of my participants there’s an unmistakable difference in attitude towards representation; presumably, as young people, we expect and feel we deserve more, whereas Participant 5 is perhaps assimilated to the culture of being complacent and content with what we receive; it has become the norm for him and others alike. “I think that whenever I see someone who’s South Asian in western TV, whether it’s in a film, star, or TV programme, it gets us all excited because you feel that, you know, if one of us is making it then we all are slowly making it, but it still very much shocks me when I do see that a South Asian character has a lead role, it’s still very new to me.” (Participant 7, 21, British-Indian). Undoubtedly, there’s a difference in opinion in the younger generation, ‘if you’re part of British culture you deserve to have your time on screen, it’s part and parcel and it’s what it should be.” (Participant 4, 21).
Although these statements may seem trivial, they indicate a distinct lack of South Asians on screen; a few decades ago, this would’ve been akin to the experience of black diaspora; the pure excitement that surrounds seeing someone that looks like you on the screen, however, ‘in terms of representation compared to black people, there’s still a lot of catching up to do [and] I think [it’s] because of different conversations being had around different races, particularly in Hollywood and America, where race is pretty much dictated to the rest of the world, the conversation about blackness and race is so openly had, America hasn’t really had to have that conversation [about South Asians] until very recently.’ (Participant 1). Not to be misinterpreted, black people still have a long way to go in regard to representation, however, when looking at film and TV, they are much farther; both in terms of sheer volume, and as mentioned earlier, the success of Get Out (2016), Moonlight (2016) and so forth, is some verification of their climbing progression and recognition.
The argument against the lack of South Asian characters in television and film is that there has been more diversity over the past decade, times are changing, and stereotypes are being fought, actors such as Mindy Kaling and Aziz Ansari are reclaiming their identity through new roles and creating their own content, which is a topic that will be explored further later on in this dissertation.
However, a tragic transformative event changed the world in 2001, causing the deaths of 2,996 people, which led to the campaign launched by the U.S. government known as the ‘War on Terror’. Hate crimes against Muslims surged following the attacks on 9/11; Britain and America’s view on brown skin had shifted significantly. ‘The only time we see South Asian people on TV is usually when they’re playing terrorists, or, you know, the bad guy.’ (Participant 3). Unfortunately, even in seemingly progressive shows, South Asians have been targets of Islamophobia; not excluding satirical shows that used the homogenised American view of brown people to subvert it into a humorous reprimand. However, from the eyes of a white or non-Asian viewer, the subtlety of this comedy often goes amiss when it’s coming from a white character and is therefore reduced to a surface level joke about Muslims. ‘I’m noticing that South Asian people are being casted as Middle Eastern people, vice versa, and whether that’s Hollywood just trying to do the least but look as though they’re doing something by casting someone who looks like a South Asian but isn’t necessarily a South Asian… yeah. I still think the roles that they’ve been given are very much either rags to riches, like Slumdog Millionaire, or it’s ‘you’re a terrorist and you’ve got a little bit more humanity’, Hollywood just goes for the same template.’ (Participant 1).
Although there has been an increase in South Asian actors in western TV and film, it has not necessarily been a positive movement. ‘Characters labeled as “stereotypes” are usually those that, also in a narrative sense, quite openly embody “images of the Other.”’ (Schweinitz, Schleussner, 2011:44). Arguably, the misrepresentation of South Asians has increased the feeling of ‘otherness’, particularly from non-Asians who aren’t privy to being around South Asians. In some ways, 9/11 gave a meager insight into brown lives; for the first time, Americans were recognizing the difference between Sikhs and Muslims, that there are multiple faiths, cultures and ethnicities in the region of South Asia; that Islam isn’t exclusive to people with brown skin. ‘It’s a crazy way to dehomogenise a group of people, and it’s the most perverse way of dehomogenising a group of people, by this catastrophic event that happened.’ (Participant 1).
However, this is a fruitless positive in regard to the perception of South Asians in the aftermath of 9/11. I can recall a trip to Legoland when I was young, seeing a girl pointing at my dad and shouting ‘Taliban!’ because of his brown skin, beard and turban. ‘Pre-9/11, I think there was generally a bigger connection between different ethnicities including white people and South Asians, after 9/11 my neighbours would not speak to my parents anymore, for a long while.’ (Participant 3, British-Pakistani). Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani comedian, spoke on the use of Arabic in the video game Call of Duty, ‘So the language we speak in Pakistan is Urdu, but all the street signs in Call of Duty Karachi are in Arabic, which is a completely different language. And I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but this game took three years to make. The graphics are perfect, you can see individual hairs on people’s heads … All they had to do was google ‘Pakistan language.’ They were literally like, ‘What language do they speak in Pakistan?’ ‘I don’t care.’
As Nanjiani said, it may not seem like a ‘big deal’, but it’s indicative of the lack of care when considering the representation of South Asians, and that, to an alarmingly large number of people in the West, Arabs and South Asians, or anyone that looks brown, are viewed as one group of people, one culture, one worldview.
Reflecting back on the effects of colonization, a character that arose frequently in interview answers was Jamal Malik from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, played by British-Indian actor, Dev Patel. The 2008 feature film directed by Danny Boyle received critical acclaim, winning eight out of ten nominated Academy awards, including best picture and best director. However, the film showed a joyless and amaurotic view of India; although reflective of many aspects of the country, it displayed it as a ‘poverty tour’; Shyamal Sengupta described it as a ‘white man’s imagined India’. It’s dauntingly ironic and voyeuristic that ‘these ideas, that there are still moments of joy in the slum, appeal to Western critics’ (Chhanbra, 2009) when the country itself is debilitated because of the effects of Britain’s colonization. Although a film based on native Indians, it gave the Western world a flat image of where South Asian diaspora come from. As stated previously, it bounds us to the notion of nationhood, that we are prone to be a certain way because of where we are from. India has numerous regions, foods, languages, traditions, cultures, skin tones, clothing, and so forth.
As of 2016, the population of India is 1.324 billion, yet they are amalgamated as one group, poverty stricken guileless simpletons who look and behave in the same way. ”I don’t know his name, but he was that main actor in Slumdog Millionaire. I’ve seen him in Skins and a few other things, I don’t know his name though, I think he was in Eastenders as well, I’m not sure.” (Participant 6, white/Jamaican). Dev Patel was not in Eastenders (1985-), I believe the actor who he is thinking of is Himesh Patel, who played Tamwar Masood, a tenacious academic young adult, who starred in the show from 2007-2016. They both have markedly different features, voices, skin tones, hair textures, overall style, but to a lot of non-Asians, we are coalesced, therefore nonchalantly yet consistently mistaken for one another.
Without question, this isn’t an isolated example. Sadly, many people will only recognize Dev Patel as ‘that main actor in Slumdog Millionaire’ and nothing more, despite his success in the industry, subsequently supporting the notion that evidently there is a lack of South Asian actors in western film and television. “When a person enters the scene, he or she is already complete: defined, weighed, and minted.” (Schweinitz,, Schleussner, 2011:45). Perception of a white individual on screen is often defined by their acquired appearance and demeanor; nerd, slob, rebel, civil servant, criminal, whether an antagonist or protagonist, foreground or background character, Western white people are seldom defined or judged based upon the colour of their skin; their traits, decisions, choices are rarely surmised by their ethnicity. On the contrary, people of colour are defined by their skin before a judgement on their character can be made, amplifying the notion that we are ‘the Other’. Not exclusive to film and television, this is an obstacle that minorities have to face across all sectors of the media.
‘There’s a Muslim character in Mr. Robot, and her identity isn’t ‘she is Muslim’, her identity is that she is a criminal who is doing hacking and happens to be Muslim on top of that.’ (Participant 3). Unfortunately, not all writers, producers, and directors use this progressive mentality when it comes to portraying people of colour on screen. “I think until it changes behind the scenes, with regards to say like, screenwriters and stuff like that, it’s probably not going to get much fairer in the short term.” (Participant 4, white-British). Although there are a few, for example, M. Night Shyamalan, Gurinder Chadha, Hanif Kureishi, Ayub Khan-Din, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Mindy Kaling, Aziz Ansari; it’s simply not enough to have a greater impact on the representation of South Asians. “I can imagine that whenever white TV writers and script writers and casting directors and what not, sometimes there probably isn’t a minority in the room, at all, yet they kind of make these decisions, and it really shows that not a lot has changed, we’re still having the same conversations, and I think it just goes to show that the case it still being made, we should be further ahead.” (Participant 1). Moreover, much of the body of work produced by these artists are still considered media originated for South Asian viewers only. If the main cast doesn’t include at least one protagonist Caucasian, it’s not deemed palatable for a wider audience, which is a topic I am going to explore further on in this dissertation.
SATIRE COMEDY AND IDENTITY
How has the reprisal of comedy to combat racism challenged these stereotypes, and has it made an impact on the diaspora and how they are perceived?
As stated in the introduction, a focus of this dissertation is the reprisal of South Asian comedy that challenged racist stereotypes placed upon diaspora. To understand the level of representation we’ve attained, it’s crucial to investigate content produced as a means of counteraction. For instance, when black people were personified in a negative manner on screen, they retorted by creating content that opposed the false representations of themselves; The Cosby Show (1984-1992) exemplified the ‘model’ black middle-class family, ensuring no negative representations of African Americans were displayed in the show. Consequently, black television flourished; from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) to How to Get Away with Murder (2014-), black people have taken ownership of their representation. Similarly, South Asian’s have attempted to undertake the same laborious task; but how successful have they been? For this research, I explored previous work in this field, pertaining to the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me (1996-2001) and Bend it like Beckham (2002), directed by British-Indian, Gurinder Chadha.
Goodness Gracious Me is a comedy show aired on BBC Two in the late nineties, created by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal and Anil Gupta. Written by and starring South Asian diaspora, the show scrutinized and explored British Asian culture, devising sketches that used satire and hyperbole to criticize stereotypes in a comedic tone, often reversing the role to view British attitudes from a South Asian perspective. For the BBC, a public service broadcaster run and dictated by white people, to greenlight a South-Asian led show investigating the assimilation and contention of British Asian diaspora, essentially criticizing white Britain’s rearward mentality, is virtually unheard of. Nonetheless, the show “rapidly acquired popularity among a large audience, estimated to be 80% white and predominantly young.’ (Aguilar, 2000: 261). As a child, I incessantly watched the DVD boxset on repeat; I had never seen anything like it. ‘Goodness Gracious Me’s most staggering achievement has been its high penetration among Asian viewers – a group of people the BBC had previously failed to reach in any great number. “The Asian community feel they have something that belongs to them. Something they can identify with and call their own,’ says Ghir” (Parks, Kumar, 2002, p.407). Regardless of lack of comprehension with reference to various racial undertones, the comedic mockery of Asian stereotypes resonated with me, even at such a young age. Britain was able to witness South Asians engage in a genre that we weren’t previously associated with, “I think it allowed us to occupy spaces we once weren’t allowed to occupy, we were beyond designated roles for us in society, by subverting stereotypes it allowed South Asians to occupy outside that small remit that society deemed we could be in.” (Participant 2).
Interestingly, a number of interview participants recalled the show as being funny, yet felt it reinforced stereotypes rather than tackle them, “it’s very stereotypical, again it gives the illusion of putting our people on the screen, but they’re only playing up to what white society expects of us, so I don’t really agree too much.”, until shown a clip, “That was funny. Maybe I don’t know much about the show.” (Participant 8). Although the participant had a change of mind after viewing a sketch, it calls into question – why was the show loved by so many white Britons? “The series is marked by rich intertextuality and works on many different levels, depending on the ethnic background and knowledge of the audience.” (Aguilar, 2000: 261). “I guess coming from my own experience, in black settings, I find it really cathartic and funny, in a really kind of, I don’t know – communal way? It lets you know you’re not alone in this feeling that you’re a minority in this country and validates a lot of thoughts that you’ve probably had.” (Participant 1, black-British).
Non-Asian ethnic minorities identifying with the show is veritably comprehensible – a variety of the sketches are specifically written about Indian stereotypes, however many of them are situations any person of colour would relate to, for example the “Going for an English” sketch, a reversal of the typical British attitudes that are imparted when eating at ethnic restaurants. The characters mock the waiter, James’, English accent, rudely tell him to speak properly, mispronounce his name, uncomfortably compliment the tone of his skin and garishly order the food, in one instance asking for the “blandest thing on the menu”. Interestingly, the cast of the show performed this particular skit live on stage; when the camera pans over the audience, it’s saturated with white people. It’s worth noting that the show was in its prime before 9/11; stereotypes were resolute apropos South Asians, however in the late nineties, Britain had a “weird fascination with South Asian pop culture, I remember there being that Peugeot 206 advert, Indian takeaways were being voted the best restaurants, Tikka Masala became the number one dish.” (Participant 1). The colonization of India installed a “legacy of racist assumptions and stereotyping of colonial others, which, in many cases, have become part of a collective consciousness which require deconstruction and transformation.” (Aguilar, 2000:262). It’s not outlandish to assume that, whilst racial inequality was prevalent and thriving, before 9/11 white Britain felt a certain degree of culpability, “British society sees these former colonies as still theirs which is why they kind of feel they should showcase them.” (Participant 1).
