Watershed moment for S Asian representation?

Kathani Sharma in Bridgerton. Kamala Khan in Ms Marvel. Arooj Aftab winning big at the Grammys. Pakistani film Joyland lifting the jury prize at Cannes Film Festival. By most accounts, 2022 has been a watershed year for South Asian representation in western pop culture. Asasubcontinentthathousesnearly a fourth of the world’s population, this burst in seeing “brown bodies” on screen has been a long time coming.

Representationisimportant, especially one that is affirming, authentic and nuanced — it can improve the self-esteem and confidence of communities, help them battle prejudicesandcanchangethemindsetofdominant groups in removing rigid stereotypes.

The demand for representation comes from a position of deprivation — communities that are historically over-represented in TV, movies and popular culture are also usually the ones with the most social power (white people, men, caste-elites, for instance) Hence, any honest movement towards representationmustbetiedtoanaffirmation of civil rights — more women on screen leading to equal pay for actorsofallgendersinonecase. The casting of Canadian-Pakistani actor Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel, for example, gives birth to a portrayal not only light and funny, but also rooted and honest. Unfortunately, in somecases, demandsofrepresentationarealso used to blunt demands of parity in walks of life otherthanentertainmentorglossoverdiscrimination and violation in other aspects (for example, queer rights movements demanding better access to anti-discrimination laws and not only token characters in movies and shows). This also means that substantively what is celebrated as representation might have little to do with the wellbeing of the populations being represented.

Think of the poorly researched character of SharmathatamalgamatesmultipleIndiancultures — a north Indian woman calls her father “Appa” and her sister “Bon (Bengali for sister)” andinvokesMirzaGhalibinanerahecertainly couldn’t have written. Clearly, the character onlyrespondstoanurgentneedonthemaker’s part to translate an Indian characterfor awestern audience without pondering on the need for the characters, and how they add to the story, even transform it.

Simone Ashley’s casting as a dark-skinned actress of South Asian descent as Sharma is path-breakingagainstthebackdropofsystemic racism and colonialism in America, but in the South Asian context, must also be tied to the parallel and, in some ways much more potent, rigid and older institution of caste and the biases of colour. In the Indian entertainment industry, such biases keep people with darker colourandthosefrommarginalisedcastebackgrounds — and often, the two are seen as the same by many sections of people who believe higher caste births are connected to fairer skin — out of leading roles and influential positions. Hence, representationistiedtostructuralrealities in society and only superficial movement ontheformerwillnotbehelpfultoimprovethe latter.

Sharma, Khan, Aftab are all landmark moments. There is much to celebrate in the achievements of the people who have made it possible for ageneration of SouthAsian people to see stories that resemble theirs on the big andsmallscreens. Butthequestforrepresentation is forever in progress, as is the march for rights. Here’s hoping for more diverse, rooted and just portrayals of people who cannot even imagine such a future today.

Aroh Akunth is an artist and writer currently in Germany. The views expressed are personal.

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