'' 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 '[1]'
Despite the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' why is it that there is still a lack of South Asian actors in Hollywood?
Cameos, cab drivers and criticism are what is to be expected of South Asian actors in Hollywood today. As we approach the age of new and advanced digital technology it seems that the stereotypes and representations of South Asians still remain the same, despite director Danny Boyle’s record breaking, global blockbuster 'Slumdog Millionaire’ a story about a boy from the slums who defies all odds to become a millionaire, which was released in 2008 and was said to have changed the cinema landscape for South Asian actors wanting to break into Hollywood. The film was conveyed as being a globalised movie... as a result of its meshing of western and eastern forms and locations, styles and sounds’'[2] and was clearly rewarded for its efforts scooping an amazing 10 Academy Awards, 7 BAFTAS and 4 Golden Globes. Although the aftermath of the film seems to have gone silent as despite the movies unique and creative idea of interacting and mixing western and eastern styles, sounds and locations. The film doesn’t appear to have had much of an influence in the Hollywood industry as there have been no films of similar meshing styles or creative uses of south Asians. As the industry is still dominated by and majorly dictated by the American, middle class, white male.
Over the last decade or so there have been some promising changes for South Asians as you could argue that there have been ''Examples of Bollywood slowly entering the western world.. such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘‘ new musical Bombay Dreams, Monsoon Wedding was a hit in western cinemas'[3]' which shows a glimmer of hope for South Asians, just like Slumdog Millionaire did when it first appeared in cinemas, giving audiences from ethnic backgrounds optimism of change, something that is yet to occur. Despite the fact that since the films short success, the likes of Anil Kapoor has gone on to cast in American Television show ‘24’, Dev Patel has had a cameo role in ‘The last airbender’ and Freida Pinto has become the face of L’Oreal becoming ‘’the first Asian spokeswoman for the Lauder brand’’.[4]
Although further developments or changes seem to be a long way coming as yet still ‘‘Ethnic minorities are continually misrepresented by racial (and racist) stereotypes.”[5] As ‘‘Rather than representing them as individuals,’’[6] the media identifies individuals by their ethnic groups to determined whether or not they are Hollywood material. When looking at recent films that have casted minorities, the industry plays upon moral panics such as the 9/11 incident to construct suitable roles for South Asians, racially profiling and grouping them as terrorists. Including films such as Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay; which uses the stereotype of South Asians as terrorists in comic spoof, taking the mickey out of the American justice system, and My Name is Khan; which looks at the personal struggles of South Asians in America being negatively portrayed as terrorists and discriminated against. Two films which are different in genre and text, but the deliver the same message in a way. That Asians are not all terrorists, and they shouldn’t be judged as a group but as individuals. Which can also be referred back to the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’.
Even young South Asian actor Dev Patel whose role as a young "chai-wallah" in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire catapulted him into the limelight,[7] has found it hard to break into the industry and has made his feelings clear about the ‘’stereotypical’’[8] roles of South Asians such as cab drivers, doctors, nurses, and computer nerds being offered to him. As Asian actors are not being offered roles or sent Hollywood scripts that are of any significance or even remotely challenging. As they are more likely to be ‘‘offered the roles of a terrorist, cab driver and smart geek.’’ All roles that are ‘‘constructed by media representations’’[9] which are racially discriminating against South Asians, which can be frustrating for actors as they don’t get to show that they have versatility or something different to offer. Which would explain why it’s difficult for south Asians to break into the Hollywood industry as despite having credentials like Dev Patel who has won numerous awards for his role in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ he is yet to land any new role of any significance.