Although a scenario may have little or nothing to do with an individual’s personal experience, it “works by referencing a long tradition within popular culture of negative stereotypes by evoking something that is popularly perceived as a problem in British culture. (Aguilar, 2000: 263) The predicament with respect to the show being embraced by white audiences lies on the challenge of ascertaining whether they’re laughing ‘at’ or ‘with’ the South Asian audience. Sketches such as the aforementioned are a clear role reversal; highlighting how incredibly nonsensical these actions are once implemented towards a white British person. “I guess a big thing in British comedies are this idea of self-deprivation, so basically being able to take the piss out of yourself, this is a perfect example of that.” (Participant 4).
However, only a percentage of the show is set in this format, there are multiple sketches that target the stereotypes among the British-Asian community, for instance “The Coopers”, surrounding two Indian couples who reject their heritage by excessively assimilating to British culture; in the airport sketch, “Sinjin” and “Vanessa” scoff at the opposing couple for having family visit them, stating that “It’s just that we English are never very close to our family. What could be more English than to hate your in-laws!”, subsequently resulting in a back and forth of insults towards their own family members; “[My mother-in-law] is a pig! And she lives in that smelly horrible little place.”, the punchline being that India is ‘that place’. Indubitably, a proportion of white viewers understand that it’s not simply a critique on ethnocentrism, but “the legacies of colonialism, colonial sterotyping, acculturation and the overtly racist attitudes of dominant forms of white British culture.” (Aguilar, 2000:264). Unfortunately, many will only absorb the superficial; under the assumption that South Asians are accepting of these stereotypes and cultural behaviours because we’re able to laugh at them. As the participant said earlier, this can fortuitously reinforce stereotypes, “Might this not inadvertently lead to the reaffirmation of racist stereotypes among an audience that is 80% white?” (Aguilar, 2000:264). However, this theory postulates blame should be placed on the show, rather than the indoctrinated mentality of the white viewer.
“Although widely considered as a progressive, multicultural text, Chadha’s film both revels in and reveals its liminal positioning within and between the hyphenated spatial histories of British colonialism and Asian diaspora.” (Giardina, 2003:67). Bend it like Beckham (2002) is based around a female Sikh character, which acquired positive reviews amongst most audiences; as someone who was raised with the Sikh faith, I’m interested in why Chadha’s film was so well received. ‘Rather much like Jess’s mediated Britishness, Chadha’s multiculturalism “is a conservative aesthetic that appears [emphasis added] radical” (Denzin, 2002:156). The film centres around Jesminder, an aspiring footballer, confined by strict Punjabi parents, whose wishes revolve around her learning how to cook, clean, be a respectful Indian girl and find a husband. “I guess for the time [the film] was progressive in some ways, but perhaps slightly less progressive in other ways, I don’t remember the family being malicious in any way, so I guess it’s done in a very inoculous perspective and it frames it like that deliberately I suppose because it’s a comedy.” (Participant 4). The film chooses the accessible route of an oppressive family and ‘…contends with the overdetermining narrative of India’s backwardness.” (Desai, 2004:65). Mrs. Bhamra’s disturbing persistence towards Jesminder displays her as an individual with little complexity, thus “Englishness is portrayed as inherently modern and progressive, while Asian-ness is reduced to a conservative traditionalism, a classic Orientalist trope.” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015: 148) The belief that South Asian parents force marriage on their children and refuse to let them pursue certain career aspirations is an outdated concept; although prevalent in India and true in many cases in the West, it’s displayed in the film as a norm across all South Asian families, which is unequivocally deceptive and inaccurate. “The popularity of [this film] is based on the accessibility and familiarity of these narratives to cross-over viewers. Non-South Asian viewers may find these challenges not only nonthreatening but also familiar and comfortable.” (Desai, 2004:66).
Reflecting on how I personally felt when this film was released, although young, I can recall feeling very excited that there was a film with Sikh’s playing the lead characters. Nevertheless, with hindsight, it’s apparent that the success of the film owes itself to various factors outside of the fact that the cast was majority South Asian. “This connection to the game of football itself is important; it announces to the casual viewer that this is not a movie solely about Asians, but rather one about football and those who play it.” (Giardina, 2003:71). Ostensibly a diplomatic decision by the producers, naming the film Bend it like Beckham intrigues non-Asian viewers without alienating them. “I think if it was called something else or was about something else [other than football] and had a predominantly British-Asian cast, I don’t know if it would’ve had the same success, so I think that’s kind of interesting, it’s quite clever from the studios to give it that title.” (Participant 8, British-Indian).
It’s intriguing that the sport of choice was football; in the west, South Asians are seldom seen as a culture that’s invested in it as a professional aspiration; typically seen as cricket and hockey players, yet, again, not particularly sports at the forefront in regard to Western mainstream fan interaction. “I guess for so long, football was seen as something that white British kids do, and black British kids do, not necessarily South Asian kids, so it’s very interesting to have a woman in that role as well.” (Participant 1). Contrary to this notion, as a South Asian, individuals in my family sphere, particularly the boys, played football regularly; whether it was in the garden at a family gathering or as an extra-curricular activity, it was certainly a favoured sport in the community, as reflected in the film when Jesminder is playing in the park with her overtly macho friends. My male relatives are some of the most passionate, daresay jarring, football fans I’ve ever encountered; it’s thought provoking yet unsurprising that this hadn’t been represented in a primary format until Bend it like Beckham was released. As the participant stated, it’s interesting that they chose a woman to play the role of football enthusiast, when women in general have never entirely been accepted by the football community, even in the present day, sixteen years after the film’s release. Arguably, the film demonstrates a defiance of this disposition, however “Chadha does not tell viewers that male dominance in sport [is] fundamentally problematic; on the contrary, she asks viewers to “bend” these systems in order create more opportunities for non-white people and women. Thus, by accepting these structures as they are rather than offering alternatives, Chadha reproduces many of their problems.” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015:149).
The discussion of masculinity amongst the Asian community as an entirety permits examination - an example that leaps to mind are Manny Pacquiao’s controversial homophobic comments during a Filipino talk show, stating that “gay people are worse than animals.” As anticipated, this provoked an outburst of controversy across the media. Undoubtedly an outrageous and detestable mentality to keep, Pacquiao has since apologized, however Dave Chappelle explored the rationality behind it in his recent Netflix stand-up The Age of Spin (2017). “If you look at history recently, we have bombed the masculinity out of an entire continent. We have dropped two atomic bombs on fuckin’ Japan and they’ve been drawing Hello Kitty ever since.” He discusses the nature of the male experience in the Philippines, “These men have been fuckin’ emasculated. And then suddenly a boxer rises from amongst them and reinstates their manhood with his motherfuckin’ fists. This is not the guy who you’re supposed to ask what he thinks about homosexuals. He’s not your champ.” Although a controversial statement to make, it contributes to the conversation surrounding the perception of Asian men.
The South Asian community is highly organized on patriarchal lines, contradictory to the teachings of the predominant religions spanned across the region, women are treated as lesser individuals, “kept mostly within the prescribed sphere of the private life.” (Nainar, 2013:1) This mentality is reflected within the film, Jesminder is belittled by her male friends, “Can you chest it like [Beckham]? You know, give us some bounce.”, before having a chance to prove her talent. Unfortunately, hyper-masculinity, homophobia and sexism is still extremely prevalent within the South Asian community. Jesminder’s father, Mohaan, echoes these cross-cultural norms, “Jassi your mother is right, it’s not nice. You must start behaving like a proper woman.”, suggesting that playing football strips away her femininity. “[The] family are presented in a mythical fashion precisely because their portrayal presents a conflict between Asian traditionalism and English modernity without providing any of the context around colonialism that might render it comprehensible as a historical contingency.” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015: 148). As the film progresses, Mohaan supports Jesminder’s football aspirations against the wishes of his wife, suggesting to the viewer that South Asian men are more transgressional and accepting than the women, which is categorically incorrect.
In addition to this, the narrative of a family wedding alongside the football aspect familiarizes the viewer; it allows a non-Sikh to draw parallels between themselves and the characters, whilst also displaying the differences in culture through a recognizable custom. “Wedding films also pacify Western audiences anxious about the consequences of increased global migration, while also providing a nostalgic comfort in the possibility of life less transformed and ruptured by modernity.” (Desai, 2004:229). Despite the fact the film is often viewed as progressive - the gay best friend, sexually promiscuous sister, interracial relationship - the retaliation from the South Asian characters, both young and old, reifies the idea that non-white cultures are less forward-thinking than the general populous in the Western world. “Although the film challenges heteronormativity in relation to multiracial relationships, it does so by sacrificing and disavowing same-sex desire in white British communities. This suggests that white British communities are more open and progressive.” (Desai, 2004:228).
When Tony announces his homosexuality to Jesminder, she exclaims “You’re Indian!” further reiterating the notion that heteronormativity is the only respectable option for South Asians. Paula, Jules’ white mother, also expresses fears of her daughter not conforming to societal traditions – not finding a boyfriend, that football reduces her femininity, being homosexual; “Get your lesbian feet out of my shoes!”, nonetheless, it’s delivered in a manner that suggests she’s misguided; Alan, her husband, counteracts her irrationality and homophobia, therefore acting as the voice of forward-thinking white Britons, supported by Jules, their daughter, “Anyway, being a lesbian is not that big a deal.” Participant 2 supports this idea, stating that the film is “restrictive and somewhat ground breaking, but ultimately I think the reason it was popular was because it reinforced some of those notions about Asian families.”
Further adding to the narrative of pleasing the Western viewer, the covert selection of the name “Jesminder” for the lead woman of colour is an area of discussion which has not been located in previous academic texts. From an outside perspective, this undoubtedly sounds like an ordinary Indian name. However, as someone who has grown up with the Sikh faith, the only time I’ve stumbled upon the name Jesminder, is in this particular feature film. Subsequently researching the origins of the name, one source cites the name as being Hindu-Punjabi, meaning ‘flower queen’ and ‘glory of god’. A familiar and very popular, possibly banal, Sikh name is “Jasminder” – I’ve more than one relative with this name, so naturally when the film released with the lead character as “Jesminder’, the decision to use that name was unclear – why change one letter? With hindsight, it’s glaringly apparent to see the choice in the name Jesminder is based on the ability to shorten it to “Jess” with ample ease; a familiar name, more than palatable to Western audiences. Giving the lead character, who happens to be a person of colour, a white sounding name, familiarises the audience – she’s seen as less foreign, less difficult to relate to. “These films are often “whitened” by viewers who are eager to absorb South Asian diasporic films into the dominant mode.” (Desai, 2004:228).
It’s foreseeable that this is reflected in the film, as it’s an issue that’s often mirrored in real life. A recent study conducted by Harvard University researchers and the Institute for Social Research in Norway scanned every available field experiment on hiring discrimination between 1989 through 2015 and found that white applicants receive 36% more call backs than equally qualified black applicants. “The bottom line is whether you get a job in America can come down to your race. And that’s likely as true today as it was back in 1989” (Lopez, 2017). There are insurmountable cases of people of colour in the West not being employed because of their names, whether through research studies or personal accounts, it’s a reflection of the way Western society views “foreignness”. It wouldn’t be absurd to presume a percentage of employees are selected simply on the basis that a Matthew would be more of a comfort than a Mohammed.
The role of Jules and Joe, her football coach, as protagonist characters in amongst the South Asian characters is assuredly a dominant factor regarding the global success of the film. “A south Asian woman alongside Kiera Knightley, obviously I think the film focused on Kiera a little too much, which again raises the whole thing about white womanhood and centering themselves.” (Participant 1). This exemplifies the prior conversation surrounding the progression of black representation and that if a body of work contains only people of colour, it’s often considered media originated and directed toward that group of people alone. For example, the 10th highest grossing film of 2009, The Hangover is considered one of the greatest contemporary comedies, loved amongst audiences across the globe. Starring four substantially eminent white lead characters and Ken Jeong who plays a psychotic Chinese gangster, this feature film identifies as a raunchy, yet treasured, comedy. Similarly, cult classic Friday (1995), a comedy starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, whilst commercially successful and fiercely adored by fans, is considered a ‘black’ comedy.
