WP3- Desi-fying the Film Industry

When looking at cinema throughout history, it is evident that the industry has failed to give Indians positions of power in front of and behind the camera. In the few projects that filmmakers have attempted to create Indian characters, their personas are usually riddled with offensive and inaccurate stereotypes. Although this issue is still prevalent today, in present-day cinema there has been a new movement to change this exclusive practice. Dominant figures, such as Mindy Kaling, have created projects that showcase Indian actors and tell their stories. In order to further this progressive trend, it is important to assess the positions of power Indian’s have been given in the film industry, as well as the types of roles they have been asked to play, and how these stereotypical characters have affected the way audiences view them.

Unfortunately in today’s society, it is necessary to define what it means to be ‘Indian’ as there has been confusion surrounding this ‘broad’ term. This essay discusses those whose ancestors come from the country of India. It is upsetting that this needs clarification but when the phrase “how are Indians represented in American cinema” is typed in google, the majority of the articles that appear are in reference to Native Americans. On top of this, most articles that speak on the representation of Indians and Asians in cinema speak as if all people from the Asian continent are the same. Although they practice very diverse cultures, people of east Asian descent, southeast Asain descent, south Asian descent, etc. are all grouped together. It’s quite frustrating when addressing the topic of representation as all of these different ethnicities and cultures are independent of each other. They are not the same, but for so long the film industry has been treating them as such. This completely regresses all kinds of positive change, as it only allows room for one type of ‘Asian’ on the big screen. Filmmakers feel as if they have fulfilled the token Asian character by casting only one actor of Asian descent, completely disregarding the rest of the cultures that exist in Asia. It’s important that this issue is clarified in order to identify the accurate group of people in which the industry must better represent on screen.

Before today’s movement to represent Indians in more accurate and inclusive ways on screen, many harmful and inaccurate stereotypes were (and still are) used to depict Indian characters. It could be a thick, almost comical Indian accent that sounds humorous to western ears. Other times it was the significant contrast in their role as a doctor or grocery store owner, failing to portray careers in between. All of these characters fell victim to tokenism which is defined as the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort (Merriam Webster 2022). Creators’ only motivation to include Indian characters was to feed the facade that they were diverse and inclusive professionals. According to Uma Vangal, a filmmaker and professor at the L.V. Prasad Film and TV Academy, Indian stereotypes “are all quite unidimensional characters and a classic example of tokenism as far as social representation goes. It is disappointing to see such talented actors being reduced to caricatures in a narrative to which their presence or absence would not make a difference.” The industry lacked creative, and complex Indian characters which was a disservice to an entire race of multi-dimensional people.

The caricatures that filmmakers have made out of Indian characters negatively impacted society as it illustrated a narrative in which racism against Indians was acceptable. According to chapter 4 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, “human activity is theory and practice; it is reflection and action” (Freire 125). This concept argues that the ways in which humans depict life influences the ways in which they live life. Humans are motivated to act on what they know, and the knowledge of how society is meant to flow is learned from the information they gather from mediums as influential as the media. This translates into film, as audiences act on what they see, making them more inclined to associate and treat Indians in the ways they are depicted on film in the real world.

A significant example of these harmful stereotypes against Indians can be seen in Zolton Korda’s 1942 Jungle Book. This work was created during a time in which Indian characters were still unidimensional and primitive. The lead character (Mowgli) is played by Indian actor Sabu Dastagir. His role in the film industry is revolutionary as he was the first Indian actor to participate in American/British Cinema. Although this factor of his career is quite progressive, the characters in which he was asked to play lacked complexity. By playing Mowgli in particular, he was reduced to a primitive character who fed the stereotypical image westerners held of Indians. He wore drapes as clothes, he lacked knowledge of society, and was more comparable to an animal than a human. Along with this, the side characters that were also supposed to be of Indian origin were played by white actors who wore brown-face. These were American and British people who darkened their faces and wore traditional clothing in order to pass as Indian. The filmmaker failed to cast Indians as their own race, and took away roles from the very people his film was about. Although this film can be considered a classic, these choices represent Indians in a distasteful and insignificant manner, allowing a distasteful depiction of Indians to be thought of as “one of the greats.” This film served as a predecessor to today’s more inclusive media. It’s important to acknowledge works that have failed to represent Indians in order to assess the ways in which the industry has matured and grown in this context.

Many other examples of the ways in which Indian’s have been misrepresented exist and are seen all throughout film and television. However, in order to address solutions to fix this long-existing practice, it’s important to recognize works of media that portray the Indian experience in a more positive light. Mindy Kaling has become a dominant figure in American cinema as her work has allowed Indians to obtain not only the spotlight but also the narrative. She has used the popularity in which she has gained to give a powerful voice to Indians. Her career as a director, actor, producer, writer, comedian and author has shed light on the Indian story, and depicted it in a more humanized manner than existing work. The media in which she has created illustrate the shift away from harmful stereotypes depicted in older works of film and television, and shed light on an authentic Indian experience in a more inclusive and informational manner.

