South Asians aren't a monolith; why are they portrayed so?
‘Representation matters’, I’ve heard the phrase countless times, but we often don’t hear that not representation but accurate and authentic representation matters. A surge of shows with ostensible South Asian representation has hit our doorsteps in the past few years. From Never Have I Ever to the Sharma Sisters in Bridgerton Season 2, there’s a lot of talk about how South Asians are finally being represented in American or British popular culture.
However, I may point out: Which Indian is catered to through the Sharma Sisters in Bridgerton? The one living in the West, or the one back home, in India? I am likely to choose the former.
Intermixing various cultures and linguistic nuances like speaking Hindi but referring to a sister in Bengali, appearing to be of a Marathi descent but addressing parents as Amma and Appa in Tamil feels like a farrago of tradition and language. It reminds us of how our culture and heritage aren’t respected enough to be well researched, let alone represented. Moreover, whether shows in the West represent the Indian diaspora or Indian living in India is a valid question that we don’t ask.
Unfortunately, there is a distance between the two in terms of geographical and linguistic disconnect. With Netflix seeking to boost content in the Indian market and diaspora, a task it is presumably finding difficult, a new stream of shows and movies has been emerging to grab the attention of Indian Americans. For a community that is the second-largest immigrant group in the US, it has been grossly underrepresented in American popular culture.
I spoke with Zoha Rahman, a British actor of Pakistani descent, recently featured in Spiderman: No Way Home and the Indian sports magnum opus, 83. “Tokenism allows certain characteristics under the guise of being inclusive, but all it does is reinforce harmful stereotypes,” she points out.
Zoha Rahman
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Elaborating on how the industry looks at South Asians, Rahman says, “Most of my auditions and offers are for ‘oppressed’ Muslim characters, or for characters who constantly feel the need to break away from their culture and faith to be liberated. I rarely see casting calls for a character not specifically ethnic or Muslim; that puts me in a box because I’m seen as brown and Muslim before I am seen as an actor. It’s almost like I won’t be believable as a love interest or best friend because how can someone who looks like me represent something so normal! This is why my role in Spider-Man: Far From Home was so refreshing, I was just a student having fun with her friends on a school trip, and I happened to be Muslim too!”
Films and shows with South Asian characters make the diaspora feel seen; however, the same sentiment might not be replicated for folks living in South Asia. For instance, Desi characters played by South Asian-American actors are made to put on an “accent”. For folks living in South Asia, this is again a reminder of the many stereotypes we’re seen through. Eventually, it makes little difference if white characters are putting on an accent or the South Asian diaspora — who is being mocked, remains constant. South Asians in many stand-up comedy shows are still referred to as FOBs - Fresh Off The Boat - again a reminder of the classism that is inherent among many migrants but seldom makes it to any form of storytelling.
While popular culture may have taken a step forward in representing the diaspora, an organic and layered cultural representation of South Asia and South Asians is long due.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Just Like That: Diwali
Of course, the representation that we see today might be a little bit better than the Apu from Simpsons days, but it is still reductive and oversimplified. There is either a one-dimensional approach, where the character has a distorted accent, a nerdy character sketch, or a mishmash of details and cultural attributes. The desire to make South Asians look like exotic objects that stand out from the herd isn’t new. In Harry Potter, when Parvati and Padma Patil wore orange and pink ghaghra cholis to the Yule Ball, everyone, including the diaspora, was left appalled. In Just Like That, a show that is a far from diversity representation, the Diwali episode tries to show South Asian festivities, in which Sarah Jessica Parker can’t even differentiate between a lehenga and a saree. Molly Rogers styled the look, and the lack of research on her part as the stylist is evident.
While speaking about the lack of research, Rahman says, “We forget that what we see on screen starts as words on paper. If those words are written by someone who has a personal understanding of our cultures, histories, faiths, and how they all intertwine, then their narrative will be truly representative. However, if someone looking at us from the outside writes that same narrative, it will lack the nuances needed to bring it to life.” She also touches upon how diversity on camera is not enough; it must extend to behind the scenes, too, adding, “ Part of me believes that even with enough research powered by the right intention, such scripts can still fall short of authenticity, but I suppose that is better than lazy writing. We need more representation behind the camera to allow it to reflect on our screens. Actors can only perform what is scripted. We need changes in the foundation of our content by being present in rooms where big decisions are made.
Never Have I Ever on Netflix
An inaccurate representation can come off as tokenistic and is contrary to the demand for better representation. We must affirm that a truly multi-layered and authentic representation would be when South Asian characters are put in shows and movies that aren’t South Asian quirks or oppression. It isn’t as if there hasn’t been a single piece of cinema that has gotten the representation right. There have been a couple of works that are authentic and accurate. According to Rahman, they would be “An American Eid, Sound of Metal, Blinded by the Light, all of which have South Asian characters that celebrate their identity or are just normal human beings.”
We may have moved on from being the land of snake charmers, but the Western media has been stuck in that perception for a long time. It’s simple: South Asians aren’t a monolith, and we won’t see ourselves as long as we are thought of as ‘one big brown family’. We come from different backgrounds, stories, cultures, and languages. Mixing it all up just to tick a box does little and isn’t productive in the long run.
South Asian Today is an independent media company committed to amplifying South Asian writers and artists. If you like our work, please become a member or buy us a coffee here. Your support enables us to keep our journalism open for all and publish South Asian writers. Please support us by becoming a member and helping us remain free of a paywall. It starts at just $5/month.