Stories by, for and about all
Actress Aneesha Madhok, who is all set to make her Hollywood debut with Bullywood High, is all praise for her senior, confessing, “Priyanka makes me very proud in how she represents being an Indian in America. Her grace and tenacity have shed light on the potential talent that can emerge from India into Hollywood. I also must say that has dealt with racism really well. I laugh when I see the juxtaposition as to how some people in the west think that Indian women are suppressed and then there is Priyanka Chopra being unapologetically herself.”
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF SHOWS
In fact, Hollywood has been increasingly seeing popular animated shows such as The Simpsons and The Family Guy or even musicals such as Hamilton playing to the gallery, by opting for actors of all hues. Celebrities even consciously opt for designers from varied races for red-carpet events, thereby earning brownie points from their fans. Lifestyle and fashion blogger Shrima Rai, who grew up in the US, shares her thoughts, “Yes, I definitely believe more doors are opening up for artistes as we have become more inclusive as compared to a time 20 years back. I think Priyanka has made an impact not just because there are more scripts available for a diverse casting but also because she is immensely talented,” states Shrima, adding that Bridgerton’s colour-blind casting has been a way of life for her, during her years in the US.
MUSIC’S NO LONGER ‘BLACK OR WHITE’ EITHER
These inclusive ventures have even extended to the musical world. Indian actress and sitar player Neha Mahajan, who has collaborated with Latin pop king Ricky Martin for an album, which has received a Grammy nomination, rightly points out, “Actors or artistes have no caste, class, nationality or religion. They are a plain canvas and a medium of telling a story. This perspective will enrich entertainment sectors and, in a small way, is happening already. This is a long overdue measure and a welcome step where narratives are diversifying and we are open to listening to everyone’s stories and not just a particular segment of the society.”
INCLUSIVITY IN INDIAN SHOWS
In
India,
too,
desi
— Prashantt Guptha
There is speculation that
Kaitlyn Jenner is being considered to replace Kim Katrall in the reboot. That is also why India’s Priyanka Chopra was quoted by multiple international studios before she made her entry with Quantico,
in a non-desi stereotypical role. Since then, she has been consciously opted for carefully constructed roles in films such as the 2019-romance–fantasy, Isn’t it
and the 2018-familydrama, in which she blends naturally with the
rest of the cast
path-breaking
shows such as the popular Bandish Bandits, with actors from the North East playing pivotal characters, are all attempts at breaking barriers through entertainment. Following in Hollywood’s footsteps, Bollywood producer Karan Johar has moved beyond Shah Rukh and is working with the cream of South Indian talent, including director Puri Jagannadh and actor Vijay Devarakonda for a multilingual film, Liger.
However, actor Prashantt is not quite ready to celebrate yet. “We haven’t explored even 5% of our diversity yet,” he states. “And whatever diversity there is, it isn’t unified. We have mainstream Hindi entertainment and regional cinema. At least now, with the streaming market, the scope has increased. But the mainstream Bollywood theatrical culture was hardly a representation of inclusivity or a true portrayal of India. I don’t think we need to deliberately push for inclusivity in India. What we need is for the streaming platforms to give their due to the smaller gems rather than block all their money with big ticket projects with abysmal content.”
THE PITFALLS TO WATCH OUT FOR
While the entertainment world has indeed taken more than baby steps to realign its creative thinking process, it’s time to contemplate if we’re truly becoming more inclusive as a society or if
The OTT platform has especially celebrated this new-age trend by including actors of varied origins and skin tones, as seen in the recent Netflix hit series, Bridgerton, in which black artistes played prominent roles. Indian author Arvind Adiga’s White Tiger has been adapted into the newly released movie by the same name, which has Indian and Western co-producers,
actors and an Iranian director, Rammin
Bahrani, at the helm
that’s merely a token trend that audiences may not accept for long.
“I think the audience wants diversity, while some people still in power are not accepting of that idea,”
thinks Prashantt. “Even if they are, they’d probably show minority groups under stereotypes as they have done thus far. It’s a controversial statement to make, but that is my observation in broad terms. For example, why are most movies featuring African Americans about slavery in America? Why are there no stories about their contribution to Hip-Hop or the African American scientists who invented cool stuff ?”
COLOUR OVER CONTENT
Actor
In the final analysis, then, is there a danger that too much focus on inclusivity and diversity may impact the final product in the long run? In other words, will artistes be chosen for their ethnicity as opposed to their acting abilities?
“Very possible,” points out Prashantt. “Nothing should sabotage a deserving actor’s due. But it is common practice to cast someone because of catering to a certain ‘value system’, demographic or even social media popularity.”
However, going by the current gung-ho mood, Neha has a more optimistic outlook as she concludes, “I believe in equality, fraternity and liberty, and I will forever hope that acting talent will be the prime concern in cinema.”
DOING SOMETHING AND DOING NOTHING ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. YOU NEED TO BALANCE
BOTH. IN ORDER TO DO SOMETHING, YOU
NEED TO DO NOTHING
DR ANJALI CHHABRIA, psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author
SUPRAJA RAO, award-winning interior designer