Admittedly, the film was presumably written with African-American audiences in mind; whitewashing of mainstream media has been prevalent since the birth of Hollywood, and the offensive has ascended in the past few years, however, it’s arduous to evade the notion that films containing no white protagonists are referred to and known as ‘black’ and ‘brown films. It’s demonstrative of the issue that, although people of colour producing their own content and gaining memorable roles in blockbuster films appears progressive, the perception that minorities are ultimately ‘different’ to white people is fundamentally a larger issue. When Olivier award-winning Noma Dumezweni was cast as Hermione Granger in the theatre production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2017), the backlash amongst fans was monumental, conveniently overlooking that the books never explicitly stated her race or colour of her skin. On the contrary, characters of colour are routinely delegated to white actors; as mentioned prior, Peter Sellers in The Party (1968), Gods of Egypt (2016), Argo (2012), Prince of Persia (2010), The Lone Ranger (2013), Doctor Strange (2016), Ghost in the Shell (2017) – the list is uncomfortably infinite.
“I think one of the dangerous things you can see structurally within the industry, is that one of the only people that became really famous was the sole white actress, Kiera Knightley, the other actresses like the girl who plays the lead, and Archie Panjabi who plays her older sister, they’d gone on to fame but nowhere near the levels of Kiera Knightley, I think that speaks structural issues within the industry, and the fact there are just more roles for people like Kiera Knightley than there are for the Asian leads.” (Participant 4). Jules and Joe are staged as the saviours, welcoming Jesminder into the inconceivable terrain she’s only dreamt of; her Asian family symbolise the shackles of India’s backwards attitude, bestowed to the viewer as an impediment to her progression. This is a “colonialist narrative, as the British persistently positioned themselves as defenders of Indian women against the ostensible tyranny of Indian culture.” (Mani, 1998:148).
The film concludes with Jesminder choosing the football scholarship instead of her family’s wishes, echoing the words of her white love interest, Joe, who “rescue[d] her from tradition-bound family” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015: 148). Chadha’s direction infers a happy ending, concluding with a clip of Mohaan and Joe playing cricket together, however ultimately Jesminder chooses her British-ness over her Indian-ness, rather than opting for a hybridity of both cultures. The film sequentially announces that ‘if there are any difficulties for immigrants to integrate into a host society, the fault lies with the immigrants’ rigidity, and not with the racial inequality of racism that is part of the host culture’s view of outsiders,” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015: 148). If Jules and Joe were not white, the film presumptively wouldn’t have gained the recognition or deliver the aforementioned message that it did; “films and stories of multicultural concordance in popular culture create the illusion that harmony and opportunity are pervasive at a historical moment,” (Abdel-Shehid, 2015: 145), when in fact, it perfidiously drew us further away from being viewed as equals.
REPRESENTATION IN CONTEMPORARY FILM AND TV
This discussion surrounding the role of the white protagonist delivers us succinctly into the last topic of discussion – the representation of South Asians in film and TV produced over the last decade. ‘Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?’, my first interview question gathered a variety of answers, yet, almost all included Aziz Ansari and Mindy Kaling. Focusing on the progression of these Asian-Americans, both artists that have successfully produced, written and starred in their own television shows, Kaling’s being Emmy-award winning The Mindy Project (2012-2017), with Ansari being the first Asian-American to win a Golden Globe for acting on television pertaining to his role in Master of None (2015-).
Kaling was a writer, producer, director and actor for four-time Emmy-award winning comedy mockumentary The Office (2005-2013; her character ‘Kelly Kapoor’ defied stereotypes; sexually promiscuous, knew little to nothing about her Indian background, openly dated non-Asian men; regularly presented as an airhead who only cared for celebrity gossip; although not a perfect representation, she was a character that just ‘happened’ to be Indian, not defined by it. Stereotypes were often placed upon her by the other characters, however it was consistently framed to suggest they were being overtly facetious or bigoted. Similarly, Ansari played ‘Tom Haverford’ in the show Parks and Recreation (2009-2015); luxury obsessed with a devoted love for hip-hop culture, his character’s ambitions centred on creating a successful business, conclusively displaying a rejection of Indian stereotypes.
This cascaded into their own productions; both shows host conversations about race and identity, pushing a narrative that discusses these issues in the television format. “Aziz Ansari’s character in Master of None, I thought it portrayed millennial kind of South Asians life in New York quite well, I think it really kind of touched on a number of important issues about what it means to be a young South Asian in America.” (Participant 1). The episode “Indians on TV” opens up a necessary dialogue regarding representation and whitewashing, highlighting the structural issues surrounding how poorly South Asians have been portrayed and beguiled. In a Mindy Project episode, Mindy interviews for a job as head of her department; upon finding out the panel is a group of old white men, she goes to sleep wishing she was a white man, consequently waking up as one in a 13 Going on 30 slash Groundhog Day type scenario. The episode highlights the alarming power of white privilege, and how difficult it is navigating the world, not only as a minority, but also as a woman. Mindy’s character states that as a white man, “Your life is so carefree, you start wondering why other people don’t just help themselves. Because you think life is just as easy for everyone else.”, highlighting how ingrained and pervasive these attitudes are.
As validating as this may be, both shows have substantial issues worth discussing, “[Mindy] often depicts herself in situations solely with white men and I found that pretty uncomfortable, and actually Aziz Ansari has been accused of doing the same, there is this trouble of representing Asian romantic relationships, in fact the characters actively try and get away from dating people of the same race, which I’ve always found pretty problematic.” (Participant 2). The dilemma regarding The Mindy Project isn’t necessarily the interracial romantic relationships because they happen in abundance off screen, therefore accurately reflecting an aspect of society in the West. In this show, the problem mostly lies within the way the brown couplings are depicted as forced; when Mindy dates an Indian man, as the singular experience of her dating someone from her race, it is depicted as fairly negative and the focus of the entire episode surrounds race and ethnicity; this never occurs with her white love interests unless the topic of marriage is communicated. Nonetheless, although The Mindy Project is not the best representation of South Asians, a dark-skinned Indian woman starring in her own television show is incredible progression, as most South Asian roles tend to go to men or racially ambiguous fair-skinned brown women.
Reflecting on the issue of the white love interest, this is unequivocally a problem in Master of None, amongst other media starring male South Asian leads, such as The Big Sick (2017), The Big Bang Theory (2007-), Meet the Patels (2014) and Lion (2016). The rejection of women of colour is a reflection of South Asian assimilation, colourism, patriarchy and toxic masculinity amid diaspora, “Anti-blackness and white supremacy is real, I think people are also willing to, especially black men and South Asian men as well, they’re willing to kind of engage in white supremacy, because the closer to whiteness you are, the safer you are, the more powerful you are, the more privileged you are” (Participant 1). “Concepts mediate new identities” (Hall, 1990: 231), ergo a product of the emasculation of brown men in Hollywood, South Asians are typically represented as academics, overzealous around women, therefore choosing to partner up with white women suggests roles are “masturbatory fantasies that give brown men the vantage point of a white male cinephile. (Kini, 2017). “I think if you were to see South Asian people on screen loving each other and loving themselves romantically, I think that would be powerful, because there are so many barriers that exist in the real world, on screen is where we shouldn’t see that.” (Participant 1).
CONCLUSION
“Diasporas, it seems, are both ethnic-parochial, and cosmopolitan. The challenge remains, however, to disclose how the tension between these two tendencies is played out in actual situations” (Werbner, 2011: 471). The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the representation of South Asian diaspora in western film and television. Reflecting on my initial feelings towards South Asian roles presented throughout the UK and US, I primarily perceived them as considerably more representative than they are. “Identity discourse, as defined by Jules-Rosette, are ways of speaking about one’s perceived and desired location in the social world.” (Werbner, 2011: 477). After investigating the connotations behind certain decisions contrived by the directors and writers of the shows and films aforementioned in this dissertation, it’s apparent to see that, although progressive in many aspects, fundamentally, the prioritisation in mitigating any discomfort toward a white viewer, to appease them, surpasses the importance of authentically depicting South Asian’s on screen.
Evaluating the preceding body of work allowed insight into the perceptions of South Asian television and film; if given the chance to inspect further, I would absolutely gather more texts to gain a further understanding of representation. Admittedly, the analysis is inclinatory towards a negative culmination, as I am a member of the diaspora that these misrepresentations ultimately effect, however, I feel I’ve been arduous in administering objective viewpoints. With regards to methodology, undertaking qualitative research through semi-structured interviews is a decision I boldly stand by; the dexterity in the answers I received assembled and supported the research and analysis greatly, without which, this dissertation wouldn’t have been as firmly established as it is. However, with hindsight, it’s apparent I could’ve utilised the answers more than I have. Nonetheless, I feel the body of work has been extended via this dissertation, through the various findings and as a South Asian woman, it attached deviating lenses to the conversation surrounding preconceived notions towards the culture and diaspora.
If given a longer word count, I most certainly would’ve delved further into the representation of South Asians in The Mindy Project and Master of None. Furthermore, I would have spoken on the success of Riz Ahmed, British-Pakistani actor, once transitioning to Hollywood productions, and how archaic institutions in British film and television often hinder people of colour in the industry. Interview questions were orchestrated surrounding this topic, which can be found in the appendices. Moreover, the predicament of colourism, both within the South Asian community and how we are perceived in the West regarding Eurocentric features and skin tones. Sadly, I exhausted the word count, however the investigation into these affairs aided my work despite not being able to discuss them in depth.
Ultimately, the message is clear – there is a problem, both within the film and television industry, and systematically; “Britishness, as much as Englishness, has systematic, largely unspoken, racial connotations… [where] the idea of a multicultural post-nation remains an empty promise.” (Giardina, 2003:71). Although many aspects of this dissertation point towards a lack of progression, I have hope in things improving. Films and television shows excluding and misrepresenting people of colour are being noticed and criticized for the blatant lack of diversity and authenticity. Observing the recent accomplishments of non-South Asian minorities only three months into the year is irresistibly encouraging. The support and adoration for Black Panther (2018), not just through social media, but in the statistics, is only recently unimaginable. A blockbuster film fiercely and unapologetically starring and celebrating black people and African culture - to witness it become one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time is simply overwhelming. All of which has been achieved with Donald Trump as ruler of the free world, one can only imagine what can be accomplished in the years to come.
