Brown on the Boob Tube

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2 TV events that might be of interest to Mutineers –

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  • Kiran Rao on 24 — Sepia Mutiny’s favorite ABCD actor (Kal Penn, alas, is but a close #2) has a recurring role on the Fox hit 24. He writes –

    I will be on two episodes of “24” in the next couple of weeks. It looks like I will be on the 4/18 and 4/25 episodes, but there is a small chance you may see me in tonight’s as well. While I don’t have an accent, I do get to carry a gun! 9pm on Fox if you want to catch it.

    The curse of the brown actor in Hollywood – you unload several AK magazines without hitting a thing and get popped on the first shot by Jennifer Garner / Arnold Schwarzenegger / Kiefer Sutherland. He had a great writeup of his experience on Alias awhile back.

    In between terrorizing the good guys, he occasionally saves their lives as well – but in the hospital rather than during a covert op.

    Kiran took a little heat on this earlier and had this to say (read the comments here)-

    WHY WHY WHY do brown folks take parts like this!? congratulations to your friend, big time boo hoo for the rest of us. …Kali: would you mind explaining “why why why” this part offended you so much? Was it because there was a brown person playing a plastic surgeon (stereotype #1) or helping terrorists (stereotype #2) or dying quickly (stereotype #3)?…

    Read the rest. Whatever the case, I still think it’s cool.

    (previous SM coverage of Kiran – here; some of his previous roles were covered on my blog here; Kiran also runs a website focused on desi’s in Hollywood called Hollywood Masala)

  • Raj Bhakta judges Miss USA — You know, there’s just something really special about seeing someone reach for and achieve their dreams.

    Competing with Kiran’s (potential) time slot on 24 tonight will be the Miss USA pageant judged by Mr. Raj Bhakta.

    Pageant rules strictly prohibit fraternizing with the contestants before the contest. Consoling the runner’s up afterwards, however, is another story I’m sure.

    (previous SM coverage of Bhakta – too numerous; Hat tip to SM reader Pooja who alerted us via the tipline!) One man’s a terrorist. The other a terrorizer.

    • 2 thoughts on “Brown on the Boob Tube”

    1. Kiran,

      Oh brother! –A year and (almost) a half later, I realize that you responded to my comment. Okay, so I was being just a wee bit dramatical back then 🙂

      As for my previous words, my issue most definitely was that, “all the brown faces on TV are in homogenous roles” …ones in which brown folks as a group are maintained as being foreigners. I have no offense with parts that are less than “100% glorifying” (sure, I’ll admit that the whole terrorist angle provided some amount of discomfort –only that it’s a little discouraging in that there’s the major possibility that such a role will wind up supporting misdirected post-9/11 apprehensions and stereotypes of all things and persons dark and/or foreign) –for example, some took issue with “whitecastle”, but the representation of a brown kid as an average everyday, mainstream, full-blooded American is likely what excited audiences –that it was a refreshing departure from the usual. In your post, you mentioned that you would soon be playing a physician (again), and that you’d have an accent –like most of the older Indian/Indo-American doctors you’ve met. The reality however, is that the vast majority of Desi med students and physicians in our age range, do not speak with (non-American) accents –it’s another way of forcing us into place as outsiders. Even on ER, when they finally placed a Desi actress in the spotlight, the character is from England and speaks with a Brittish accent (once again, the brown person as a foreigner –I’m not ripping on Nagra, as she’s talented and could probably effortlessly speak like an American). In the same vein, there was a car advertisement (I cannot remember which one it was for) –showing photo after photo of happy owners with their new vehicles …and then there was one Desi gal …wearing a bright sari in hers (granted, she looked beautiful, and we all have cultural pride –you can wear a salwar, jeans, or not even a single stitch, and be American …but, in an ad, wrapping her up in the “costume” of ethnic dress markets her (and us) to the viewing general public as primarily South Asian, not American)

      I do wholeheartedly agree and sympathize with the following statement: “None of the writers who pen these roles are Desi. When a non-Indian writes about a culture they don’t have a lot of intimate knowledge about, it’s going to be full of stereotypes. This is just like how most Black characters were sterotypical until African Americans became more involved in media creation. Maybe if there was more community support for South Asians that take on non-traditonal careers there would be more Desi writers and better Desi parts?” It’s wonderful that Desis are getting more and more parts and are becoming more visible –but unfortunately, as you touched upon, there’s going to be a phase where actors will have to take what’s available and play into stereotypes like the ethnic minority actors from other groups before them did.

      I just wish that there were broader roles to fill, and that we (brown folks) will be considered for and prominently displayed in roles where they are Americans first and foremost …hopefully that’s something that will happen with time.

      Congratulations on the continued success of your career, and best wishes for the future.

      Kali.