Xmas Task #5

Essay plan

Break your ideas and research down into sections and paragraphs with headings, summaries and a list of references that you hope to include at each step.

1. Introduction - Basic introduction to my question and theories in relation to the context of South Asians in hollywood. Despite the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' why is it that there is still a lack of South Asian actors in Hollywood.? begin by questioning
Examples for Bollywood slowly entering the western world can be easily displayed: Andrew Lloyd Webber successfully produced his new musical Bombay Dreams, Monsoon Wedding was a hit in Western cinemas

2. Stereotyping and representations
- How Asians are stereoyped, therefore given stereotypical roles in films.
Post 9/11 / Moral Panics
- Stereotyped and classed as terrorists -
(Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay - Kal Pen plays a charcater who is represented as an Asian who is mis interpreted to be a terrorist because of his skin colour and ethnicity) Why is it that these films are appropriate. Is the Genre of Comedy a key feature in the films success and ratings
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(My Name is Khan - Sha Rukh Khan plays a character who is single handingly proving the stereotype of Muslims in america wrong as even though his character has alzimers syndrome in the film, he still proves to be a role model and an example of an American Muslim proving they are not a terrorist and simply doing good deeds.)

'' The representation of groups, however, is not axed forever and its possible to observe how it changes over time.'' - The films shows this to us

3. Kal Penn (South Asian Actor)
- Talk about his succsess, and his roles in films,
He is most well known for his Van wilder movies and his lead roles in the Harold and Kumar Franchise
- How he became notticed through stereotypical comedy roles for South Asians.
(Cameos in Van Wilder, Superman returns, 24, Main role in Harold an Kumar, Main role in The Namesake)

4. Stereotypical roles in American Tv and cameo roles in films for South Asians
(Doctors, Nurses, Taxi drivers, assistants, Computer geeks, Corner shop owners)
- Paminder Nagra (ER)
- Kal Penn (Van Wilder)
''What do Kal Penn Modi, Parminder Nagra, and Sendhil Ramamurthy all have in common? Let me give you a hint Kal Penn, Sendhil, and Parminder are all doctors on television
This shows how South Asian actors are still subordinated and offered only these stereotypical roles. what choices do these actors have, they must take every opportunity they get as not a lot come easily in Hollywood and American TV. The affects of then taking these roles is that we see them in these characters and judge them immidatly as audiences and are given the view that they are best suited to these roles, when we actually dont know what roles they might be good at as they havent been given the chance.

5. Slumdog Millionaire (Film based on South Asians)
- The success of the film, as it had scooped up the majority of the awards in the grammys and was the best selling film in 2008 beating Chrsitopher Nolans - Batman 'The Dark Night'
- I will talk about the effect of the film and why it hasnt had the impact it sought out to as even though it was not advertised majorly before its release, it was still very popular and very big in cinemas across the western world.. What had gone wrong.. and did audiences get bored of it, or was it simply just a one hit wonder..

'' The film won eight Oscars out of 10 nominations in every conceivable category," he says. "Every category that is, except for acting ones." Which might have been a much stronger point were he not using Dev Patel and Freida Pinto ''
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors

''Slumdog Millionaire was described as being a globalised movie thanks to its meshing of western and eastern forms and locations, styles and sounds''
The key word that sticks out for me is WAS, as it seemed to haved done this yet it hasnt had the impact that was as powerful as expected.

6. Theories
Audience theories - Hyperdermic needle > Audiences are injected with steretypes of South Asians in Hollywood

- Audiences are used to being familirased by seeing thier favourite celebrities and hollywood icons in films as they have been injected by their star power, which would refrain them from looking at newer different stars. such as south asian actors.

Gender and Ethnicity - How ethnic characters are represented in Hollywood films, being given the same stereotypical roles. How audiences perceive them.

- ''Ethinicity is crucial to identity formation yet it is not something predetermined or complete. Ethinicity for Hall, is a 'project', or something that we continually shape through which we position ourselves.''

- ''By explaining cultural identity through biological makeup in this way, the concept of ethinicty can lead to reductionists conclusions and cultural essentialism: 'they are like that beacause its in thier blood' (Gillespie, 1995: 8). ''

7. Conclusion - unsure?
The Media is very powerfull, as it seems to have the power to influence audiences and viewers who passivly watch and intake what the media gives them, as the media uses societys stereotypes in thier films and portrays everything stereotypically in most majority of cases.