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APPENDICES
INTERVIEW
Participant: 1
Age: 28
Ethnicity: Black British
Occupation: Writer (The Independent, DAZED, Complex, Noisey Music, ShortList, FACT Mag, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, SBTV, PAPER Magazine, The 405, Highsnobiety, Complex UK, TRUE Africa, Pigeons & Planes, Boiler Room)
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
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Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
On the top of my mind… there’s Mindy Kaling’s character on The Office, and obviously The Mindy Porject, there’s Master of None, Aziz Ansari, there’s obviously Apu, which is obviously a TV caricature, a cartoon, there’s a few others as well, there was one in Luke Cage recently, there was a character, erm… she wasn’t South Asian, she was Middle Eastern, so I don’t think that quite applies… erm, yeah those are the ones I can think of off the top of my mind.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
Well I think The Simpsons was obviously like a caricature, and a lot of it was very stereotyped, and I guess it’s not really my place to kind of say whether that’s negative or positive, cause it’s not really my kind of experience. But I do get a sense that, like, obviously now in 2017, we’ve had so many discussions on race, that looking back, I got a sense that this was like a caricature of South Asian men, on those who run convenience stores, and even being from the UK, you can tell that it’s mocking this man whose kind of come from nothing to just start a life in America, and yeah like, The Simpsons is satire, but sometimes satire doesn’t always do the job it’s meant to. As for Aziz Ansari’s character in Master of None, I thought it portrayed millennial kind of South Asians life in New York quite well, I guess, I think it really kind of touched on a number of important issues about what it means to be a young South Asian in America. But what I do know is that, there was a lot of kind of grumblings about the love interest Aziz Ansari had, I have read a few articles where a lot of South Asian actors particularly, they’re starring in rom-coms and romantic films where the female lead is often white. I don’t know whether that’s kind of an accurate portrayal of South Asian men, or whether that’s accurate, again that’s not something I’m privy to. And as for Mindy Kaling’s character in the office, yeah, I thought that was an interesting portrayal because it was so kind of, highlighting the misogyny that is perpetuated towards women of colour and black women as well, and obviously Mindy Kaling is dark skinned, and I think that definitely played out in a lot of how Mindy’s character was treated on The Office, she’s almost kind of brushed to the side, and it’s very obvious in how she is portrayed, especially with that relationship that she had with B.J Novak’s character Ryan, I find that very telling, and that dynamic very telling as well.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
Question skipped
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
In regards to the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen, I definitely feel like there isn’t enough, I think even me just struggling to think of names is a clear indication. Now I don’t watch a lot of TV anyway, I watch a lot of film, if I do watch TV it tends to be on Netflix and that kind of stuff, but yeah, I don’t really think that there’s a huge amount, it’s definitely a problem, and I would say that in terms of representation compared to black people, there’s still a lot of catching up to do, in terms of Asian people, I think that’s probably, just because of different conversations being had around different races, particularly in Hollywood and America, where race is pretty much dictated to the rest of the world, and I think this is very evident in Hollywood, the conversation about blackness and race is so openly had, just like, since the dawn of America cause it’s had to have that conversation, whereas regarding Asian people, particularly South Asian people, America hasn’t really had to have that conversation until very recently, and the circumstances of that conversation have obviously been negative due to 9/11 and all of this, and I often find that, when I do see Asian actors on screen, particularly Asian men, I usually see them playing roles that are secondary, in the background, like taxi drivers, convenience store owners, that sort of thing, they’re never really kind of the centre, doing big things, and I guess M. Night Shyamalan is kind of an exception, cause he’s a director, but yeah, even beyond him, there aren’t many, so yeah the volume is definitely low.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I would definitely feel that’s more representative of life in general. I’d been in New York for about 6 months of the year, in particular Brooklyn, and just walking around, seeing all the different communities that live there, fair enough its mostly black and Jewish, but I’m starting to see a lot of South Asian people there, who live there for generations as well, at least first and second gen, and I’m not always seeing that on screen, particularly like when I’m watching Marvel shows and films that are set in New York, that use New York as a backdrop, one of the very good Spiderman Homecoming, was that there were a lot more South Asian actors in the background that just gave authenticity to the story, in the way that the old Spiderman, which was very white and very kind of like, Manhattan, that didn’t really seem real to me, and I think with the way that migration patterns have happened all over the world, the way people move, I would just feel as though I’m actually watching something that feels authentic and feels real, it doesn’t have to be my experience, it’s the fact that I can look at it and say yeah, like, if I was to walk down the street, I would definitely see the same people that I’m seeing on screen, and I don’t think that’s always the case when you’re watching TV and film.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
I don’t know… I think partly just because I’m not that audience, but, it must have an impact! I only say that just from my understanding of what it means to not have any black representation on screen, and I think Bollywood is essentially a reaction to that lack of representation, so yeah that has had an impact on South Asian audiences, because if they can’t see themselves in Hollywood, then they go and create their own version, which is what essentially has happened. So, yeah, while I don’t know the actual specifics of whether Hollywood and the lack of representation has impacted South Asian audiences, I think the existence of Bollywood is very clear that it has
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
Yeah, I’ve watched a few episodes back in the day, definitely heard of it, its not something I kind of was too into, but I did watch it every now and then when I caught it on TV as a kid
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Showed the clip anyway.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I hadn’t actually seen that clip before, I found it very funny! What I found interesting about it was that, they actually had a white person in the room, and I can imagine that whenever white TV writers and script writers and directors, casting directors and what not, sometimes there probably isn’t a minority in the room, at all, yet they kind of make these decisions, and I thought it was a really kind of… interesting and it really shows that not a lot’s changed, since that particular show aired, we’re still having the same conversations, and I think it just goes to show that the case is still being made, and we’re still having to make our case for more representation on screen, this shouldn’t be the case, we should be further ahead and I think that show just makes us realise how far we haven’t come.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I guess coming from my own experience, seeing that played out, and kind of, you know, in kind of, black settings, I find it like, kind of really cathartic and funny, in a really kind of, I don’t know, communal way? It just lets you know that you’re not alone in this feeling that you’re a minority in this country, and it validates a lot of thoughts that you’ve probably had, but never been able to share because you’re predominantly around white people and I think its important to have these shows where you get to have these sketches and things like that where you interrogate these attitudes that exist in the first place, cause then the audiences are able to feel empowered and they’re definitely affirmed in that way, so yeah that definitely has effect on audiences without a doubt.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
I think for a number of reasons, I think if I remember, back then, around when the show first aired, British society had a really weird fascination with South Asian pop culture, I remember there being that Peugeot 206 advert, and that became a big thing, Indian takeaways were being voted the best restaurants, the Vindaloo or Tikka Masala or something like that became the number one dish, there was real kind of interest in South Asian, particularly Indian culture, I remember the film East is East came out around then as well, and I think that’s always been the case, partly because I think in a lot of ways the Britis have always kind of been interested, to some degree, in South Asian cultural products, I think obviously colonialism and imperialism has a part to play in that, I think in a lot of ways white British people are watching these shows because they get to see for themselves the cultures which have kind of I guess enriched a lot of their lives in ways they don’t even know, for example, having tea in the morning, and things like that, they just wouldn’t have that without Indian and South Asian influences in their lives, just from colonialism, and I do still think that has a part to play, like certain corporations like the BBC, must have some underlying obligation to kind of showcase some areas of the former colonies if you will, the same way that they go to Africa and do weird things in Africa as well, it’s the same thing, a lot of the time British society sees these former colonies as still theirs which is why they kind of feel they should showcase them, not in the best possible ways as well.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
Yes, but I honestly can’t remember much of what happened in it.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
Just as I was saying for the previous question, Bend it like Beckham came out around the time when, yeah, I think there’s a real kind of public consciousness about South Asian representation on screen, and there being a lack of it, particularly in football as well, and there being a lack of South Asian representation in sport, and I thought it was a really interesting way to start this conversation, because I guess for so long, football was seen as something that white British kids do, and black British kids do, not necessarily South Asian kids, so its very interesting to have a woman in that role as well, a South Asian woman alongside Kiera Knightley, obviously I think the film focused on Kiera Knightley a little too much, which again raises the whole thing about white womanhood and centering themselves and all that kind of stuff, so yeah, its not a perfect film by any means, it still has many of those kind of dynamics to address, but its definitely a good conversation starter for the time
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
Because it had a lot of white actors in there, like Kiera Knightley, Jonathan Rhees Myers, yeah because it had those two actors who are obviously kind of attractive in their own way, they were deemed kind of conventionally attractive as well, I think that definitely, they’re the kind of names that obviously, they needed to help sell tickets, I definitely feel that’s part of the reason, probably the big reason as to why it did well, probably because it was a British Asian cast as well, I think if you had native South Asian actors in there it probably wouldn’t have done so well, and I don’t think that would’ve served the story either.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to UK South Asian TV shows and films?
I’m not sure, I’m really not sure, I don’t think I watch enough of either to make a strong enough conclusion, but based on what I’ve watched, I definitely feel as though films have more longevity, and the reception towards films is definitely more positive. I often find that when I see South Asian depicted in TV shows, in the UK, particularly if it’s a TV drama on BBC or something like that, I’ve seen a lot of South Asian actors be typecast and kind of play the stereotypical terrorist or role like that, like Eastenders, in fact Eastenders was interesting, I stopped watching it around the time that the Asian family came in, yeah I think that was around 2008/9, just when I first went off to uni, and I remember there being a storyline about Syed, who was gay, and that caused a huge storm, when that episode aired and when that storyline came out, and that received a lot of complaints from people, and I think Eastenders has always been good at challenging attitudes like that, whether that’s furthered the conversation along I don’t know, but, based on that, I do think there’s a better reception to film than TV, I think that’s because film is always considered like a higher pedigree, which isn’t always the case, but over here yeah people seem to kind of give preference to film over TV
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Yeah definitely, just to see what kind of conversation and what kind of dialogues we’ve kind of explored today, yeah I’m always interested to see dated film or TV content is remade or adapted, for the modern times, so yeah definitely.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
I think shows like that, again, awards and general critical praise, for a number of reasons. I think partly its white society trying to appease their own guilt, for the lack of diversity up until this point. I guess they feel by throwing a few awards at a few shows and a few actors here and there, will make up for all the years and decades of exclusion and ignorance, that isn’t always the case. And I also think minorities and marginalised people force their way into the industry as much as the industry has acknowledged to a degree, like the inequalities that exist, the young South Asians and young black people have had to force their way into the industry and make shows, like Master of None, The Big Sick, The Night Of and all of those, because no one else is making them and the people in the studios, the TV execs and all of that, theyre not making them because most of them are white.
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
I think the answer is pretty straightforward, and that’s just because having a white person on screen sells a lot better than seeing two black people on screen, two Asian people on screen, loving each other. Just think of the politics of – for example, two black people loving each other and being in love and marrying each other in America and seeing that on screen, knowing America’s history and knowing how America has denied black people the basic thing called love in the first place, and the same with how they treat South Asian people, especially with their immigration laws. I think if you were to see South Asian people on screen loving each other and loving themselves romantically, I think that would be powerful, because there are so many barriers that exist in the real world, on screen is where we shouldn’t see that. Anti-blackness and white supremacy is real, I think people are also willing to, especially black men and South Asian men as well, they’re willing to kind of engage in white supremacy, because the closer to whiteness you are, the safer you are, the more powerful you are, the more privileged you are, so on and so forth, so yeah it makes sense that on screen a lot of these relationships are happening, these interracial relationships, because they’re happening off screen, in abundance, so unfortunately while kind of, its weird because these interracial on screen relationships are a reality, and they’re a very kind of pervasive reality, at the same time, it’s not the only reality that exists, and I think its just yeah, more about seeing more brown people on screen loving each other and more black people on screen loving each other, simple as that.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
This is my favourite question, because I’ve been asked this question a few times recently – he had every right. I’d do the same thing, why not move? I don’t think this country appreciates its marginalised actors and artists, it really doesn’t. I think the problem with the UK and British cultural arts is that they still invested heavily in these institutions that hinder their progress, that hinder British arts and culture, it hinders the progress of that, just because they rely and invest in these age old archaic institutions, and when I say institutions I mean as far down as people, individuals, whether that’s a DJ, an actor, a presenter, like for example, why am I still seeing Ant and Dec and all of those people on Saturday night television, that’s what I mean, those people should already be replaced by Maya Jama’s by now. People like Riz Ahmed are moving to Hollywood because once you reach a ceiling in the UK, its very hard to break that ceiling and keep performing at that level, even Idris Elba, although he kind of began his career in Hollywood, the fact that he came back and did Luther, and even then Luther is still the extent to which he can do, even the conversations around him becoming James Bond – no one wants him to be James Bond, and that just goes to show why Riz Ahmed was within his rights to leave the UK, for pastures new, because it’s like well, if Idris Elba can’t get James Bond, then what else is he gonna do here? Britain is so invested in these institutions such as James Bond, that they really wont kind of diverge from the template and create something new and fresh and exciting, but fortunately Hollywood – Hollywood doesn’t either – but Hollywood is more progressive and more open to diverse voices and diverse people than the UK is, that’s for sure, I’d recommend that most people do the same, if you’re an artist and you want to survive and make money, then go where the money is at the end of the day.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