Although you could argue that there have been breakthroughs into American Television which is a start, as the likes of Parminder Nagra, star of British hit comedy ‘Bend it Like Beckham’’ is now a regular on one of Americas longest running weekly shows ‘ER’ and also Sendhil Ramamurthy, who is from a South Asian background has been a member of the ‘’Heroes’’ cast for 4 years and has starred in films like ‘It’s a wonderful life’. Another South Asian actor who has had their success in both Hollywood and in American TV is Aasif Mandvi, who is a regular on ‘The Daily Show’ and has had a few cameo roles in films such as ‘The Proposal’ and ‘Spiderman 2’. This could be linked ideologically to things such as ‘’legislation promoting equal opportunity’’[10]. As American TV producers look to introduce South Asian minorities into small roles to help promote equal opportunities, which is deffintly a positive step forward. Even directors such as the South Asian director Gurrinder Chana feels it’s ‘‘not easy’’ for South Asian actors ‘‘to break into Hollywood.’’ [11]Showing that even from a director’s point of view it’s a slim light of hope for any actors who aspire to break into Hollywood if they are South Asian. Breaking into Hollywood is tough already for any new actor with all the competition and auditions that you have to overcome, let alone being from a South Asian descent. This would explain why there are more South Asians that have taken up roles in American Television as it’s easier to accept one of the stereotypical and minimal roles that are offered, than to wait for a big role that may never come.
One South Asian actor who is arguably the most recognisable and well known is Kalpen Suresh Modi, also known in Hollywood as Kal Penn, who has starred in comic film franchises such as Harold and Kumar and National Lampoons Van Wilder, also starring as the lead in the intense drama The Namesake. Along with having cameo roles in films such as Superman Returns and Epic Movie as well as starring in American TV shows such as ‘24’, ‘House,’ and ‘ER.’ Although even someone with his impressive résumé found it tricky at 1st to break into the Hollywood industry and was also offered questionable roles. When discussing his role in American TV series 24, Kal Penn stated that he had a ‘’huge political problem with the role...’’ As ‘‘It was essentially accepting a form of racial profiling..’’ Clearly voicing his frustrations about being racially stereotyped to fit a characters role in a TV series. Going on to say ‘‘As an actor, why shouldn’t I have that opportunity?’ Because I'm brown’’[12]. Expressing that as a professional he should be offered any and all roles despite his skin colour. His success as an actor has opened up many doors for him, as he has had a brief spell teaching cinema studies at university and now works in the white house under the ‘Obama administration. Showing just how far someone can go, when given the chance, despite their skin colour or ethnic background.
Audiences are used to being familiarised by seeing their favourite celebrities and Hollywood icons in films as the media uses Harold Lasswell’s Hypodermic Needle wisely as it shoots its content at audiences ‘‘like a magic bullet, directly penetrating the viewer' mind,’’[13] As audiences have been ‘‘injected’’[14] by Hollywood’s star power, which in turn makes them less willing to accept change. As the media are highly selective in the way in which they construct and represent the world back to us”.[15] Showing exactly how the media, uses the industry to implement audiences with the media’s ideologies of what is fair and true. This would be in relation to the hegemonic theory which states that the majority of the media is ‘‘controlled by a relatively small group of people (who are generally male, middle class and white)’’[16] as this basically underlines the main reason for the media being so one sided and in favour of the white, male, middleclass Americans.
It’s also important to remember that ''Ethnicity is crucial to identity formation..’’ even though ‘it’s not something predetermined or complete,’’[17] as this is what separates individuals and groups from being one. This is what the media uses against South Asian and Other minorities to subordinate them from the upper ruling white class. As controlling figures in the media would look at ones ethnic background and immediately judge them and place them in a category, such as south Asians being ‘’depicted as doctors, engineers and mathematicians.’’[18] Justifying just how unfair it may seem on ethnic minorities in the media, yet they seem powerless to help change this. Although as audiences have become more powerful within the media, through their user generated content (UGC) and other interactive resources, it could be argued that with enough backing from audiences that ethnic minorities such as the South Asians can eventually overpower the media’s ruling elite, to have their say and their input into what is being produced.
