Big Bang Theory is undoubtedly one of my favourite comedic shows. My evenings come alive with the vagaries and eccentricities of the brilliant-yet-awkward characters of Sheldon, Howard and Leonard.
Wait a minute, am I forgetting someone?
Let me guess, a certain caramel-coloured character (as he's often referred to in the show) who plays right into Indian stereotypes?
Kunal Nayyar aka Raj Koothrappali is a treat for prime-time television producers. He can be molded as easily as dough to depict Indian stereotypes. So, naturally being an "outsider" he "dumbs down" for the role, is a sidekick to another sidekick (Howard) and relies on kismet (and his Ma's advice) rather than his own charm to find himself a girl.
Let me admit that I chuckle as much as anyone when he references non-existent Hindu laws which would doom his sister to repent in the afterlife for sleeping with Leonard, but the writers have definitely gone overboard with the "Indianization" of his character. It seems to be the raison d'etre for his appearance in the show. (Notice how there's more to Howard than his Jewish lineage though - his feat in designing an ergonomic toilet seat for the International Space Shuttle for example)
American-Indians/British-Indians seem to derive their sense of identity from their mixed heritage. Though, it does add a certain flair to the storyline, the ethnics traits seem to often overshadow the individuality of their characters.
Kunal Nayyar in a recent appearance at the Jimmy Kimmel Show spoke about how he encounters ELEPHANTS while crossing roads in New Delhi! Is it me or is it a term of endearment for corpulent Indians crossing a busy road in the Capital? While I understand his quest for celebrity by harping on the idiosyncrasies of India, that comment was a bit of a stretch. Don't take my word for it, watch it right here:
Wait a minute, am I forgetting someone?
Let me guess, a certain caramel-coloured character (as he's often referred to in the show) who plays right into Indian stereotypes?
Kunal Nayyar aka Raj Koothrappali is a treat for prime-time television producers. He can be molded as easily as dough to depict Indian stereotypes. So, naturally being an "outsider" he "dumbs down" for the role, is a sidekick to another sidekick (Howard) and relies on kismet (and his Ma's advice) rather than his own charm to find himself a girl.
Let me admit that I chuckle as much as anyone when he references non-existent Hindu laws which would doom his sister to repent in the afterlife for sleeping with Leonard, but the writers have definitely gone overboard with the "Indianization" of his character. It seems to be the raison d'etre for his appearance in the show. (Notice how there's more to Howard than his Jewish lineage though - his feat in designing an ergonomic toilet seat for the International Space Shuttle for example)
American-Indians/British-Indians seem to derive their sense of identity from their mixed heritage. Though, it does add a certain flair to the storyline, the ethnics traits seem to often overshadow the individuality of their characters.
Kunal Nayyar in a recent appearance at the Jimmy Kimmel Show spoke about how he encounters ELEPHANTS while crossing roads in New Delhi! Is it me or is it a term of endearment for corpulent Indians crossing a busy road in the Capital? While I understand his quest for celebrity by harping on the idiosyncrasies of India, that comment was a bit of a stretch. Don't take my word for it, watch it right here:
Moving on to the other side of the Atlantic, a lead character of the British sitcom Goodness Gracious Me even went as far as to prove that Santa Claus is indeed Indian because he's got a "big beard, huge belly and a terrible suit". It got the British ho-hoing all right.
In another episode wherein one of the characters marries a British woman, she's shown as having adapted to the "Indian mannerisms" which by default make her louder and her English broken. To get the full drift of what I'm talking about, have a quick look at this one:
I spent the last summer in the States and found that the typical American DOES have a healthy level of curiosity about the Indian Way of Things and these shows offer a distorted notion which often prevents them from moving beyond these depictions.
While I agree that these shows wouldn't garner their fair share of snorts and giggles sans these stereotyped throwbacks but isn't it time that they showed us to be a little more than (to quote the Big Bang Theory) "brown coffee with extra sugar?"
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