I think it certainly does for new generations and younger generations, I think older generations less so. I don’t think we’re yet to see the impact of representation on screen, as of yet, we’re not really yet to see that, and we’re not the generation who will really absorb that, I think the people that will absorb that are still only around 10 years old, they’re still children, so it remains to be seen, just, what these efforts of diversity and inclusion and representation on screen have actually done because, yeah, I dunno, the world out there, adult wise, is kind of done, but for younger people watching TV and seeing themselves, and seeing people that look like them, regardless of sexuality, gender, race and all of that, then I think yeah progress has definitely been made, because before the year 2000 I doubt many bisexual people saw themselves on screen in positive ways, and now they’re doing so, yeah, it just remains to be seen, I don’t think is something we’ll see for another 10, 20 years.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Yeah definitely, I think before people were happy with just being a token, well not happy but a lot of people settled for being a token. I think that was safe for white people in a way, if you just had one of us in the room, but now we’re demanding that the whole room is diverse, in fact we’re not demanding that the majority in the room are women, women of colour, black women, we’re no longer settling for one black man or one Asian man as diversity, so yeah the representation has changed and I think the next generation in terms of what they’re gonna be demanding – it’s gonna shake the table, because we’re shaking the table at the moment, so it’s very interesting.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
That’s an interesting question, okay, so two things – I think in some ways, on screen South Asians have been depicted, especially after 9/11, as though they are also victims of the fall out of 9/11, and a lot of the time on screen, if you see something relating to Muslim or brown people and South Asians, you often find South Asians being targets of some kind of Islamophobia, just some misguided ignorant Islamophobia, because obviously Americans can’t tell the difference between Sikhs and Muslims, and I think that’s been represented a lot on TV, this idea that Sikhs and Muslims aren’t the same, and I think that is because up until 9/11, essentially, your average American couldn’t tell the difference, and Asians were essentially homogenised. It’s a crazy way to dehomogenise a group of people, and it’s the most perverse way of dehomogenising a group of people, by this catastrophic event that happened, and then the fall out of it, the attacks against the Muslim community, and obviously the Middle Eastern communities as well as the South Asian community. The other thing with that is that, I’m noticing that South Asian people are being casted as Middle Eastern people, vice versa, and whether that’s also kind of Hollywood just trying to do the least, but look as though they’re doing something by casting someone who looks like a South Asian, but isn’t necessarily a South Asian… yeah. I still don’t think there’s been enough diverse representation of South Asian people in the context of 9/11 and the war on terror, I still think that the roles that they’ve been given are very much either rags to riches, like Slumdog Millionaire, or its ‘you’re a terrorist and you’ve got a little bit more humanity’ or something like that, Hollywood just goes for the same template that they go for with everything else, and it’s the same thing they do with South Asians as well.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
Definitely, most definitely I think it’s already started changing, obviously not fast enough, but its changing rapidly by the day, and Hollywood is scared. For example, the lack of success that Ghost in the Shell had with Scarlett Johansson, and the success of Get Out, and the success of Black Panther, will show and has shown that if you have people that are from these areas of the world that you’re trying to tell stories about, you have those in these particular roles, there’s something about authenticity that makes people want to flock to the cinemas, but I don’t particularly want to watch an anime with a white woman playing the lead character, that just feels weird to me. It should be the same across the board, and it’s not currently, I still think Asian people are being left out of that conversation, particularly in comic books as well, because there’s Asian characters in comic books which aren’t being represented, as superhero films seem to be taking over Hollywood, massively, I think that’s something that – I think superhero films have a real chance to shape and change the attitudes in cinema and film, I think partly because superhero films have become big events that aren’t just for your die hard comic book fans that have been reading comic books since the age of 4, this is for everyone now, I’m seeing friends who I never thought would be into Captain America or Black Panther or The Avengers, now into these things, because, I don’t know, graphically they look cool, the stories are great, the cinematography is great, these films are great fun for 2 and half hours, and I think they’re shaping culture in a massive way, and I think it would be real shame if Marvel doesn’t acknowledge the fact that, especially on screen, in the cinema, its all well and good having Asian people on your Netflix shows and things like that but that’s not enough, it really isn’t enough, I think things like Marvel and DC are in a position to make a difference. And I know Star Wars interestingly enough, is a good place to start with that, because Star Wars has always been racially ambiguous, and it’s always allowed for better diversity because of that in some ways, and same with Star Trek, I always find sci-fi is a great way to weave in and interrogate diversity and inclusion and things like that because, I guess in sci-fi anything is possible, and the unexpected is made possible, and I just wish more of Hollywood was like that.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 2
Age: 24
Ethnicity: British-Indian
Occupation: Student: MA in English Studies: Postcolonial and Global Literature
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
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Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
Apu from The Simpsons, Mindy Kaling from The Mindy Project, Aziz Ansari’s character from Master of None, Raj from The Big bang Theory, ummm I can’t think of any… Riz Ahmed’s character in Star Wars, Riz Ahmed’s characters in The Night Of, Riz Ahmed’s character in Girls, which I didn’t watch but I know exists, the Masood’s from Eastenders, that’s all that comes to mind really.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
It’s tricky because I used to think the rule of thumb was, if you get to write yourself or be in control of your own representation like Aziz Ansari is in Master of None, then that would be the key to good representation, but I think that someone like Mindy Kaling who represents herself and gets to write her own character is quite a bad representation of South Asians, she often depicts herself in situations solely with white men and I found that pretty uncomfortable, and actually Aziz Ansari has been accused of doing the same, there is this trouble of like, representing Asian romantic relationships, in fact the characters actively try and get away from dating people of the same race, which I’ve always found pretty problematic, there’s been a problem with representing the same South Asian relationships on screen, I think that was another problem in The Big Sick, and it wasn’t necessarily the representation of the couple, the interracial couple, the problem was with the representation of South Asian women in that film, they depicted South Asian women as sort of only lusting after South Asian men and that their only goal is desperate to be married, I think that’s a very flat representation. I also think something like The Night Of, which was written by a white person was actually a very good representation of a South Asian Pakistani person, and it played on a lot of the stereotypes, but subverted them, and so I think sometimes it comes down to how nuanced the character is, I don’t think it’s always down to who writes that character. I think it comes down to how well it can subvert or play with stereotypes and how flat of realistic those portrayals are, and it think it’s about playing with the perception of South Asian characters.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
It’s nowhere near enough, it’s getting better, but when you only have a few representations of South Asians on television and film, I think we get defined by the representations that are seen of us by wider society so, for instance, if we’re only portrayed as sort of slum dog’s or doctors or engineers or nerdy friends like Raj from The Big Bang Theory, then society starts to define us in those terms, and we lose control of defining ourselves. I think we need more, and not just in sheer numbers, but in terms of variety, we need different types of South Asian people, from different ethnicities and religions within Southern Asia to be represented, as well as sheer number, I think it’s more about diverse representation and the depth of representation.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I would feel better about it because I think when there’s more representation and there’s a wider scope of representation of people from South Asian backgrounds in TV and film, I believe it gives you a deeper sense of humanity, it reimbues humanity to a community that’s really been portrayed in very flat ways, that have dehumanised them, and so I think it’s about humanising those who’ve been dehumanised through quite simple, flat and uninspiring representations on TV and film.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
Yes, as well as the way society sees South Asians, I think it starts to hamper and hurt how South Asians see themselves, and I think there becomes this pressure to prove themselves in wider society, to prove that they’re one of the ‘good’ ones, one of the ‘good’ immigrants, that they’re not like the representations you’ve seen on television, you know, there’s almost this need to overcompensate for those flat stereotypes that they see of themselves.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
Yes, it was one of the formative shows of my childhood, I remember everyone, including other South Asians quoting it to me, like ‘Check please!’, and I remember it was good to see people that looked like me on TV, but I think the issue was that was the only representation of South Asians I saw on TV.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I think wholly the show was actually pretty good because it allowed us to occupy spaces in genres that we don’t normally occupy, like comedy for instance, it is nice to see sort of non-South Asian audiences enjoying comedic work from South Asian actors , but at the same time, I think the show had to bear a responsibility that it wasn’t prepared to, and I think it ended up leaving very small, flat, sometimes lazy representations of South Asians. Most of what I remember from that show, a lot of people had accents, and actually none of the South Asians I knew at the time when I was a kid had accents, so it was weird to reconcile this representation that one, I could identify with because of skin colour, but couldn’t because I don’t have an accent, my parents don’t have an accent, and I think what it tried to do was just, this is what white people thought South Asians were like, instead of what South Asians are actually like, it sort of fulfilled this orientalist trope of what white people think we’re like, instead of who we actually are.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
Again, I think it allowed us to occupy spaces we once weren’t allowed to occupy, I think we were sort of beyond designated roles for us in society, I think by subverting stereotypes it allowed South Asians to occupy outside that small remit that society had deemed we could be in, the funny best friend, the smart doctor, the engineer, those kind of stereotypes, it allowed us to be a lot more varied and be a lot more human as a result.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
To a large extent I think it is because it reinforced some images of South Asians, it was safe, it was what non-South Asians thought South Asians were like, and funny versions of those, so it played to their orientalist ideas of who we are, and I think for that reason, we were still being defined on non Asian terms and that was comforting to them, it was almost like a reinforcing of their preconceived notions.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
I think it’s tricky because in some ways it did do a lot for South Asian communities, but again it reinforced some other more negative stereotypes, specifically about South Asian families and how they’re very restrictive on young women, and I think that that, again, it’s not that that’s necessarily false, I think there are some families that are very strict on daughters and female members of their family, but one, not all South Asian families are like that, and again, it becomes dangerous when that’s the consistent theme that shown of South Asians, you know, almost every representation, whether it be Murdered by my Father, or Bend it like Beckham, displays really strict parents who try and dictate their daughters lives, and my experience is it’s not always like that, so why is that always the same consistent theme being represented of us, again, it just really restricts who we are when non-South Asian people watch these shows, that’s what they think, that every South Asian family is like, and it’s not like that, so for that reason it’s dangerous. On the other hand, it was just a funny relaxed portrayal of a South Asian family, and in that sense it did do a lot for South Asians, it had the older sister who’s very sexually promiscuous, it had a daughter who was defying stereotypes, it had her gay best friend, you know, it did break a lot of boundaries, but it was also restrictive in other senses, so I think both things can be true - restrictive and somewhat ground breaking, but ultimately I think the reason it was popular was again, because it reinforced some of those notions about Asian families.
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
I think it comes back to this theme of reinforcing preconceived notions of who Asians are, I think ultimately to be considered critically successful, a film that stars South Asians can only be successful within the boundaries of what people allow it to be, so for instance, it always needs to be the story of an oppressive family on a young girl, now how you tell that is up to you, you can tell it in a very comedic way, like Bend it like Beckham, you can tell it in a very serious was like Murdered by my Father, or any of these kinds of stories about an oppressive family and this young South Asian girl trying to liberate herself, it means the only way that you can play with your stories is how you tell that same worn out story, you can tell it in whatever way you like, but at the end of the day, you can only tell that one same story over and over again, and so it means you can only be creative in a certain remit, and I think its really restrictive for South Asian filmmakers and writers, and I think when you do that in a new way, you get positive reviews of it, and I think Bend it like Beckham told a similar same old story, just in a new way we hadn’t seen before. I also think one of the dangerous things you can see structurally within the industry is that one of the only people that became really famous from that film was the sole white actress, Kiera Knightley, you know, the other actresses like the girl who plays the lead and Archie Panjabi who plays her older sister, they’d gone on to fame but nowhere near the levels of Kiera Knightley, I think that speaks structural issues within the industry, and the fact there are just more roles for people like Kiera Knightley than there are for the Asian leads.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
I think you’re more likely to see South Asian TV shows because they’re less of a risk, right? There’s probably not as much money at stake, the way TV works is you don’t make money off the actual TV show, you make money off advertisers, so I think people are more likely to green light something like Master of None, which is based on a Netflix business model, or The Mindy Project, which ultimately went to a very similar model at Hulu, there’s less financial risk for studios and for all these networks to make that kind of content, whereas film is a very expensive industry, and films need to see a return on their money, and I feel that studio executives don’t feel that South Asian actors and writers and directors will give a return on an investment, so you’re less likely to see movies led by South Asians, especially English speaking South Asians from the UK and US. In terms of reception, because there’s such a lack of our stories out there, all of those stories will seem new and fresh and innovative, so for some reason they’re inherently deemed good and great even though sometimes those stories aren’t that great, because there’s such a lack of us, every time you do see one it seems like it’s this new fad, and actually then you’re not measuring the quality of the content, you’re just embracing the novelty of seeing a brown person on TV for the first time in a long time.
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
I definitely wouldn’t watch Goodness Gracious Me if it was a new show on today, I think there’s a very similar show, like Citizen Khan, and I think it’s just these exaggerated stereotypes of who we are, and I just don’t like to consume and propagate those kinds of myths, it’s sad because I do like to support shows with South Asian leads, and South Asian creators especially, but it’s just hard to sort of keep and maintain those really flat images of who we are. As for Bend it like Beckham, yeah I would see it, I would see that film in cinemas and make up my mind, cause I think on the whole it was a well-intentioned project and it also had Gurinder Chadha, one of the few working South Asian directors in general, let alone British South Asian directors, so I think it’s to support talent and allow them to continue to work and actually maybe get to control their own work for once. So for instance, if Bend it like Beckham would be a commercial success, maybe she would be able to go on to make more of the films she wants to make, rather than the ones that are sort of, she’s being told to make, and I think it would be about supporting artists, I think film and television are two very different mediums, and viewer engagement really matters, and buying tickets really matters in film, and I think in TV you can kind of get away with, especially on British TV, having less viewers if it’s on something like the BBC.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
I think it’s my cynical side but, I think it’s just the sort of like, ethnic chic that’s going on at the moment, I think it’s again just like, this orientalist fantasy of consuming things that are different right now. Some of these shows are good, but they’re not ground breaking shows, some of them aren’t even good (laughs, then whispers ‘The Big Sick’), and I think what it is, is just, this is the latest fad, to consume ethnic media, it makes people feel like they’re engaging with these communities in a deeper way, but I don’t think they are. I think they’re consuming this content very superficially, and it’s just as a means to satisfy their own orientalist appetite rather than to understand the plight of second generation migrants or first generation migrants.