Furthermore when looking as far back as the 1970’s, where South Asians 1st became noticed in the broadcast media via the British comedy series ‘Mind your language’ which featured a multicultural cast including South Asians, that are stereotyped and portrayed to be equal with other minorities yet subordinated by the white. Suggesting that despite the likes of Slumdog Millionaire and other one hit wonders like ‘Bend it Like Beckham’, that South Asians have always been at the back of the list and barely visible in the media. Even when looking back historically at the American industry, you can notice that South Asians have been ‘invisible’[19] as their roles, if any, where minuet in the case that they were seen as a prop for ‘the background’[20] to add colour to the room. Such as in the film ‘Outsourced’ (2006) in which even in the promotional poster the South Asians are in the background, even though the lead American male character is virtually unknown or unheard of himself, which showcases the extent to which South Asians have been subordinated.
To conclude, even though South Asians have taken a step forward in having more cameo roles, in both Television and film they are still not seen to have any real significance or importance in a most texts. Underlining the very slim chances of success for any South Asian or ethnic actor. Although the argument can be made against this that more recently ‘South Asian stereotypes’[21] have undergone many changes over recent years, reflecting various changes in society and the zeitgeist, fighting back against the ‘whitewashed’[22] society which has been constructed by the media through its ‘Media stereotyping’.[23] Although there is always a chance that South Asians may find it easier in the future to break into Hollywood, as the media can be unpredictable at times, and there may come a time when they decide to lighten up on the way they ‘’portray minorities..’ in the ways they ‘perpetuate particular stereotypes.’’[24] As ‘‘The representation..’ of South Asian groups are ‘not axed forever and its possible to observe how it changes over time.'' [25]As even Slumdog Millionaire has showed us that South Asians can in fact act, and that audiences can relate to them, as they offer something unique and fresh to the industry.
Word count 1,999
[1] Awards an Oscarshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors
[2]Globalisation of Slumdog http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jun/04/slumdog-millionaire-india
[3] Bombay dreamshttp://www.hausarbeiten.de/faecher/vorschau/27389.html
[4]Frieda Pinto L’Oreal http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/100775/Pinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-itPinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-it#ixzz1CaggvjVQ –
[5] Laughey, D. (2009). p 78
[6] AS Media Studies : The Essential IntroductionRayner, P., Kruger, S., & Wall, P. (2006). AS media studies: the essential introduction (2nd. ed.). London: Routledge
[7] Dev Patels views on roles http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/aug/11/dev-patel-asian-roles-slumdog?INTCMP=SRCH
[8] Stereotypical http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2008/07/top-soaps-accused-of-stereotyp.html
[9] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/aug/11/dev-patel-asian-roles-slumdog?INTCMP=SRCH
[10] Rayner, P., Kruger, S., & Wall, P. (2006). AS media studies: the essential introduction (2nd. ed.). London: Routledge.
[11] opinion of director Gurrinder Chanahttp://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/gurinder-chadha-interview-140509.html -
[12] Kal Penn on 24 rolehttp://nymag.com/movies/profiles/28866/ -
[13] (-)Hyperdermic needle theory http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708629.html
[14] Routledge Key Guides.Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge
[15] Kruger, S. Rayner, P. Wall, P. (2004). p. 47
[16] Creeber, G. (2003). p. 109 -
[17] Routledge Key Guides.Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge
[18] depicted as docs, maths and etc - http://www.enotes.com/topic/Stereotypes_of_South_Asians
[19] invisible http://jedifreac.livejournal.com/
[20] the background http://www.asiansinmedia.org/2009/07/24/new-meera-syal-film-mad-bad-and-sad-releases-next-week/
[21] south Asian stereotypehttp://www.detoursmagazine.com/blog/2010/04/28/78-south-asian-stereotypes
[22] whitewashed http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006344.html
[23] Williams, K. (2003). p.131
[24] portray minorities in such a way as to perpetuate particular stereotypes - http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/4/0/8/7/2/p408720_index.html
[25] Rayner, P., Kruger, S., & Wall, P. (2006). AS media studies: the essential introduction (2nd. ed.). London: Routledge.
