Race against ethnicity?

Archie Panjabi’s recent Emmy win for a role (in “The Good Wife”) not linked with her ethnic background has created quite a stir among other Indian actors who are doing foreign films now. Archie, short form for Archana, has gone on record to state: “I started in England as an actress and my first roles were relevant to my ethnicity. But I always wanted to play a role where my ethnicity wasn’t the main thing.I think up until now we haven’t even mentioned her ethnicity. It should be that way for your people, where the characters are about who they are as people.” Compare this with Dev Patel’s recent comment where he rued that all that he was being offered in Hollywood were role of “goofy Indian sidekicks” or at the most, that of a terrorist, cad driver and smart geek. So, is racial profiling still a problem in the West for Asian actors, including Kal Penn, Anil Kapoor and Irrfan? Or have things changed with Archie’s win and Freida Pinto’s casting by Woody Allen?
Actor Navi Rawat, whose father is Indian and who isn’t brown-skinned, has done television series such as “24”, “Numb3rs” and “O.C.”, has often seen her mixed parentage both as an advantage as well as a disadvantage. “Sometimes, I’m told that I don’t look Indian enough. On other occasions, my ethnic background is a limitation. Although my mixed parentage does put me somewhere in a no man’s land, I am proud of being who I am. I know I wouldn’t be offered a role of a girl-next-door because I don’t look like one,” Navi had said in an earlier interview to TOI.
Sendhil Ramamurthy, who had a role written specifically for him in “Heroes”, agrees that Indian writers are often responsible for casting Indian actors in Indian roles for phoren movies. “I think, that’s what the Indian writers see and also believe that the audience wants to see on-screen too. Beyond a point, one can’t fault that logic either. But I wish things changed. As for me, I am not one for stereotyping,” he said.
Samrat Chakrabarti, whose acted with Radha Mitchell in “The Waiting City”, feels that his all-American role in “Sing Now or Forever Hold Your Peace” is a significant assimilation of Indians into mainstream America. “Indians may be treated well but the idea of India is one of mystical wonder. On some level, that’s true as well. But, there is another side to India too. Even if some Indian star comes to act in Hollywood, he will first be given race-specific role. Until and unless braver risks are greenlit by the Hollywood studios, it will still take a long time before things change.” Samrat feels that Naveen Andrews’ role in “Lost” and the efforts of Ajay Naidu and Asif Mandvi should be acknowledged while discussing the changing perception of Indian actors in the West. “Things will only improve if more producers take braver risks for coloured line casting or more writers come up with three dimensional characters. I don’t mind playing an Indian in a Hollywood production. But, I’d want people to write characters that are interesting and not clichés,” says Samrat, who is playing a Bengali character in “In Treatment”, says.
Incidentally, Indira Varma too has consciously avoided Asian typecasting both on-screen and stage ever since she did “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love”. Having done projects like “Rome”, “3lbs”, “Little Britain” and “Basic Instinct 2”, Indira went on to say: “For me, it’s important to be seen as a good actor and not just an Asian actor. That was a bit of a choice I had made.”
Tannishtha Chatterjee, who has acted in “Brick Lane” and “Shadows of Time”, sums up the whole issue of racial profiling thus: “Things are changing but we still have a long way to go. Dileep Rao has been cast in “Avatar” and “Inception”. Post-“Bend It Like Beckham”, Parminder Nagra got a lot of recognition playing a doctor in “ER”. There’s nothing wrong in casting Indians as Indians since we do look a certain way. But the roles shouldn’t be clichés. Jessica Alba isn’t white but how many bother about her ethnicity? In India, if a phirang actor wants to do a film, he will most obviously be cast as a foreigner in films like “The Rising” and “Lagaan”. We haven’t been able to rise above stereotyping either. That’s why we should neither go overboard nor be complacent with Archie Panjabi’s Emmy win.”