Entertainment /
Aziz Ansari Stands Up To Racism In Hollywood
In a conversation at EW Fest on his new Netflix series Master Of None, which debuts on November 6, Aziz Ansari shed light on racial discrimination in both Hollywood films and television shows.
In this sitcom, Ansari draws from his own life experiences, where his Indian identity was a crucial factor of his career.
Ansari criticized the unbalanced representation of people of colour in Hollywood, mentioning how a white man played the role of an Indian in Short Circuit 2.
Likewise, he said, "Every other show is still white people." He explained the mentality behind casting minorities, also incorporated into his show, where more than two black people in a single show would make it a "black show" and in the same vein more than one Indian person in a show would give it an unacceptable appearance of being a "brown show." Ansari remarked with poignant wit that Empire, a predominantly black show, was "long overdue."
Photo Credit: www.mic.com
The American entertainment industry not only limits Indian actors onscreen but also depicts them poorly. Ansari turned down a small role he was asked to audition for in the film Transformers since it required him to have a stereotypical Indian accent, a generalization he doesn't endorse. While he expressed respect for the actors who would accept these kinds of roles in light of the limited choices available, he personally doesn't support the practice.
He tackles stereotypes in one of the episodes of Master Of None. He says, "You see a monage of every Indian character that I remember seeing growing up. And it's just: gas station, gas station, gas station, gas station, weird guy from Indiana Jones who eats brains, Zack Morris making some sort of curry joke. And it ends with Ashton Kutcher's Pop Chips commerical where he dons brownface and is a Bollywood producer named Raj."
Ansari has garnered fame and recognition through films including Funny People, I Love You Man and 30 Minutes Or Less as well as shows such as Parks and Recreation, Scrubs and Bob's Burgers. However, he reminded people that despite his or Mindy Kaling's presence in the industry, the overall lack of diversity onscreen is still a significant problem.
Watch the trailer for Master Of None here and share your comments below.
Main Image Photo Credit: www.columbusalive.com
Sonia Malik
Author
Sonia writes on current affairs and pop culture. An English graduate from the University of Toronto, she identifies as a global citizen, feminist and nature lover. She will be ready to shake a leg to a peppy Bollywood beat any day.
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