Bibliography
Works Cited (used in my essay)
Books -
Andrews, Maggie. Burton, Julia. & Stevenson, Elspeth. (2009). AQA A2 Media Studies: Student's Book (Aqa Media Studies for A2). Surrey: Nelson Thornes Ltd.
Creeber, Glen. (2008). The Television Genre Book (Second Edition ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan
Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge.
Kruger, Stephen. Rayner, Philip. & Wall, Peter. (2004). Media Studies: The Essential Resource. London: Routledge, London and New York.
Laughey, Dan. (2009). The Media Studies Guide. Harpenden: Kamera Books.
Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge.
Williams, Kevin. (2003). Understanding Media Theory (Hodder Arnold Publication). London: A Hodder Arnold Publication
Newspapers and magazines -
Stereotypes on south Asianshttp://www.detoursmagazine.com/blog/2010/04/28/78-south-asian-stereotypes
Slumdog Millionaire – a globalised movie http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jun/04/slumdog-millionaire-india
Slumdog Millionaire – Awards Criticism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors
Dev Patel’s Interview
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/aug/11/dev-patel-asian-roles-slumdog?INTCMP=SRCH
Kal Penn on ‘24’ role
http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/28866/
Gurrinder Chana Interview http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/gurinder-chadha-interview-140509.html
Article on ethnic minorities on TV.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/ethnic-minorities-accuse-tv-programmers-of-tokenism-869817.html
The background
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/2009/07/24/new-meera-syal-film-mad-bad-and-sad-releases-next-week/ -
Frieda Pinto – L’Oreal advert
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/100775/Pinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-itPinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-it#ixzz1CaggvjVQ
Internet -
stereotyping in Soaps
http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2008/07/top-soaps-accused-of-stereotyp.html
Hypodermic Needle
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708629.html
Bombay dreams
http://www.hausarbeiten.de/faecher/vorschau/27389.html
Stereotypes of South Asians
http://www.enotes.com/topic/Stereotypes_of_South_Asians
Being whitewashed
http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006344.html
Being Invisible
http://jedifreac.livejournal.com/
stereotypes
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/4/0/8/7/2/p408720_index.html
Moving Image Text -
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
Bend it like Beckham 2002
Harold and Kumar 2003
My Name is Khan 2008
Outsourced 2006
Mind Your Language 1971
ERHouse?
24
Spiderman 2?
The proposal? 2008
Works Consulted
Books -
Abrams, N., Bell, I., & Udris, J. (2001). Studying film. London:
Arnold;.Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity and Ethnicity.Hollywood Cinema. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell
Newspapers and magazines
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/aug/11/dev-patel-asian-roles-slumdog?INTCMP=SRCH
Advertisers discriminate against Ethnic Minorities
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/dec/04/mondaymediasection32?INTCMP=SRCH
Katrina Kaif: How Bollywood fell in love with a British unknown
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/dec/19/bollywood-belly-dance-british-star?INTCMP=SRCH
Bachchan and Khan head Indian player list
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/dec/03/bollywood.news?INTCMP=SRCH
Go south and east, Hollywood
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors?INTCMP=SRCH
Slumdog Millionaire - Overviewhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126911/slumdog-millionaire
English is Recast in Indian Films
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/17/bollywood-english?INTCMP=SRCH
Internet -
Independent Media- Christmas Animation for Bollywood
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/bollywood-hopes-christmas-animation-is-a-draw-for-audiences-2168547.html#
Slumdog Millionaire Ratings 8.3 out of 10Won 8 Oscars and was nominated for over 100 other awards
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/
Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo BayRated 6.7 out of 10Won the best comedy TV Spot award.
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0481536/
Rotten tomatoes - Slumdog Millionaire - Reviews
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/slumdog_millionaire/
Moving Image Text
