Entertainment mediums in the West are introducing likable South Asian protagonists into fiction–slightly steering away from its history of brownface casting and becoming more inclusive of South Asian storytellers. Although Squid Game’s Ali Abdul and Midnight Mass’ Sheriff Hassan weren’t the main characters of their respective stories, they were unapologetically brown, purposeful, and supported by the story. Even the imperfect desi girl Devi Vishwakumar from Never Have I Ever–whose actor also voiced Priya in Turning Red–has become a relatable character to South Asians, teens, and people recollecting their messy formative high-school years. However, representation doesn’t need to be limited to solely relatable stories when something as fantastical as The Green Knight makes brown characters shine. And while other mediums are exploring what South Asian representation looks like from a variety of angles, video games are still struggling with the basics.
Read the full article here (by Saniya Ahmed for Gamespot).
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