When I arrived in Scotland as a kid I thought an Orange Walk was a harvest festival
Actor reflects on his cultural journey as he fronts clip show that takes a look at how Scottishness is represented on TV and film
Glasgow I recognised and grew up in. Don’t get me wrong, I had a very positive middle-class upbringing but when you see those shots of Glasgow in that film, I know where that was and it spoke to me.”
As Navid in Still Game, it could be argued that Sanjeev plays a modern Scottish stereotype – the immigrant shopkeeper.
He said: “Navid is quite a three-dimensional character who plays to various stereotypical traits, like being careful with his money.
“My dad is a first-generation immigrant who came to London with about a fiver. He’s careful with his money, still to this day, despite having done well, and won’t buy anything at full price.
“I don’t think that’s a negative stereotype – he’s thrifty but he’s very creative with it. “You speak to anyone who has a hardware shop on Dumbarton Road and they’ll know my dad because he’s in there trying to get a bargain. And good on him. “I’ve inherited some of that. I don’t like paying full price for things, that’s why TK Maxx is my temple. “So yes, there are stereotypes there but I would argue they’re positive stereotypes. And it’s nice to play a Scot who offers something slightly different in the mix.” The universal festive treat of Scotch & Wry was a Hogmanay perennial in the Kohli household. But what does Sanj think will be the response to Wha’s Like Us? He said: “It shows the full gamut, the full context of how Scots have been portrayed. It’s Brigadoon and Trainspotting, it’s David Niven as Bonnie Prince Charlie and it’s Gregory’s Girl.
“I think what it does is shine a light on the fact that maybe we’re a bit chippy in terms of how we’ve been portrayed because for a small country, I think we do OK.
“We think we know what a Scottish stereotype is, and it’s actually everything and everyone. For a country its size, Scotland has many different stereotypes – and maybe we should celebrate that rather than get chippy about it.” ● Wha’s Like Us, BBC1 Scotland, 10pm on Hogmanay.
Maybe we’re a bit chippy in terms of how we’ve been portrayed, because for a small country, we do OK SANJEEV KOHLI