The MetroPCS Tech & Talk ads are a long-running series (two years in December) featuring desi characters named Ranjit and Chad expounding upon the evils of contracts and benefits of MetroPCS’s phone plans and features. The characters are not a little zany, dressing up in colonial-style wigs to declare wireless independence, playing an intense guitar-riff set off by fireworks and using “Holy shishkabob!” as a catch-phrase, to give a few examples.
As I noticed in retweets about the ads posted by the characters @ranjitmetropcs and @chadmetropcs, some people found the ads hilarious, declared themselves fans of the duo, and wanted to dress up like them for Halloween. Others writing for business and tech sites found the ads cringe-worthy, racist and/or in poor taste.
Personally, I found a recent ad in which the desi duo persuade the T-Mobile lady to leave T-Mobile and join up with them funny for it’s mascot-stealing premise, and I like the wacky style of the two actors who play Ranjit and Chad. But what do you think of the ads? And what do comments like these ones retweeted by @RanjitMetroPCS –e.g., “The Indian guys in the metropcs commercials make me laugh but itd be funnier if they were in a quicky mart” and “#lmao when the Indian maid with her accent asks me to fix her phone and she has metro pcs”–suggest in terms of what other viewers find funny?
I reached out to the actors who portray Ranjit and Chad—Anjul Nigam and Sid Veda—to find out more about the ads and what they think. Some of their responses are posted below. In addition to the questions seen below, I asked them about the audition process and whether the ads have helped them get work. Read their complete responses to learn about those topics.
What kind of work do you do outside of the MetroPCS ads?
Anjul Nigam: I’m fortunate and blessed to have been making a living as an actor based out of Los Angeles for over seventeen years now. Much of my work is in television, including a recurring on “Grey’s Anatomy” (as Psych “Dr. Raj”) and on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! (as the lead in the quartet of “Indian Call Center Guys”).
Beyond my work as an actor, I am a founding partner at Brittany House Pictures, where we have several projects in various stages of development.
Sid Veda: Outside of the MetroPCS ads, as well as the rest of Hollywood, I work in support for a Financial Software company in NYC. I help I-Bankers structure municipal bond deals with a program called DBC Finance. In 2010, every vacation day I took was a break from tech support to pretend to be a tech/phone supporter for MetroPCS and “Outsourced.” My life has a theme, apparently.
What’s your favorite one so far?
Anjul Nigam: So far, my favorite spot for the “Tech & Talk” ads is “Solo.” I loved shooting this one because we got a chance to really let loose in it, and it’s not too often I get to be an air-guitar rock star!
Sid Veda: That’s tough… some of the more popular ones (“Solo,” “Spicy News,” and a couple others) were rather painful to shoot for me. It’s not like I have memory-pains or recurring bruises or anything, but I think I prefer the one with the Mongoose. I got a good rolling “rrrrrr” whilst petting that thing.
In a Buzzine Bollywood interview one of the ad’s writers, Kiran Koshy, says Ranjit and Chad are based on real people. What direction did you get for portraying Ranjit/Chad and how did you develop the character’s accent and zany qualities? Is Chad a nickname or short for anything?
Anjul Nigam: By real people, I believe Kiran means the characters are based on the saturation of H-1 visa holders from India in Silicon Valley. They are super intelligent, technology enthusiasts and often have heavy accents based on having been raised in India. Sometimes their sense of style is a little dated or even middle-aged, which they in fact are. I was born in India myself, and although I was raised in the US, my household was quite traditionally Indian. In fact, I grew up speaking in Hindi with my parents at home, so the Indian accent has always been easily accessible for me. Probably the most important direction we receive regarding the characters is to really enjoy ourselves… these guys love what they do (host a talk show where they get to talk about technology!) and they’re at the top of their game.
Sid Veda: Interestingly, Chad’s accent, if not his entire person, is based on a South Indian and Kiran has worked hard with me to nail the hint of dialect/accent he had in mind. He and Jason, the other writer, are extremely helpful in communicating goals and message. As for the zaniness, much of that comes from the deep recesses of the director, Jim Hosking’s mind. For some of the more challenging spots to shoot, I would be trying to follow direction or suggestions as they’re being shouted out thinking “why the why do we have to shoot a bunch of noise that will never make air?!?” When I see the finished product for the first time, I am always like “OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH… that’s why he wanted me to lick the amplifier!” I am happy to take so much of the credit that Jim actually deserves for Chad’s dancing skills.
And yes, just like Sid is short for Sridhar, Chad is short for something. That’s all you need to know at this time.