Encouraged by the progressive spirit of Gen Z, today’s film and television industry shows a movement to create a more diverse space. The shows Mindy Kaling has created, such as Never Have I Ever, are just the beginning of our control over the Indian narrative. This Netflix series depicts the life of a first generation Indian-American teenager who’s battling the confusing obstacles of high school. This narrative includes her relationship with her Indian family members, especially her mother, and the cultural differences they face in the United States. What makes this series extremely progressive is that it is one of the first projects whose premise is based on an Indian family, along with the fact that it follows an Indian character in the lead role. Never Have I Ever is not a perfect show, however it is a step in the right direction towards a more diverse industry that holds space for Indian actors and characters.

The show follows the protagonist, Devi, as she attempts to improve her status in highschool. She is a first generation Indian woman, who struggles to find her identity between her family’s culture and American society. Her mother lived the majority of her life in India, and is now tasked with the challenge of being the sole caregiver of her daughter in a foreign land with an unknown culture. Along with this, Devi’s cousin Kamala has been given the chance to study in America with the promise that she would agree to an arranged marriage. The depiction of their diverse lives within one culture is almost revolutionary as few television series have shown Indian characters of this depth.

Due to the lack of Indian representation in the industry, Indian creators are pressured to create the perfect depiction of the Indian experience, and Mindy Kaling is no exception to this. One topic in which Mindy Kaling has received criticism for is her depiction of the Hindu religion. My personal issue regarding this topic is the lack of representation of the diverse religions of India on screen. Hinduism is not the only religion that exists in India, yet the film industry acts as if every Indian practices this faith. As a Malayalee Christian, this is especially frustrating because not only are Indians depicted as the “other,” but it further ostracizes Indians who are Chrisitians from their own people. Most Americans are deprived from any knowledge of this faith as Hollywood continues to only depict Indians as Hindus. It fails to show the diversity within the Indian population, and the hundreds of cultures and faiths that Indians practice all over the world.

Particular criticism against the show Never Have I Ever takes issue with Devi’s perspective of her Hindu faith. The specific scene in which Mindy Kaling received criticism demonstrated Devi praying to the gods in a nonchalant, and ignorant manner. Kaling claimed that this parallels her own experience, which was her motivating factor to write this scene the way she did. She admitted that she realized “that because we don’t have a lot of different shows depicting Hindu teenagers praying, it offends people when it’s not exactly the way it was for them” (Kaling 2020). By withholding opportunities for more representation in cinema, Indian creators are pressured to describe the upbringing of every Indian to ever exist. It is easy to expect this when there are few role models to relate to on television. However, by creating space for more Indian creators, we can tell the diverse narratives of the Indian people, and educate those outside of the culture about our variety of traditions.

Although there has been criticism surrounding this topic, Never Have I Ever’s depiction of the Hindu religion presents the faith in a more humanized manner. It’s honest in that it recognizes the fact that Devi is not completely devoted to her faith, yet she is willing to learn more about it in order to develop a deeper appreciation for Hinduism. Along with the show’s honesty about religion, it directly illustrates the festivities and practices of Hinduism. This humanizes the faith even further as it educates non-Hindu audiences about the values and beliefs of the faith.

Shows like Never Have I Ever create personas in which Indian people can look up to and relate to. This is an opportunity that has been afforded to white people all throughout history, as there are millions of films and TV shows that depict diverse, white narratives. It’s important to continuously retell the Indian story, as it allows them to feel less alone and ostracized. This is a fact recognized by Kaling herself, as she says that “one of the best parts about being in that [writers] room was realizing that they felt so many of the same things I did, and it was such a relief. It made me feel like, ‘Ok, I’m, like, normal’ ” (Kaling 2020).

The industry has made a big shift in the ways in which they depict Indians in film and television. In older works, Indian characters were illustrated as unidimensional and primitive, whereas now they are complex and authentic. The assessment of this progressive trend is incredibly important as it lays proof that the depiction of Indians is headed in a positive trajectory. The world is currently home to billions of Indians, and according to the Pew Research Center, 4.6 million of those Indians reside in the United States as of 2019. This is a very large group of people, and it is paramount that they feel represented in a medium that is as influential as the industry. As this country becomes more and more diverse, it is only necessary that cinema depicts this reflection of reality. Indians have proven that they will no longer fall victim to the false narrative that has overshadowed their story, and they will use the voice in which they are starting to gain in order to tell stories more authentic to their livelihoods.

Works Cited

Arora, Priya. “Mindy Kaling’s Netflix Show Tells a New Kind of Story: One like Hers.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Apr. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/arts/television/mindy-kaling-never-have-I-ever-netflix.html.

Budiman, Abby. “Indians in the U.S. Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 16 June 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-indians-in-the-u-s/.

Force, Thessaly La. “Why Do Asian-Americans Remain Largely Unseen in Film and Television?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html.

Freire, Paulo, et al. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2020.

Jha, Lata. “Portrayal of Indians in US Films, Shows Has Evolved over the Years.” Mint, 24 Feb. 2020, https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/portrayal-of-indians-in-us-films-shows-has-evolved-over-the-years-11582477874428.html.

Korda, Zoltan, director. The Jungle Book. 1942.

Thapa, Shaurya, and Shaurya Thapa (729 Articles Published) Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema. “10 Stereotypes Indians Are Tired of Seeing in Western Films and TV.” ScreenRant, 25 Nov. 2020, https://screenrant.com/indians-stereotypes-film-tv/.

“Tokenism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tokenism. Accessed 16 Apr. 2022.