Aasif Mandvi of the Daily Show plays a swarmy book publisher named Bob Spaulding in the new Sandra Bullock film The Proposal. Mandvi’s character is the third instance I’ve seen recently where a desi is cast in a non-ethnic role: Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation and Kal Penn’s Lawrence Kutner being the two others.
Has any one else noticed this? Is this a trend?
YehHaiLife said,
July 24, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Hi,
Why portray the Indian always as a cab driver or doctor? Why portray a German as a Nazi? Or a black person as a slave?
There is a film called “Quarterlife Crisis” which stars Maulik Pancholy and Lisa Ray, directed and produced by Indians as well. And it’s a great example of showing off good Indian talent without making it obvious that they’re Indians or any other color or ethnicity. The film is funny and romantic, and includes characters and stories that (almost) every one can understand. We live in a cynical world, and why not bring it together with positivity and love for each other – so why does it matter what the color of our skin is?