While Priyanka Chopra earns global roles as the MI6 agent in ‘State of State’ and an American spy in ‘Citadale’ remains a frequent issue. The Hollywood continues to portray Indian characters conservatively in the form of villains or terrorists. There is a look at the roots of Eastern anti -Eastern in cinema and the way forward.

In ‘Octopusi’ (1983), anti-foreign, and ‘Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom’ (1984) reflect the perceptions of the Non-Western cultures arising from the theme Cult, British Raj literature and Pulp Katha. The Orientalist in the cinema gazed and the subsequent colonial echoes were later transferred to a terrorist trop or gritty realism, which presents Indians in morally compromised roles.

In the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008) criminals later strengthened the legend that poverty raised the villain, which is bound by the underbelli of the society. While Hollywood has enough interactions around inclusion and diversity in cultural representation, when it comes to Indian culture and society, the audience is not yet to see the light of the day.

spoiler ALERT

Arnold Schwarneggar’s detective-thriller chain ‘Fuber’ is yet another example of unexpected villain Archtypes in Western story telling, especially with Southeast Asian characters. The show revealed Tina Makerji (Aparna Briel) as an NIA data analyst, who is also a Russian double agent. The second season later follows Kolkata builder Bashir, which is associated with global terrorist organizations.

While these films and shows have not portrayed a full dark picture of the opponent, an eastern lens in cinema contributes to Asian people, especially a subtle depiction of Indians, zenophobia and cultural misuse in the media.

Indians do not think not only to be associated with Silicon Valley, but also the popular name in Hollywood, to break up with West colonial prejudices. Filmmakers Gurinder Chadha, Meera Nair, Deepa Mehta and Shekhar Kapoor have created a place for themselves in Hollywood, yet their presence is not reflected in the way Indians are depicted.

Western illustration of Thundi Panth

Negative Indian characters in Hollywood often indicate visuals of their morality. His launch in grand but dark settings with a sense of otherness makes them the right fold for Western heroes. The dark, foreign perception of Indians is of the 19th century. Western writers like Philip Meadows Taylor’s ‘Confession of a Thug’ (1839) and later John Kay’s ‘Daman of Thuggi and Dacoti’ (1897) contributed to the initial negative impression of Indians. Domestic trops played an important role in popularizing the anti -foreign story in Hollywood.

While there were people like Max Muller in Germany, who had invested in ancient Sanskrit Vedas and Upanishads, the mainstream Western media preferred to focus only on the evil, evil arch -cuce of Indians. It also reflects the belief of the West about India, as mentioned in Akshay Kumar’s 2007 film ‘Namasty London’.

Watch video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2neasfapc0u

Hollywood attraction with foreign villain

The 1983 James Bond Action-thriller ‘octopusi’, often remembered for Indian actors and was remembered for shooting in Rajasthan, was either not spared by stereotypes. It had rich, morally unclear, and often associated with illegal activities or secret societies. The theme was once again a symbol of the staunch, mysterious danger influenced by the defects and dark magic of the Indus Valley.

According to Western interpretations in the film, actor Naseeruddin Shah, who portrayed Captain Nemo in ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’, is suspicious by his team, as he worships Goddess Kali. In a sequence where Nemo is praying to the goddess, her American partner can hear saying, “How can we trust the person who worships the goddess of death?”

While radical, barbaric and mental practices are the most preferred characters of South Asian and Africans, New -Jine Cinema also prefers to glorify poverty -powered criminals. It is either a disadvantaged background or the post -9/11 trop of Asian people is part of essential terrorist groups, whether despite their nationalities. Poverty or social disturbance for the criminal intentions of Asian characters has been considered for death in Western films and shows.

‘Extraction’ (2020), yet was again a conspiracy where an Australian Black Op Mercury protects the teenage son of an Indian drug Lord (Pankaj Tripathi) from the kidnappers.

Eastern opposition to Hollywood stereotypes

In the form of emerging stereotypes of Indians, nefarious, technical villains rapidly turn technical progress into new sources of opposition from the past. The prevalence of such stereotypes stems from the lack of cultural advisors in Indian writers, directors and Hollywood’s decision -making roles. It further leads to shallow characters depending on old trops rather than real understanding.

The real world results of these illustrations can adversely affect the self-image of Indian migrant youth. To welcome inclusion for cinema, it is necessary to have diverse story and real character development to avoid limited and harmful stereotypes.

There are remarkable exceptions such as ‘Never Have I Ever’ (2020-2023) and ‘One Day’ (2024) which have considered Indian actors as characters instead of forced stereotypes. Indeed, talents like Priyanka Chopra, which navigate the roles from Mi6 agents to American spies, and Ali Fazal, with their diverse international performances, prove their versatility.

Therefore, Hollywood is located in Hollywood to bring more fine and well -researched representation of Indian characters in Western films and shows. World cinema can only be really rich when there is an accurate and responsible story beyond any cultural or ethnic prejudices.

With the rapid diversity in streaming platforms and international film festivals, there is immense ability for young storytellers to get out more authentic and complex Indian characters in cinema.