I’ve noticed different reactions to the ads, including people variously finding them 1) light-hearted and hilarious, 2) unfunny racist stereotypes, and/or 3) politically-charged ironic sendups of ethnic caricatures. What’s your take on the ads? Given these responses, do you have any regrets about working in them?
Anjul Nigam: I have absolutely no regrets about working on the campaign. On the one hand, humor is subjective, so if someone finds the ads unfunny, then I know it’s not the kind of humor that person responds to. For example, I’m not a fan of toilet humor, and am usually turned off by content that contains it; but I’m not judgmental of it.
Meanwhile, I find the negative response is often misplaced. Perhaps, sometimes people have a knee-jerk reaction to things they believe are caricatures, but it’s important to remember that every stereotype is based on a certain reality. Personally, I have known many Indians who are very much like Ranjit and Chad, their accents, style, energy, etc. And yet still, beyond that, for me an accent is merely an extension of a character’s wardrobe. I don’t ever hear anyone finding Hugh Jackson’s Australian accent denigrating. It’s all a matter of perception.
With regard to racism, it’s worth taking a look the cultural immersion of other ethnicities, each which have their own set of challenges and advantages. For example, twenty years after the Civil Rights era, African American filmmaker Robert Townsend made a movie called HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, which satirized the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. A significant portion of the black population in America had achieved a certain position in American society, and it was being depicted in content like “The Cosby Show.” Townsend’s film was a no holds barred depiction that Townsend was able to make through humor.
In the same light, Indians are now one of the most successful minorities in the US, a group that continues to have an increasingly greater presence in the forefront of technology, business and media. If we are not in a place to have fun with ourselves, I don’t know who is.
Sid Veda: No regrets whatsoever! We made two silly characters to pitch a terrific telecomm deal; we are not making a statement about 1 billion Indians. The fact that Ranjit and Chad were born to pitch the most cost-effective deal in celluworld (by far) is a blessing.
And seriously… having worked in tech support since 2000 (as well as in telemarketing for Stanley Steemer in college), how offended should I be by the stereotype?
Read the complete interview to learn more about their experiences with the auditions and how the ads affected their ability to get work.
“Perhaps, sometimes people have a knee-jerk reaction to things they believe are caricatures, but it’s important to remember that every stereotype is based on a certain reality. Personally, I have known many Indians who are very much like Ranjit and Chad, their accents, style, energy, etc. And yet still, beyond that, for me an accent is merely an extension of a character’s wardrobe. I don’t ever hear anyone finding Hugh Jackson’s Australian accent denigrating. It’s all a matter of perception.”
The issue isn’t whether it’s based on a certain reality or not, the issue is this is the ONLY window people see South Asians and Indians as, on a national scale. These characters are not 3-dimensional human beings, and each commercial plays upon a negative aspect of Indians: social awkwardness, un-masculine, un-confident.
Hugh Jackman’s Australian accent is not denigrating because it’s not accompanied with hackneyed, often trotted out, dumbed down versions of stereotypes. if he came out saying, “Gday mate, lets put another shrimp on the barbie!” then you’d see more Australians up in arms.
The point isn’t outrage, the point is balance. it’s fine to have this, but where is the Indian Jack Bauer to counterbalance? Right. he doesn’t exist.
@dirtmgirt said “The point isn’t outrage, the point is balance. it’s fine to have this, but where is the Indian Jack Bauer to counterbalance? Right. he doesn’t exist.”
He doesn’t exist? How about Sendhil Ramamurthy or Kal Penn or Archie Punjabi or Divya in Royal pains etc. There are plenty of Indians in positive roles. But I suppose you prefer to ignore that to preserve your sense of victimization.
@dirtmgirt said “These characters are not 3-dimensional human beings, and each commercial plays upon a negative aspect of Indians: social awkwardness, un-masculine, un-confident.”
They are neither socially awkward ( awkward maybe) nor un-masculine nor un-confident in the ad. Where do you come up with this?
“He doesn’t exist? How about Sendhil Ramamurthy or Kal Penn or Archie Punjabi or Divya in Royal pains etc. There are plenty of Indians in positive roles. But I suppose you prefer to ignore that to preserve your sense of victimization.”
I haven’t seen any of these shows, to know how 3-D these characters are. if by ‘positive’ you just mean ‘not completely stereotyped and derogatory…” then wow you have a really warped definition.
let’s compare apples to apples, a commercial marketing campaign is different than a TV show, that requires an audience.
“nor un-masculine nor un-confident in the ad. Where do you come up with this?”
