South Asians Reckon with Non-representation After RRR Turns Error
Through international publications and social media, the Indian community in the US and abroad is discussing measures to avoid a repetition of the non-hiring of Indians at the Oscars ceremony this year. “I cannot believe this happened in 2023,” said Parul Shah, a classically trained Kathak dancer and artistic director based in New York.
At the 95th Academy Awards in March, the winner in the original song category was “Naatu Naatu” from an Indian film titled “RRR.” However, the live musical performance did not feature a single dancer of Indian origin in the ensemble cast—which has drawn a negative response and call to action in the dance world.
Shah said, “The casting of all non-Indian dancers for a film produced in India, derived from Eastern dance forms, suggests that the choreographers think that Western performers are better dancers—an outrageous idea—when there are so many talented Indian dancers in New York alone.”
“This goes beyond cultural appropriation,” said Deepsikha Chatterjee, a scholar and costume design professor at Hunter College and director at Indo-American Arts Council. “This is a labor issue.” She said that a work credit on the Oscar stage would have brought the Indian dancers more performance and grant opportunities long-term and opened avenues for teaching and establishing their own companies.
Vikas Arun auditioned for the Oscar performance but was not booked. A co-director of Project Convergence, he dances Indian folk, contemporary and tap, and was the first South Asian to be featured on STOMP in New York. He is working with several organizations to increase visibility for South Asians in commercial spaces: American films, TV, music videos. He said that they are advising talent for success through coaching and securing agent representation—besides training agents on what to look for when booking South Asian talent and where. They are offering free public information on various performance spaces in the industry.
Payments for an evening of Indian dance performance can vary between $150-$11,000, or exceed in some cases, according to Chatterjee. The classical and Bollywood dancers spend years mastering their craft. “It can take someone 10 to 15 years of apprenticeship before a 2.5-hour arangetram, a debut performance,” said Navia Natarajan, an international Bharatanatyam dancer.
Among Asians in America, Indians are the second largest group at 4.4 million, according to a press release by the Census Bureau on September 21, 2023. Indian classical and other popular dances from Bollywood and Tollywood serve as unique markers of identity and artforms that distinguish themselves from western dances. Shah said that the casting of non-Indians for a song that enacted people standing up to the British rulers in pre-independence India was colonialist and it needed confronting.
The casting and choreographers’ duo, Nappytabs, and the Academy have not responded to a request for comments.
