Can Parminder Nagra Become A Mainstream Hollywood Star?
I watched ER a few weeks ago only because I am a fan of the British actress Parminder Nagra. I wish Parminder would get bigger mainstream roles I think she deserves it. It is interesting “Bend It Like Beckham” was such a huge international hit yet Keira Knightley is a big star and Parminder is on ER.
The issue I have is why can’t Parminder have the same opportunities as Keira? Keira is a solid actress and she is very talented but so is Parminder. I would like to see Parminder get some leading lady roles soon.
One movie role Parminder should be the star of is the film “Tulia” about an Indian American lawyer Vanita Gupta. African American actress Halle Berry is the leading lady in the film. Last time I checked Berry is biracial she has European and African heritage she is not South Asian. Vanita Gupta a young South Asian lawyer successfully won the release of 46 African Americans in Tulia Texas on a drug bust.
Shouldn’t the casting of the leading lady be racially accurate? The attitude of Hollywood is South Asian women are “invisible” are “displaced” and not “palatable” for North American audiences. The only reason Halle Berry was chosen for the lead role is due to her celebrity.
The question remains is Halle Berry really a box office draw? “Perfect Stranger”, and “Things We Lost In A Fire” both bombed at the box office. Halle Berry has been most successful recently in ensemble films such as X MEN.
The ideology in Hollywood is African Americans and South Asians “look similar” due to skin tone. Hollywood thinks the public can’t tell the difference between African Americans and South Asians. Since Halle Berry is African American the belief is she can pull off a convincing performance as a South Asian American woman. But is this true? Is this fair to South Asian actresses languishing in secondary roles in Hollywood ? What about the concerns of South Asian people? Is this right to change the race of the leading lady just for profit and business?
Or is this going to be another “A Mighty Heart” all over again? I understand Hollywood wants star power for the movie but choosing Halle Berry for the lead role is deleterious, racist, and incredibly offensive. How many leading lady roles do South Asian actresses get in Hollywood? The answer is zero. Halle Berry should be ashamed of herself she clearly has a huge ego and zero class.
Halle Berry is such an arrogant, selfish, hypocritical, woman she is not South Asian yet she doesn’t mind taking a role meant for a South Asian actress. Halle Berry and her publicity team always market her as the “victim” the public is supposed to feel sorry for her. I am not falling for Halle Berry’s publicity game any longer . Halle knows how hard it is for women of colour to get the leading lady roles yet she doesn’t mind taking on a role that wasn’t meant for her. Halle complains in the media all the damn time about how hard she has it.
Yes, it must be so hard for Halle Berry after all she makes $14 million per movie, multi million dollar endorsements with Revlon & Versace. Halle also receives an incredible amount of mainstream attention compared to other actresses of colour. Halle is also the top actress of colour in Hollywood whenever Hollywood has a major role for a woman of colour Halle gets called first for the role.
I am very disappointed in Halle I believe Parminder should be the star of this movie “Tulia”. “Tulia” should be Parminder’s breakthrough performance she deserves this leading lady role. Parminder has the talent to pull of this very dramatic and intense role if Halle Berry had any class she will drop out of the film. Isn’t it time for another woman of colour to shine in a leading lady role besides Halle Berry?
Meanwhile, Parminder is on television she has a steady gig on ER. Parminder’s character Dr. Neela Rasgotra is the most complex character on the show. Dr. Rasgotra has dealt with the death of her husband, falling in love with a fellow co worker, and trying to maintain her career.
I was on an internet message board the other day and some bloggers actually said Parminder would never make it in Indian Cinema. I responded back saying what about Nandita Das? Nandita Das is a gorgeous woman and talented actress she also has a darker skin tone as well. Nandita has been very successful in both Indian and Western movies. The other bloggers responded back that Nandita Das is an exception to the rule. Is this true? According to the information I have read Parminder is considered “too dark” to be successful in Bollywood. But is this this true of just gossip?
It seems the issue of skin tone racism and beauty standards exist in many communities across the globe. It is well known in the African communities light skinned women are placed on a pedestal compared to darker skinned black women. I have learned in South Asian communities the “lighter skinned” female image is the image that is considered more palatable for Indian film audiences. In Bollywood films the leading male character can be a dark skinned Indian man but the leading lady tends to always have Eurocentric features and lighter skin. Other bloggers also suggested that Parminder is doing the right thing trying to succeed in Hollywood instead of Bollywood.
Interesting Article About South Asian Gay Men In The Star
Although, I write a lot about the struggles gay black men endure South Asian men also encounter similar battles with oppression. Black gay men in North America, we are visible in popular culture. I feel that the images and representations of black gay men in the media are very stereotypical. South Asian men I noticed are consistently ignored not just by the mainstream but also by North American gay communities.
I read an article on the Toronto Star website, about South Asian gay men. I like the fact the article isn’t pessimistic or negative. The article is about hope,it is about South Asian gay men that desire to connect with other men of their own culture.
I started to think about a close friend of mine, he was born in India, and he is a Canadian citizen. I think he’s lonely sometimes and that he wants to connect with other South Asian gay men. I am black and I don’t speak Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, or other Indo European languages. I feel at times that maybe I am too foreign for my friend? Maybe I am in the way?
I want my friend to have a connection with other South Asian gay men because I really believe it could boost his self esteem. My friend,is shy reserved kind of a person he isn’t outspoken like me. I’ve talked to him about attending various events and groups for South Asian gay men in the Toronto area but he seems indifferent to them. Perhaps he is still shy I don’t know? I am going to ask him about this.
However, he is not out to his family and he also being surreptitiously pressured to marry a woman by his father. I don’t know what that feels like because my parents know I’m gay. I certainly never have been pressured to date the opposite sex because I’m gay and I’m not sexually attracted to women.
Okay, maybe I should take that back. I do have a serious crush on Gabrielle Union!!! If you’ve read my blog you could tell LOL! I also have to admit I find the Williams Sisters to be sexy, and I do think Sanaa Lathan and Kerry Washington are just very sexy and gorgeous! So I cannot say I am totally not attracted to women. But that’s not the purpose of this blog entry so let me get back on track.
My friend, he is comfortable with his sexual orientation and his Indian identity. He tells me that Indian culture is very patriarchal the man is the breadwinner and the male has to follow the status quo. Being gay and from South Asia is still considered socially unacceptable. I began thinking that in popular culture South Asian men have also been treated as though they are invisible by the gay community and by mainstream society. I think it is great that the Toronto Star article is raising awareness about the lives of South Asian gay men.
I agree with the sentiments of the South Asian men in the Toronto Star article, North American gay culture is very “cold” it is true. I mean let me be blunt, Toronto doesn’t just have cold weather the men are cold too people are soulless here. Its the reason I rarely go the gay bars in Toronto. I mean why bother?
Gayblackcanada 