Look at some of the story lines in the commercials: Inability to dance, inability to be a hard core rocker, there was an ad where the “prize” was a date with chad – inability to date? I think that characterization is pretty accurate.
@dirtmgirt Your offense is a consequence of desi Americans and gunga-din Indians, including the actors, brainwashed into thinking that acting “Indian” in itself is comedic fodder, lowly or makes you look an anachronistic idiot. Last I checked people have varied accents, styles of expression and fashion round the world, nobody made Americans the gold standard. I don’t find minorities like Latinos, Middle Easterners or Blacks having this inferiority complex like Asians and Indians.
“brainwashed into thinking that acting “Indian” in itself is comedic fodder, lowly or makes you look an anachronistic idiot.”
Do you honestly think that this is an example of just “acting Indian” There’s no point discussing with someone like you so ignores obvious caricature, exaggeration, and buffoonery. To even suggest that either of these characters are “serious” in any shape is just outright ridiculous.
What I am is someone who doesn’t just stick his head in the dirt (no pun intended) and try and downplay this kind of insulting because of some subconcious attempts to try and assuage the white majority into thinking “everythings ok”
” I don’t find minorities like Latinos, Middle Easterners or Blacks having this inferiority complex like Asians and Indians.”
Really? and you have grounds to call other people idiots? Maybe you should look at some of the other commentary out there on the depictions of those groups.
@dirtmgirt “Maybe you should look at some of the other commentary out there on the depictions of those groups.”
Nonsense man. If a black guy appears with his hat at an angle and pants riding low talking ebonics, the secure black person doesn’t get all inferior about it complaining how it makes them look bad. It’s their own distinctive invention glamorized in glossy magazines and fawned over by their teen girls. The only racism they complain about is when these same men are also depicted as criminals. Latinos don’t give a crap about speaking English, how about you learn proper Spanish? And make jokes on middle easterners about burkha/religion and they point out how superior they are to Anglo culture in every aspect from treatment of women, to family and charity.
It’s only the “model minority” who are keen to contort and measure themselves by how similar they are to Stuff White People Like. And when any deviation is reported, it’s grounds for taking offense. Who said wearing a gold jacket, puffy shirt and that hairstyle is “bad” or funny? Vogue? Try to be more secure in Indian tastes and aesthetics, I say this especially to the model minority women.
These two have set Indian-Americans so far back. TV has an enormous influence in our lives; advertising in particular has no time to function on the logical, and instead targets our subconscious. We’re left with impressions that linger long beyond the advertisement. And that’s why it is also so deadly. Even television programming doesn’t function on this level- it deals in content, themes, and plots- engaging the conscious. In such a medium, we filter out gross stereotypes and illogic (not always, but more often than not). However, in thirty-second spots that hit quick with humor, visual cuts every few seconds – we don’t. These MetroPCS ads undoubtedly affect what people first think of when they think about Indians. It is truly unfortunate.
How is this anything but a brown minstrel show? No need to apply “brown-face” when foreignness and buffoonery will suffice.
Would it make you feel better if 2 white guys portrayed the characters (ie, spoke with Indian accents, wore geeky glasses, had mustaches)?
Or, do you feel certain types of characters (such as these two) are off limits? Remember, these characters are based, partly, on reality of tech workers. I will admit, though, that companies are less likely to use other ethnic caricatures of more vocal ethnic groups (eg, ebonics-speaking, pants riding low black male or stereotypical Hispanic migrant worker) in the name of political correctness.
“Would it make you feel better if 2 white guys portrayed the characters (ie, spoke with Indian accents, wore geeky glasses, had mustaches)?”
No, it would make me feel better if no one did, and this hyperbolic stereotype was squashed altogether.
Look, actors need to eat, so if Anjul and Sid don’t do it, two others will.
” Remember, these characters are based, partly, on reality of tech workers.”
No one’s disputing that, but you cannot look at that IN A VACUUM do you get it? The issue is this is the ONLY voice out there because it’s what the mainstream filters allow. And people using the fact that one of the creators is an Indian as some kind of legitimacy, hello have people heard of institutional racism?
It would be perfectly fine if we had two Indians playing masculine roles, getting girls and kicking ass like Jack Bauer, to counterbalance these two Indian dorks that are good for just answering tech questions – but why wouldn’t that fly, “because it’s not believable?” right so do stereotypes define what we consider as believable, or the other way around?
