In the past decade or so, there has been a steady increase in the representation of South-Asian characters in Hollywood. The industry has long been called out for “white-washing” characters and its over exaggeration of traits associated with certain communities of colour. This “white washing” refers to white actors being cast as people of colour, both on and off screen (voice actors). South-Asians have also been known to play certain characters such as taxi drivers, nerds and terrorists (Agiwal, 2023). With the new wave of South-Asian characters being in the limelight, there is a need to recognise the fine line between representation and stereotyping of communities in the media. 

Negative stereotypes such as thick accents, incompetence and portraying South-Asian men as “feminine” (Takinami, 2016), while simultaneously portraying South-Asian women as “exotic love interests” (Desai, 2017) are commonly seen characteristics within the industry. Such stereotypes have always been front and center of the stories being told in Hollywood. Some key examples are, Raj from The Big Bang Theory, being depicted as a “shy” man unable to speak to women, Apu from The Simpsons being played by Hank Azaria, a white man portraying “brown voice” (Shilpa, 2013), and Priya from The Big Bang Theory, being shown as Raj’s “exotic, medical professional” sister (Desai, 2017). 

These inaccurate representations of South-Asian characters have inculcated deep seeded stereotypes within society. The past decade has seen a rise in South-Asian characters, as a way of connecting audiences with their roots (Sapra, 2022) and showcasing stories that have been ignored before. The rise of such characters can also be seen as a way of mitigating the damages done in the past while holding on to a sense of precise identity depiction in the future. This recent call for change has led to Hollywood portraying well-flushed out South-Asian characters breaking free from their traditional roles and stereotypes.

Characters such as Kate and Edwina Sharma from Bridgerton, who are portrayed as elegant high-class Indian women with British accents as opposed to thick Indian ones, Devi Vishwakumar from Never Have I Ever, being showcased as Indian- American lead balancing life and status and Kumail Nanjiani from The Eternals, portraying strong and competent traits, are just a few examples of characters that are changing the way we view South-Asian characters (El-Mahmoud, 2022), by getting the representation they deserve while staying true to their roots and backgrounds. 

By Vanessa Varghese

Actor Hank Azaria was accused of “brown voice” while voicing The Simpson’s character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.