Prompt: Is all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
I think it comes back down to that pressure of being one of the good ones, and showing that the best way to assimilate into the culture is to prove you’re one of the ‘good’ ones, the ones that have really assimilated into western culture is to prove that you can form a romantic relationship with a white person, I think the worst example of it is in The Big Sick, not the relationship between Kumail Nanjiani’s character and his wife, but the way he portrayed South Asian women in that movie, desperate to get married, and their goal was only to get married, I think it’s a very flat two dimensional dehumanising portrayal of South Asian women, and I think in portraying yourself as someone who can potentially get married to a white person, I think that’s the peak of assimilation, the peak sort of distancing yourself from that negative stereotype of a South Asian person.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
I think it’s sad that, you know, South Asian actors and POC in general have to go to America for roles, I think it again, is just reflecting of British society where the roles are only created, they’re very minor roles, they’re very bad portrayals of who South Asians are and POC are, I think it speaks to a wider message of, you only fit in when you’re needed, or you’re only seen through a very utilitarian gaze, like you’re only there because you fulfil some sort of role, so for instance, you only see an Asian character on TV when their can only be played by an Asian person, the corner shop owner or the engineer or doctor or whatever, you’ll never see a person who has the humanity come first, who just happens to be of South Asian descent, it always has to be… it’s a character that can only be played by South Asians, first and foremost, and I think that’s sad. Secondly, I think Riz Ahmed himself is a very peculiar case because actually he is someone who went to a private school, and then went to Oxford, an opportunity a lot of working class South Asians don’t necessarily get, and so I think in a lot of ways he’s been very privileged to get where he is, and that’s helped him become the actor he is, I don’t think all South Asians have the opportunity that Riz Ahmed got, and I think in a lot of ways that helps his career develop, whereas someone like Dev Patel who’s from a very working class background has struggled.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
Yeah I think it’s bad because then I think the only way South Asians in Britain specifically would get representation is if they’re from US TV shows, and the culture is slightly different, because for instance in the US, 40% of the country is non-white, whereas in Britain only 15% of the country is non-white, and so, you know, there is a very different discourse, and if all the representations of South Asians on TV are coming from the US, they’re seen through this Americanised lense, which is very different to us, and it doesn’t really represent in the same way British representations of South Asians do.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
I think representation has changed, I think there’s become more of a demand for it and I think young South Asians are being very particular about where they spend their money, and they’re not consuming media and film that is not actively representative of who they are, and they’re not consuming – I think all of people of colour, young people of colour - are not consuming fiction unless there’s been some sort of effort made to cater to POC audiences. Reception I think is very different, I think reception has not changed at all, I think maybe you’re getting more positive receptions but, that’s only again because of this feigned orientalist appetite and a sense of novelty because these things are new and we haven’t seen much of it before, but you know most of the people who write and talk about film, most of the film pundits and critics and reviewers are white people, so the conversation around film only has a few select white gatekeepers, and so it’s hard to critically receive a film and talk about representation when all of the people doing so aren’t the people being represented in the film, right? So, how many Indian reviewers did we see of Slumdog Millionaire or The Big Sick, they’re all just white people talking about it, and so institutionally, within film reviews, it’s a conversation crafted for, and by, white people.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
I think its made it worse in terms of how they’re seen, I think they’re all seen through very Islamophobic representations, the nefarious shifty terrorist, they’re always up to something, and I think it’s a bit of a – a representation like Homeland has been very dangerous, and I think it got to the point where the only time you’d see Muslims represented on screen was when they were terrorists, or suspected terrorists, or Pakistani villagers helping US soldiers find the terrorist. I think this has really hurt political tensions, it’s made a lot of wider society think this is who Muslims are, because that’s been the only representation of Muslims and South Asians, I think that that has meant that people like Azis Ansari and Mindy Kaling and Hasan Minhaj have all had to have this responsibility to sort of correct the image of South Asians on film and TV, and I think that’s really not a responsibility white creators of art have to bear, they don’t have to correct and correctly represent their entire race, I think it’s unfair sometimes that there’s this burden placed on South Asian creatives to have to represent their whole race, and present them in a light that sort of undoes the damage of that bad representation immediately following 9/11.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
I think we’ve seen better representation and more representation, but I think things will only ever see real progress and change if more Asians get institutional power, so the ability to green light projects, people being able to write themselves, direct themselves, not just in terms of acting, and I think you’ve seen a bit of that with Mindy Kaling, producing her own show, Aziz Ansari producing his own show, writing his own show, you know, Mira Nair directing, becoming this sort of household name in terms of directing, I think when you see more people being able to control the representation of themselves, I think is when we’ll see better change, and I think when you get more South Asians on a corporate level being the executives that get to green light projects and ensure that they’re being these diverse films and TV shows are being made, that’s when we’ll see change. Also, we’ll see change when the people talking and crafting the narratives around film, like reviewers and film journalists, more of those people are South Asian as well.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 3
Age: 23
Ethnicity: British-Pakistani
Occupation: Digital media producer
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
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Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, the Kumail guy, Riz Ahmed, Dev Patel (long pause) I feel like if I can’t remember her name there’s no point of trying to remember her… yeah those are some of the biggest names that come to mind.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
I think the one thing all of them have in common is that they subvert your expectations, so Riz Ahmed in Four Lions, that was one of his first big roles, completely subverts your expectations of what you’d think of extremist Muslims to be, Dev Patel, he’s done roles that sort of are – they’re not centred around being Indian, per se, they go beyond that, Mindy Kaling with her TV show The Mindy Project, and Aziz Ansari, this season of Master of None completely just flips your expectations on their head.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
Because usually when you see South Asian characters on TV or film, they’re very stereotypical, when I was growing up there was a film called Short Circuit, and there was a robot character, and the main character with him, I really liked! But its only when I grew up, I realised ohhhhh… it’s just a very stereotypical Indian guy played by a white guy, so seeing that growing up versus what I see now, which is, you know, Asian people in TV and film, and those TV and films are not about being Asian, they just happen to be Asian while living very standard British/American lives. Even Apu in the The Simpsons, it was kind of damaging, so it’s nice to see the change.
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
I feel like there’s not enough in TV and film, I think South Asian people aren’t normalised, so the only time we see South Asian people on TV is usually when they’re playing terrorists or, you know, the bad guy. So it would be nice if we just had extras, for example, that were Muslim, or perhaps just little giveaway lines, you know, for certain characters, I don’t know like, food preferences etcetera. There’s a Muslim character in Mr. Robot, and her identity isn’t ‘she is Muslim’, her identity is that she is a criminal who is doing hacking and happens to be Muslim on top of that.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I’d feel great. It would be nice to have more diversity on screen.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
Yes, I definitely think there is an impact on South Asian audiences, because we’re so used to seeing South Asian’s playing a negative role so it’s refreshing, you know, a new generation of South Asians being included in the TV and film industry playing more positive roles.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
I’ve definitely heard of, but unfortunately I’ve only ever watched very few episodes when I was younger, so from my memory of it, I remember laughing and finding it funny, and I didn’t feel offended by it, but again I was very young and I haven’t revisited it in a very long time.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I feel like this has been a prevalent problem in our media for a very long time, and it’s a shame that we still have these problems. The show does a fantastic job of creating a dialogue about it.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I think it creates a dialogue between non-South Asian audiences and South Asian audiences.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
I think there were more white and non-South Asian viewers because this was pre 9/11, I think that played a big part in how South Asians were viewed in the media, in the 90s generally there was a cultural shift, there were films and TV shows with themes of feminism, with cultural identity, so I think there’s been a transition in how the media and news outlets portray Asians and that made a shift in TV and stuff. Pre 9/11, I think there was generally a bigger connection between different ethnicities including white people and South Asians, after 9/11 my neighbours would not speak to my parents anymore, for a long while.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
I have not actually seen it yet but I worked with the director once! I do know the general premise of the film.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
Skipped question
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
Because it goes beyond what you expect, it is about British culture as opposed to just Indian culture.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
I can’t imagine there’s much of a difference to be honest.
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Yeah, I would definitely watch both of those.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
Because they follow the same premise as Goodness Gracious Me and Bend it like Beckham, where they subvert your expectations and they don’t centre or revolve around the character being Asian, their accents aren’t the punch line, the jokes are the punch line, as opposed to caricatures.
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
Because you can’t make a show for a UK or US audiences and not include white people, the majority of this country is white, so is America, it just doesn’t make sense money wise, it wouldn’t be practical to exclude the biggest demographic in the country.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
I think HBO is generally more diverse, if not with ethnicities, with its themes, so I feel like Riz is probably being exposed to different audiences and they seem to be receiving him well. HBO is like ‘oooh, controversial’.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
Yes I do think it makes a difference with representation of South Asians because the more South Asian actors we have going into different production companies, the more diversity, the more general spreading of knowledge,
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Reception has changed because we’re seeing shows like Master of None become critically acclaimed. Representation has changed because we’re going from predominantly Asian people being cast in stereotypical or terrorist roles for the past decade after 9/11, we’re beginning to see rounder broader well made characters now.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
Well for a decade, Muslims and brown people in general have been represented as terrorists and the bad guy, and that’s slowly starting to change now, and for a very long time, brown people became the scapegoat, easy to hate, you know? When a group of people is easy to hate they make good TV.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
Culture, race and identity are incredibly polarising right now, we’re in a very heavy political climate, and I feel like that’s constantly impacting the way South Asian people are represented on TV and film. I do think it will improve, and I do think it will change, slowly, over time, but it’s only going to change if we continue producing South Asian led TV shows and films, because then we can represent all the different kinds of brown people and demonstrate there are rounded people, (laughs) we’re not just flat, 2D, put us in a box people, we’re very much just… people! Living like everyone else, so, that will change perception and how we’re perceived and generally help the population, I hope.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 4
Age: 21
Ethnicity: White British
Occupation: Student – BA Computer Science
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
-
Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
Okay, so, the ones that initially come to mind are I guess, from western TV, specifically American, you’ve got like uh, Aziz Ansari from Parks and Rec, then Master of None I suppose, Mindy… can’t remember her second name, Mindy… Kaling? From The Office, and then Hannah Simone maybe from New girl, but I’m not sure about that last one.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
It depends, so, Aziz Ansari kind of breaks the mould in that regard, although slightly less in Master of None compared to Parks and Rec, but I see a lot of the time like this emphasis on the family unit, slightly conservative in some ways, but then you’ve also got to look at other TV shows, like the guy from The Big Bang Theory, Kunal, and he’s definitely played in a very stereotypical way, very very smart, very very academic, sometimes lacking social skills, so I don’t see like an overarching way that they’re portrayed – oh, and another good example of the family unit is the lead guy in The Night Of, that HBO series as well, so yeah, generally speaking there’s emphasis on the family unit, but there are always exceptions to the rule.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
Skipped question
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
I see far more South Asian actors in British TV, perhaps because they make up more of the general demographic, in American TV a lot less, it was only 15 years ago that we were seeing Apu on The Simpsons, and even he’s played by a white guy, but yeah, a lot more in the UK. I think until it changes behind the scenes, with regards to say like, screenwriters and stuff like that, it’s probably not going to get much fairer in the short term, but I don’t know.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
It’s one of those things where, you hear about these changes, and then you just assume this must’ve happened years ago, when clearly that’s not the case. I think it would make me feel more positive about the role South Asians are playing not only on camera but in production aspects behind the scenes too, and I feel like seeing more South Asians playing, especially, lead roles, would help demonstrate this fact.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
Yeah absolutely, in the same way that I would with any demographic, so the example that always comes to mind is the first mixed race kiss on Star Trek in America, and how that was such a big deal, you know, and if that’s such a big deal for their demographic, then I see developments in the South Asian community being no different, especially from the point of view of integrating with a culture, in the same way that the South Asian community has, especially in the UK, with post war immigration and stuff like that, yeah absolutely, you know, if you’re part of British culture you deserve to have your time on screen, its part and parcel and it’s what it should be.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
No, that one must have slipped by.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
Yeah, that sh*t was funny, yeah, it kind of summarises the issues we had, scratch that, we have, with this idea of token diversity, so like, appeasing a very small group of one demographic so you can send out a press release claiming you’ve changed, and then assuming this will then please the whole group of that demographic, when in reality, the issues are far more entrenched.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I guess it depends, for a South Asian audience, it validated a lot of the discrimination perhaps that they’d been facing quite a lot, and then from a white Caucasian audience, I think these kind of sketches help to deliver empathy, so it’s like the classic shoe on the other foot kind of thing I suppose.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
So I don’t know what time this came out, but I’m assuming if it’s late 80s early 90s kind of thing, it would’ve been pretty ground breaking for its time, so a high number of white viewers because you know, it’s still a very very funny comedy sketch, it brings in a lot of the dry wit that we find a lot in British comedy, and then again, for an Asian audience, yeah I guess like I said in my previous answer, its having this validation of what you’ve been feeling for so long, and the fact is they kind of married the two of those, which isn’t a necessarily easy thing to do, I think that went a long way as to how and why it got the viewership it did. Also, I guess a big thing in British comedies are this idea of self-deprivation, so basically, being able to take the p*ss out of yourself and that kind of thing, and this is a perfect example of that.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
A childhood favourite.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
So I guess I’m going to have to come from a naïve point of view, cause I was quite young when I was watching this film, but it has a lot of tropes of the time, you know, like the South Asian family, the daughter, the daughter wants to do something out of the norm, to play football, but she can’t, she has to get married, and there’s obviously this clash, such as when the football match and the wedding are on the same day and stuff like that, but now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure there was a gay character in there as well, I guess for its time it was progressive in some ways, but perhaps slightly less progressive in other ways, but I don’t remember the family being malicious in any way, so I guess it’s done in a very inoculous perspective and it frames it like that deliberately I suppose because it’s a comedy.