Let’s look at a sampling of the jokes in some of the commercials:
http://youtu.be/0jHcbM0jgGQ -Chad’s “career in dance” is spoken of as something unbelievable, and he follows up with a geeky/dorky/jerky type dance
http://youtu.be/zLlrOlPvolo -Chad’s “music skill” is an obvious humor device.
http://youtu.be/BFytHoXdG3E -God only knows what the hell this is, but obvious exaggeration of their social awkwardness/inability to communicate.
this is pure coonery and bufoonery…
But of course Indians will defend it because Indians hate themselves above all else.
@raj “this is pure coonery and bufoonery… But of course Indians will defend it because Indians hate themselves above all else.”
Or it could mean that we are confident enough to be able to laugh at ourselves and act silly.
“Or it could mean that we are confident enough to be able to laugh at ourselves and act silly.”
ah the deepak chopra argument of “what’s it matter what others think if you’re confident in your own self” bla bla.
It’s not about what one thinks of themselves , its about acknowledging a reality in which certain choices are deliberate, and knowing that we do not live in a vacuum. and we have a right to ask a more fare and accurate image of ourselves put out there
“we are confident enough to be able to laugh at ourselves and act silly” – What’s funny about Indian accents, mannerisms and fashion?
This whole debate is silly and makes an assumption about what the right way to talk and dress is.
Most Indian women are hairy pear shaped, pot bellied, have the same “bad” accent and worse smells. It’s only (youngish) men being passed off as having a Indian character, whereas every Indian woman in the media is slim, having spotless arms/legs, wearing the latest western fashions or impractically ornate sarees.
We should post as many unflattering pics of everyday Indian women with their pit stains and gut hanging out along with the many ill-informed inferiority-ridden things they let slip from riding the coattails of their husband all their life. Whose with me?
I Love how they name one guy Chad as if that somehow softens the blow of the stereotype. Seriously brown people, we have to be most vocally suppressed ethnic group for these ads to be running for over two years without any action from our community.
Remember when the white girl at UCLA went on that racist rant about Asians on youtube? Every Asian person and their momma must of came out blasting. And they are supposed to be a “model minority” that no one would expect to vocalize injustice.
We have to be proactive when it comes to these issues, we cant simply shake our heads at our TV’s and not do anything. Email, call, write letters, tell your state representative, do whatever it takes to let your voice be heard. We can make a difference.
Diana Gold MetroPCS, Manager, Market Communications Phone: 469-330-4919 Email: mediaroom@metropcs.com
Drew Crowell GolinHarris for MetroPCS Direct Phone: 972-341-2581 Email: mediaroom@metropcs.com
“Nonsense man. If a black guy appears with his hat at an angle and pants riding low talking ebonics, the secure black person doesn’t get all inferior about it complaining how it makes them look bad.”
Ok, this shows me you know exactly 0 black people. If a black person (like say Cosby, or so many others) criticizes such depictions (in fact cosby did it tacitly by making a show where black people are professionals and respectable members of society etc etc) it isn’t a lack of confidence, or inferiority.
They even have a song about what exactly you’re talking about “Pants on the Ground”
I dont see why this is so binary to so many people, “either you’re secure and confident in your own image, and you don’t complain” or “you’re inferior and complain about every little thing” News flash, it’s possible to be confident AND also point out a glaring truth.
Also, you overlook the obvious incentives for minorities to not “complain” even when it’s clearly warranted.
And remember, all those wonderful “positive” roles that were quoted earlier, the reason they’re there? People like me that have “complained” in the past about the over-preponderance of these caricaturized roles. Yea, you can thank us inferior
@dirtmgirt I think we agree more than we disagree. My point is that the positiveness and definitions of what is good has to come from WITHIN the Hindu community against a framework of Hindu actors, Hindu religion/morals and culture. Rather than complaining about oppression and looking for favors/approval from others, like the American media, who’ll always promote their own imagery.
I hope its not because of people like you complaining. I would much attribute the change to people actually getting to know South Asians and South Asian-Americans.
Some people DO talk like the metro PCS guys. What’s wrong with acknowledging the fact?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtM_InSmgu0
There are plenty of commercials out there with Indian/South Asian actors that don’t play up the H1b angle as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDmfBBSMEPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oszFXhKLm9s
Sendhil in heroes is a “macho” character with an Indian accent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hkizqL0tO0
Archie Panjabi has literally no connection to any Indian stereotype I can think of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXVub2cgWC8
I’m just glad I don’t have to come with a rational for being in those racist ads!
Did he just say, “it’s important to remember that every stereotype is based on a certain reality.”?? Really?
head on desk
It all comes down the all mighty dollar. I sure these jokers are being paid well so the white Americans have a great time time laughing at all the Indian stereotypes. I think the love of money trumps any self respect or ethnic pride!