It is not unknown that Hollywood has a bit of a diversity problem. Women are very underrepresented when compared to their male counterparts (and those who choose not to conform to gender binaries are even less so), and the depiction of race in most television and film productions constitutes mostly white people. According to the 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report, the ratio of white leads to persons of colour leads in film and television is greater than or equal to 2 to 1. This number applies similarly to those working off-screen, on the production front.
The problems of these ratios carry even more weight once you realize that more than half of frequent moviegoers are ethnic minorities. More and more people are watching TV shows and movies in which a representation of people of their race or culture is minimal. However, the film and television industries have started making steps in the right direction. For example, fans of Shondaland will note that in all of her shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder), the casts tend to be incredibly diverse, composed of characters that represent different genders, as well as varied sexual and ethnic identities.
For Shonda, this is nothing to be remarked upon, however. At the National Association of Broadcasters in April, she stated, “Our shows look like how the world looks. Everyone can see themselves when they turn on the TV on Thursday nights on ABC…I still can’t believe I get asked about it all the time, as if being normal, TV looking like the normal world, is an innovation”.
While Shonda has certainly set the benchmark for the TV and film industries to become more accepting and inclusive of racial and ethinic diversity, there is still one group that has not been represented much in Hollywood compared to others- South Asians.
One of the first Hollywood depictions I saw that featured a prominent South Asian family and community was the movie Bend it Like Beckham.
Bend it Like Beckham remains as one of my favourite movies to this day, because it is so easy for me to relate to the main character and the experiences she goes through as a young woman of Indian origin living in the West. I had hoped that movies and TV shows featuring Indian or South Asian characters would be more prominent as I grew up, and that there would be a variety of other media that I could relate to. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Often times, if Indian or South Asian people are featured in a cast, they almost function as accessories. They’re often supporting characters, portrayed as exotic, with the usual lack of social know-how, overbearing parents, and very thick accents (think Raj from The Big Bang Theory).
Essentially, they are token characters, for which all experiences are dependent on the sole fact that they are persons of colour. And depending on your perspective, this portrayal can be better or worse when contrasted with the fact that Indian or South Asian characters that should be taken seriously are portrayed by non-South Asian actors. A very recent example of this happening occurred in the movie The Social Network, where South Asian student Divya Narendra was portrayed by a half-Chinese actor.
While portrayals of characters of South Asian descent are limited, they are growing. Shows like Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project, and Aziz Ansari’s brand new show Master of None, help to portray the lives of South Asians in a very real and refreshing manner. Rather than having to put on exaggerated accents or having very dramatic backstories, the characters in these shows help to portray the lives of real people. The Netflix binge-watchers of all different backgrounds, regardless of their race, can easily connect to such shows.
While such characters seemingly lead lives similar to that of their white everyman/everywoman counterparts, there are also little hints of South Asian culture and experiences thrown in, which makes viewing all the more identifiable for those who have gone through similar experiences, and all the more intriguing for those who have not. Master of None, for example, has garnered huge acclaim for its portrayal of the lead character’s parents, who detail the hardships of immigration. However, at the same time, they have their parental moments that everyone can relate to, such as reminding Dev, the main character, to call them more often.
TV shows like Master of None give me hope that Hollywood will continue to embrace diversity, not just on the racial front, but overall. Not to mention that diversity is good business. The 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report notes that films with relatively diverse casts enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts and the highest median return on investment. But besides that, diversity in Hollywood should be about real people with real stories and life experiences, and making sure that those stories can be told.
Sources and images obtained from:
http://www.bunchecenter.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2015-Hollywo…
http://www.thewrap.com/shonda-rhimes-says-shes-done-talking-about-divers…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/arts/television/aziz-ansari-on-acting-…
http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/master-none-both-personal-and-sweeping-its-…
http://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/aziz-ansaris-parents-are-absolutely-…
http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r720/JChambersOnline/Site/shondaland…
http://the-toast.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screen-Shot-2014-01-08-a…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WxhkFTbWWCM/UeLTa0umgAI/AAAAAAAAJk8/4yHfCXYpki…
http://www.maxim.com/sites/default/files/editor/2015/11/masterofnone_rev…
http://anokhimedia.com/resources/media/images/blog_articles//1446133447_…