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
Okay so, aside from the obvious tropes, such as the football aspect, the Beckham reference and so on, I don’t know I kind of see it as quite a good coming of age film in some regards, yeah, like a lot of easy going humour, but still having this whole break the social norm, it’s definitely what I describe as a positive feel good film, without going too far into the clichés, or being cheesy in any kind of way, so I think that was probably a big factor.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
Yeah absolutely, I mean TV shows can aim for a much smaller demographic, a particular group of people you want to really capture with your performances, whereas in film, you have this issue, not only of any entrenched problems from a cultural point of view, but also, you need to always cast so much of a wider net, and as a result, a lot of minorities, not only South Asian, a lot of others as well, are often therefore get left out unfortunately.
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Yeah, Goodness Gracious Me, absolutely, because it’s exactly the kind of thing I look for in a British comedy. Bend it like Beckham is slightly different, I think I would, and I would enjoy it, whether or not I would purposely go out and watch It, without it being recommended to me first, maybe that’s my age, maybe if I was younger, like I was when I first watched it, I would yeah, absolutely.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
So I think there are two reasons for this, from my point of view, there’s having more people from these smaller demographics in the process from the start, so not just, you know, turning up on set to perform, but actually, in the pre-production, in the writing room, and all the way through the process, and also, I guess it’s then having the resources and the funding, so you know for example The Big Sick, getting a general distribution as any other film would, The Night Of was on HBO, so you know, they had the resources to really match up with their counterparts, and I think that’s reflected in the receptions they got.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
Skipped question
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
I mean, a lot of these stories don’t stray too far from the classic kind of Shakespearian Romeo and Juliet, where you’ve got two people from different backgrounds, and I think that’s just developed over time into this kind of, we need this contrast between two people, and that’s why we give them the focus of the camera, because there’s something interesting there. Also, it allows for a lot of easy devices, especially from a comedy point of view, you can play on some of the clichés of both the actor and the actress in that case.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
What I find, especially with a lot of American funding, they don’t really like to take risks, so when they’re picking these actors, especially from backgrounds such as Riz Ahmed’s - he did Four Lions, and that got really well received in the UK, but he didn’t get much after that until Nightcrawler, and after that, as far as I’m aware, it just got bigger from there, so obviously The Night Of, and then Star Wars as well, so, I don’t know? Maybe he’s finally getting the recognition because he’s on a much larger platform? Or maybe it’s because a lot of these people providing funding don’t like to take risks, and it’s only when they saw him in these larger productions, as opposed to like – I’m pretty sure he was a rapper at one point? – and he didn’t blow up hugely as that, so maybe now it’s the platform that he’s got that’s given him these opportunities.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
In TV? Absolutely. In film? I don’t know, I think it’s going to get weird in the next 10 years, cause we’re seeing a lot of this progression but at the same time, look at other trends like film suddenly pandering a lot more to say, the Chinese market, who actually you know, when you look at it, are incredibly selective about who they want to see on screen, so I think there’s going to be a real clash between these two trends, and I’m partially concerned that if, at the end of the day, it’s the box office figure which influences people in making decisions, we may actually end up taking one step forward, two steps back.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
From the point of view from seeing it on the screen, we saw a lot more of the screen time showing this kind of discrimination and the stereotyping that came as a result, but then again there’s a conflict for me, because it’s all good and well that people are being made aware of it, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that this discrimination happened in the first place. Take Four Lions for example, which is a brilliantly done critique of some of these attitudes and stereotypes and so on, but I feel like for every one viewer who watches that film, and gets provoked to have genuine discussions and so forth, you also have five more viewers that are going to reduce it to its base element which is, I don’t know, rubber dingy rapids or whatever, so yeah, I don’t know, I feel like The Night Of is a good example of this as well, and I think the arts have always reflected to an extent the general view of a particular country or place or whatever, even if it tends to be you know, 5 years behind, before it realises exactly what it’s trying to portray, so I think we’re slowly changing away from that, and it’s going to a much more positive place, but you know, it’s going to take time.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
So take the generation before us, my mum’s generation, their social circles were completely constrained by where they live geographically, whereas now, we have social media, and as a result, partially my generation, but the generation beyond us as well, they are going to have much wider social circles across a range of demographics and backgrounds that aren’t constrained just by the particular area you live in, and I think we’re going to see this slowly reflected in film and TV, as these people grow up and begin to take the place of the people writing these roles, people in charge of production, people on screen, but again this depends on them being able to get this opportunity, to get there in the first place, you know, if we still have the same people there in twenty years time that have been there since it started, then it’s going to be another barrier towards change, so honestly, I don’t know, but I hope it gets better. You can’t forget either that, as much as I hate to admit it, we get so much of our culture from America, so if America’s got to lead the way, and that doesn’t really give me much hope at the moment, and I think we’re seeing this in a lot more sort of like, British centric TV and film, I think the BFI could be a really good catalyst for change, if it takes the right steps, the question is whether or not it will.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 5
Age: 33
Ethnicity: British Indian
Occupation: Supermarket manager
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
-
Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
Raj from The Big Bang Theory, Priyanka Chopra
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
They seem to be portrayed in the same way, typical accent, and most of them seem to be putting it on, they don’t talk like they normally would be. Stereotypical roles as well, doctor, pharmacist, geek.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
I’ve had this discussion before, whenever anyone gets introduced and they’re Asian, they seem to have the same accent on them, and do the same sort of jobs.
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
There seems to be more nowadays than there were before, obviously, and doing bigger roles should I say, more Hollywood.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I don’t think it would change my opinion… obviously when I see Mr Singh on the screen I get excited, but that’s cause I’m like ‘Oi Mr Singh!’ Not in a weird way either.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
I think for me and my generation, not really, but I think for the older generation it definitely attracts more of an audience if they see a Bollywood actress or someone they know do an English film, then they’re more likely to watch it.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
Yes, I have the DVD.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I think it’s great, I thought, for the first time, they actually bought things to life that me and my brother used to joke about these things and somebody actually brought them to life.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I think most people feel that they can relate to it, so they don’t really take offence to it.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
I don’t actually know why, it was a funny show, maybe because others spoke about it, they watched it.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
Yes.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
The movie’s okay, but, it had a lot of stereotypes in there, and a lot of people thought it was funny, but I can see why others may not have thought that.
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
I think that was around the start of when more Asians were coming onto TV, and the fact that Beckham was in it had a lot of publicity around it, I remember when I was at HMV we were selling it and it was very very popular amongst most people.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
I think the TV shows are more popular nowadays than the films.
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question.
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Yeah.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
I’ve not seen any of them so can’t really think why that is.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
Skipped question
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
It may be trying to be diverse, or it could be a way of getting audiences from both sides.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Yeah.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
Good on him, I always thought he was a talented actor. He has just shot up, especially being in Star Wars.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
Not really, it’s just opportunity is better over there.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Definitely, I believe before there was Hollywood and Bollywood, and now it all seems to be combined, a lot of people in Hollywood go over to Bollywood to make films, and a lot of people in Bollywood go over to Hollywood to make films, and I think has time’s gone by and generations have grown, it’s more of a worldwide business and not just local to the country.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
I think they’ve been careful in how they represent Asians in film now, because obviously they don’t want to portray them as terrorists or, in certain films you would get an Asian person that would play a terrorist, they kind of try and make them more, either the victim or the hero but not involved in the actual terrorism itself.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
I would hope so. I think it will.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 6
Age: 23
Ethnicity: British-Mixed race – white/Jamaican
Occupation: Customer service assistant
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
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Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
I don’t know his name, but he was the main actor in Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve seen him in Skins and a few other things, I don’t know his name though. I think he was in Eastenders as well, but I’m not sure.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
I don’t know how to explain it… I wouldn’t use the term affluent, they rarely portray them in a way that would make you think that they generally do well… financially. I’d say actually, hardworking, but at the same time, they portray it as if that’s always how it’s going to be, they don’t really show the successful side of their hard work, to a degree.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
I feel like whenever they star in something, the story is never positive, there’s rarely ever a positive side to the story, it’s always focused on the negatives we as westerners see in their culture.
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What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
(laughs) From my first answer, when you asked how many, I could only name one, so that’s kind of a testament to the volume of actors on screen.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I guess I’d feel happy for them, so they could feel more represented.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
Yeah, I think inevitably it does, because you always want to be represented, you want something to look up to within your own community, you know what I mean? You don’t want to just have white actors to, cause when you see it just makes you feel like you can’t do it, when you don’t see your own kind, or people that resemble you making it successfully, it inevitably has an impact, some turn it into a positive and strive hard, but I think most kind of see it as a reason to not even bother trying, so yeah I think it does have an impact.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
No, no I haven’t.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I found it funny, yeah it’s funny, I think it’s accurate, extremely accurate and hilarious at the same time. Yeah. Let me add. I feel like it’s a f*cking tragedy, that everybody could notice how like… the reason it’s funny is because it’s the reverse, and I feel like it’s a tragedy that we can all laugh, or that we all have to laugh at it because that is actually the sad reality of the world at the moment.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I think naturally, most audiences would shy away from it, excluding ethnic minority audiences, because they don’t… nobody really wants to acknowledge what’s actually going on, so yeah I think it has a negative effect because they don’t want to deal with the guilt of what goes on.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
Maybe they are intrigued, to see whether it’s going to be completely focused on the negatives, I mean like, obviously, the misrepresentation, underrepresentation of Southern Asians, so I think it intrigued them, they wanted to see the Southern Asian state of mind towards the situation maybe, and see how they put that in the show. And I think maybe they were surprised to see a show like that get any sort of air time.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
Yeah, I have. I was going to use that as an example in one of my previous answers.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
I thought it was really good, I watched it a long time ago so I can’t remember the whole movie, but I thought it was actually quite good.
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
I think maybe because it’s an accurate representation? Maybe on what both sides wanted to see, I think, maybe, young Asian girls that were living over here were going through similar things at home, and it showed that, and I think because of the way the British are, I think they like to highlight differences with people from other countries, they generally tease people about their differences, just like in the movie, the girls family didn’t want her to play football because that wasn’t what traditional girls do, I think they were pleased to see that being put out there, cause I don’t think that was put out in a positive light. Basically, the southern Asians liked it because they got representation, though not entirely accurate, and Brits got their way because it portrayed southern Asians stereotypically.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
Yeah, I think the films are less well received, whereas TV seem to get a better reception. I’m not sure why, I couldn’t answer that to be honest.
Probe: Why do you think that is?
Skipped question
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Yeah definitely, if I watched it back then, then yeah I’d definitely watch it nowadays, yeah.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
Why do you think this is?
The only one I’m kind of familiar with is The Mindy Project (long pause) I don’t know, I don’t know, maybe, with The Mindy Project, maybe people are praising it because it’s like a southern Asian girl integrating with western ideals, and behaving like a western- you know what I mean, like, that’s the only reason I can think of.
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
I just feel like they just don’t want to give too much away, they just want to give us little handfuls of hope every now and again, they don’t want to give us our own thing, they always need to have a stake in it, I don’t think they want us to get ahead of ourselves and excited and make us feel like we can actually own a stake in this, if that makes sense.
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
The name rings a bell, I think he’s one of the actors in Eastenders but I’m not sure.
I named his films.
Nah, again, the name rings a bell, but I can’t match a name to the face.
I then showed a photo of Riz.
