After Decades of Brownface, South Asians Fight for Better Representation | National Geographic

Mainstream media has characterized how we see South Asians, whether by romanticizing its biggest country, India, or asserting the model minority stereotype. But it's not okay, and today South Asian actors and comedians are pushing back.

South Asia is made up of several countries located in the southern region of the Asian continent. As of 2015, 4.9 million South Asians were living in the United States. Hollywood often casts South Asian roles with white actors in brownface. Look at the 1968 film The Party. It's good to have a love; it stars Peter Sellers in brownface as Roony V. Bakshi. The film's ongoing joke is that bumbling immigrants like Bakshi don't fit into the American lifestyle or culture. They're unintentionally invited to the party, which they may very well ruin.

The '80s continued to show us more brownface and the tolerated prejudices of the time, but 1982's Gandhi is a turning point. No more brownface; here we have Ben Kingsley of half Indian, half English ancestry in the starring role. Gandhi's strategic civil disobedience is a far cry from the way Asians are often depicted as a model minority that doesn't rock the boat. It wins multiple Oscars.

Then comes 1988 and the first season of The Simpsons. "Hello steady customer, how are you this evening sir? How are you doing?" Two decades after The Party, Peter Sellers' accent inspires Hank Azaria to voice one of the most popular and most polarizing Indians in entertainment. "How many uh had to deal with like being called Apu or that being referenced?" Apu becomes the most visible brownface in American pop culture. But that doesn't mean more nuanced stories aren't emerging.

India-born director Mira Nair has directed multiple films about Indians and the Indian diaspora. Her 1991 movie Mississippi Masala is a critique of where South Asians often place themselves in America's racial hierarchy. "I know you and your folks can come down here from God knows where and be about as black as the ace of spades, and as soon as you get here, you start acting white and treating us like we your doormats."

2002's Bend It Like Beckham is directed by Gurinder Chadha, a Kenyan Indian English woman. "It's out of order; anything I want is just not Indian enough." These directors control over the narrative gives us new, complex storytelling that's true to their experiences.

While stereotypes do persist, films that push back against them also gain popularity. Take 2004's Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, starring John Cho and Kal Penn. This film plays off stereotypes of Asian Americans while challenging others. "You know, my whole life I've just been scared of being one of those nerdy Indian guys turned doctor, but tonight got me thinking. I mean, there are far worse things in this world than being tapped for having natural ability in medicine." South Asians are no longer caricatures like Apu, but we still normalize our identities under certain conventions, whether they're ambitious doctors or the token ethnic person tasked with being an expert on their culture.

"Um, Diwali is awesome. Um, why don't you tell us a little bit about the origins of the holiday?" "Uh, um, I don't know. It's really old, I think." Or as sources of economic anxiety. "We still want you to run the call center in India." "And then, oh, I meet Manmeet." "Yes, your name is Manmeet." Needless to say, this show was canceled after its first season.

Directors also play into viewers’ fantasies about South Asia. Despite the region's diversity and rapid changes, certain narratives persist around poverty, enlightenment, and enchantment. India itself is a stereotype character, but we can't forget that 9/11 has drastically changed the experience of being brown in America, and so new stereotypes of South Asians emerge. "Did I beef?" "Oh, no, you didn't beat. Just a random security check." "Random, huh? As terrorists?"

South Asian comedians use humor to point out the absurdity of these tropes. "So, uh, 9/11. I've always wanted to have a conversation about it." "You've never talked to people about 9/11?" "No." "What'd you stand?" "It was a tragedy. I mean, we lost 19 of our best guys."

Which brings us to today. We see and hear South Asians finding their voices and pushing back against clichés. "We need you to do an accent." "You mean like an Indian accent?" "Yeah." "Uh, you know, I'd rather not. I just feel kind of weird doing that voice. Is that okay?"

Like other minority communities, as South Asians gain more visibility in mainstream society, their presence and representation in movies and television will continue to reflect that shift. "Only in America can a first generation Indian-American Muslim kid get on this stage and make fun of the president."