Yeah…. I’ve definitely seen him somewhere before, but he’s not someone that I’d look at and think yeah that’s that famous actor guy, it’s only because you’ve told me and the combination of that and his name that I’m semi aware of him.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
Is he British? If he’s British maybe it suggests that Hollywood is a bit more inclusive, I’m not sure what to think about that.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
Hmmmmmm… (long pause) yeah, maybe a little bit. But – yeah, I’d say yeah.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Yeah, definitely I think they’re a lot lenient now, a lot more accepting as time has gone by.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
Negatively, and usually with bad intentions.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
No, not unless how they’re represented changes, like what’s done is done, it’s not going to change without some sort of counteract, there needs to be something to show that it’s, you know, they’re not the people they’re depicted to be.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 7
Age: 21
Ethnicity: British-Indian
Occupation: Senior executive for management consultancy.
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
-
Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
Okay, on the spot, I can think of Mindy Kaling, Riz Ahmed, the guy from Big Bang Theory, the Asian one (long pause) you know what, there’s not actually that many I can think of on the spot that are South Asian, there’s odd ones you get, like, (long pause) Priyanka Chopra in that American show, that’s a fairly new one, it’s mainly only token Indian characters, I can see that the only one who has their own show is Mindy Kaling, there’s that guy in Designated Survivor, don’t really know the names… I’m not actually too sure, it’s bit of a hard one that. There’s that girl from Bend it like Beckham who’s had like odd roles in a couple of TV shows, Archie Panjabi, Dev Patel, yeah that’s it, they’re the only ones I can really think of… the Indian girl in Angus Thongs.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
I don’t know, when I think of South Asians in western TV, I always think of the sort of typical ‘freshie’ basically, that’s how they’re portrayed in a way, it’s never really in the same way that white people are represented, they very much take on the whole token Indian character. I mean, there’s very very few TV shows out there than I can think of, I mean the Mindy show is a bit less stereotypical, but pretty much they all fit the classic stereotype of a South Asian, and their families always fit that stereotype of like, a bit strict, quite traditional, quite conservative, very much focused on education, I guess it all centres around the whole stereotypical South Asian immigrant characteristics, sometimes I feel they’re portrayed quite oppressed, that they don’t really embrace the western lifestyle. I think now it’s a bit less, but the first thing that comes to mind when I think of how South Asians are portrayed is that they very much fit the stereotype of a ‘freshie’.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
That’s literally the first thing that comes to my head. I mean, when I see a South Asian in western TV, there’s not one show I’ve watched that doesn’t have that element in it, which I guess they sort of sometimes need to have, in a way, to be accurately represent the South Asian-ness, but I feel like it’s become such a big part of the South Asian character within the western representation of them, even like say, if you look at Cece in New Girl, she has sort of a western name, Cecilia, however if you look at her family in some of the episodes, it’s very much portrayed exactly how Americans think that South Asians are, like the whole arranged marriage thing, where she’s set to marry an Indian guy, if you look at her family members, the females in that one episode, where they’re doing the milne, I don’t think they even consider that not every South Asian is like that, I mean yeah fair enough a lot of us are, but there are South Asians out there that have embraced different traditions, this is how they think South Asian culture is when it’s not exactly how it is.
What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
There’s not enough at all, I think that whenever I see someone who’s South Asian in western TV, whether it’s in a film, star, or TV programme, it gets us all excited because you feel that, you know, if one of us is making it then we all are slowly making it, but it still very much shocks me when I do see that a South Asian character has a lead role, it’s still very new to me, like I would do a double take if I saw a billboard with a South Asian character, I mean say when Slumdog Millionaire came out for example, it pretty much turned a lot of western people like ‘oh yeah, we know what Indians are like cause we’ve watched Slumdog Millionaire!’ but it was one of those where, it’s sort of accurately in a way got a full hint of what India is like, I mean it wasn’t portrayed in the best light, it was a bit more authentic than what we’re currently seeing.
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Interview data lost due to laptop crash.
INTERVIEW
Participant: 8
Age: 22
Ethnicity: British-Indian
Occupation: Incoming business support officer at Ministry of Justice
I’m writing a dissertation on representation of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bengalis) in western film and TV, the purpose of this interview is to gather some insight from a variety of individuals on this topic in question.
You don’t need to take time thinking of an answer, just respond with what initially comes to mind.
-
Which characters in western TV and film can you think of that are South Asian?
The two that I can think of off the top of my head are Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel, those guys are doing a lot for the culture, for the new generation of brown talent coming up. I do want to make a point actually, where, I’ve noticed a lot in the background of films, you’ve got like the odd guy who’s got a turban, I think it’s dangerously on the scale of becoming like a ‘oh just put one in there so we’re covered’ so, yeah, but immediately off the top of my head it’s Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed.
Probe: How do you feel they portray South Asians?
Barring those two, I think, if I think about programmes like Citizen Khan and those kind of programmes, I think they are very much like, playing up to the stereotypes, and although it may seem like they’re trying to shed some light on the issues or whatever, I still think it’s very very stereotyped, media companies perpetuating and encouraging that forward, I don’t think it does as much, I think it’s more like, fruitless comedy, whereas if you had a serious programme like something like The Boy with the Topknot, I think that’s a lot more serious but yeah, a lot of the comedy roles are set up for stereotypes and not really pushing the envelope that much in terms of – they’re just not being colour blind with their casting, like casting a brown Shakespeare character or something, it’s just not happening, so I feel they’re very much still in a box with how they’re portrayed.
Prompt: Why do you feel that way? (if they haven’t already answered why)
-
What are your thoughts on the volume of South Asian actors we see on screen?
I think it’s getting better, in terms of overall, the general volume, like I mentioned before, in scenes you South Asian people in the background in major films and stuff, but in terms of like major roles and noteworthy parts, I still don’t think we’re there yet, but I think it’s getting better, I really can’t think of too many examples right now, but just as an average consumer, I always think there’s a token Singh, you know what I mean, if you see someone in a turban it’s like ‘oh there’s a Singh in this film!’ but he’s not really in the film, he’s just an extra, so yeah, it’s a difficult one because they make it seem like, oh we put someone in there, so how can you really complain? Do you know what I mean? It kind of makes me feel like that, so although the overall volume is increasing, I think the actual parts and actual importance of the South Asian roles aren’t really changing that much.
Probe: If there were more South Asian actors in TV and film, how would you feel?
I think it would be really good but I think at the same time, it’s got to be just, not just South Asian content for these actors, cause then that’s not really doing anything, I think it’s more about having popular culture re-adaptations of films and shows etcetera etcetera, being occupied by South Asian actors, because then that gives the kind of idea that talent actually exists elsewhere outside white Hollywood, so only on that condition would I feel better, and I would feel that it’s more positive, whereas if you create just South Asian programmes, and obviously you need South Asian people, it’s almost like its filling some kind of quota? And that doesn’t seem right to me, so yeah I definitely want to see more unbiased casting for these really popular franchises and series.
Prompt: Do you think this has an impact on South Asian audiences?
Yeah I think representation has a lot of impact, because if we’re underrepresented or if we are not present, it creates a kind of feeling that we can’t do it – not that we can’t do it, that there are barriers to be able to do it, so I think South Asian creatives, those that have artistic talent and stuff, they are often discouraged by the fact that there aren’t that many opportunities out there for South Asian people, but then I think on the flip side, you know, you can get some real trailblazers that can, you know, despite there not being those opportunities, they go and create those opportunities, and I know that you’re working within the system of, you know, that you can only reach a certain point, but I would generally go with the feeling that, you know, the first thing I said that it makes you feel that there’s no space for us, if we’re not represented, there’s almost a barrier to entry so I feel like it has quite a disillusioning effect on South Asian audiences.
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Have you seen or heard of the BBC show Goodness Gracious Me?
Yes, I have heard of Goodness Gracious Me.
If yes, continue. If no, show a short clip of GGM.
Probe: How do you feel about this show?
I mean, it’s all people really tend to go on about in the community, especially older people, but I never really watched it to be honest, I can’t really give you a full opinion, or an informed opinion, I just know that it’s very stereotypical, again it gives the illusion of putting our people on the screen, but then they’re only playing up to what white society expects of us, so I don’t really agree too much, I know obviously some of the aspects are relatable and it’s quite funny, but at the end of the day, that kind of comedy has been done now so I feel like we need to innovate on that.
I proceeded to show him the GGM clip.
That was funny. Maybe I don’t know much about the show.
Prompt: As a show that revolves around the idea of role reversal, making fun of stereotypes placed on South Asians, how do you feel this has had an effect on audiences?
I think it’s good, I think the role reversal and the kind of subversion of roles is good at generating empathy, and illuminating the situation, to basically show the British audience how we feel, I think it’s very effective, I think that’s a very effective tool, it certainly made me, and you know, I imagine a lot of other people think – hang on a minute? This is actually how we are treated, and maybe it will impact the white audience in saying this is how we actually treat South Asians, so I think it’s a good method.
Prompt: The show received a high number of white and non Asian viewers. Why do you think that is?
Because it was on the BBC, the BBC is like the machine, the biggest broadcaster in the country, so that’s why I think it attracted so many viewers of different backgrounds.
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Have you seen or heard of the film Bend it like Beckham?
Yes, I have.
If yes, continue. If no, next question.
Probe: What do you think about the movie?
It’s always difficult with these films, when you watch them when you’re so much younger, then to come back with a critical eye and think about it like that, it’s difficult, but I think the primary thing when I think off the top of my head, is basically, the pressure that a young South Asian, especially South Asian girls feel to integrate into society, into British society, white society, I feel there is a huge pressure, that you’ve got to be ‘normal’, then that obviously goes hand in hand with needing to integrating with your own culture, you’ve almost got to try and get away from your own culture in order to be accepted into this one.
Prompt: Although it’s a predominantly British-Asian cast, it received positive reviews amongst most audiences. Why do you feel that is?
Cause it deals with a sensitive subject matter, but it infuses that with a light-hearted game of football, in this country everyone likes football, Beckham obviously, pop culture references, so I think it’s a mix of things, I think if it was called something else or was about something else and had a predominantly British Asian cast, I don’t know if it would’ve had the same success, so I think that’s kind of interesting, it’s quite clever from the studios to give it that title.
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Do you feel there is a difference in reception to South Asian TV shows and films in the UK?
(He answered the question as if I was asking about South Asian TV shows made in India that are aired in the UK so I rephrased the question when interviewing people after him)
Probe: Why do you think that is?
N/A
Prompt: Would you watch content such as Goodness Gracious Me or Bend it like Beckham if it was released today?
Interesting, I would definitely watch it just out of curiosity.
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Shows and films such as Homecoming King, The Night Of, The Mindy Project, Master of None and The Big Sick have been successful over the past couple of years, receiving awards and general critical praise.
Probe: Why do you think this is?
I literally haven’t heard of any of those (laughs), but I think it’s just talented people finding new and played out ways of expressing their views on certain things or expressing issues that are prevalent in our community so I think it’s just, yeah, the originality and creativity of it is probably what is propelling it forward.
Prompt: In all of these screenplays and storylines, the love interests have been white men and women. Why do you think that is?
I actually have no idea man, that’s actually a really interesting point because I was going to mention something on fetishism but I don’t think that really applies here so I can’t help you out here.
Can you expand on that?
If I was to expand on the fetishism point, I’d probably be like um, it could be an inversion of the stereotype that is placed on South Asians, especially South Asian women, being the fetishized object, it could be shining a light on that?
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Do you know who Riz Ahmed is? If not, mention films, include photos: The Night Of, Star Wars, winning an Emmy, Four Lions.
Yes I do know who Riz Ahmed is, yep.
Probe: His success seemed to soar once he moved to Hollywood productions such as HBO. What are your thoughts on this?
I feel like he just has the support of the South Asian community, and that support can’t be underestimated or underrated.
Prompt: Do you feel this makes a difference in representation of South Asians?
Yeah I think it raises visibility of South Asians in general, and I also think it’s down to Riz Ahmed to make use of his platform, so yeah it does, I think it makes a positive difference.
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Do you think reception and representation has changed with generation?
Yeah I definitely feel the younger generation has more of a chance, because I feel like a lot more of the younger non-Asian generation are getting ‘woke’ to these issues, you know, some of them are, at least, and that makes a difference from there being no attention paid to these issues compared to when our parents were growing up.
Probe: Events like 9/11 and the war on terror impacted the general public’s opinion on Muslims and brown people as a whole, not only South Asians. How do you think this impacted the way they’ve been represented on screen?
I think this definitely sprung up a whole genre of these like war films and soldier films like American Sniper and stuff, I think it’s been quite shocking actually, you know, whenever there’s a soldier, or even in The Punisher, very recently, they are punishers and killing and they’re visibly Arabs or Muslims, so I think 9/11 has given way to a whole new genre of war films, do you know what I mean? I think it’s pretty weird.
Prompt: Do you think things will change over time?
Yeah I think they will, hopefully for the better, I feel like now more than ever representation has been better than it’s ever been and I don’t think that’s going to slow down.