Actor Bijou Thaangjam recently called out Bollywood for not raising voice against the ethnic violence unfolding in his home state, Manipur. He says the silence is disappointing, though this is not the first time the state has faced such indifference.

The Mary Kom (2014) actor says, “Previously, too, there have been so many issues when the state and its people needed support, but nobody from this fraternity came forward. Every time, we [expect] that things will change, but nobody comes out to speak for us until and unless there is pressure from the media or social media,” he says, adding that it’s already too late to react.

On June 17, Thaangjam and fellow Manipuri actor, Lin Laishram, among others, led a peaceful protest to draw attention to the grave situation the state is in. Thaangjam has also been constantly posting stories on Instagram, seeking support and spreading awareness on the matter, but to no avail. “I did not even get private calls or messages. Except a few, like director Omung Kumar and actor Abhilash Thapliyal, everyone saw my stories but no one responded. That left me perplexed because I am also part of this fraternity and I expect support from my friends,” he says.

Thaangjam points out that despite the message of inclusivity that goes around, “when something like this happens, suddenly everyone goes quiet”. The 37-year-old says: “We live in a culture where Bollywood stars and cricketers have a strong influence on people. They can at least talk about how Manipur is burning, like (actor) Richa Chadha did (she retweeted his post). It would create pressure even on the government to act soon.”

After host Raghav Juyal was called out for making an ignorant comment while introducing a contestant from Assam on a TV show, the spotlight has once again shifted to the prejudice about the Northeast (NE). Artistes from the region feel that while things have changed, there’s still a long way to go.

Subir Malik, founding member of rock band Parikrama, shares, “At times we even got in fights when someone misbehaved with our beloved friend and bandmate late Sonam Sherpa, and our many friends from the Northeast,” he shares. He blames the “general upbringing of a few idiots” for such behaviour.

Actor Dipannita Sharma, who hails from Assam, has also struggled with and questioned the set idea of ‘Indian look’ in showbiz. She says, “People from the NE have been subjected to racism for so long that even the slightest hint of a joke has become a sensitive topic… When it comes to narratives in the media, people need to be extremely careful. If something like that is on a popular show, even as a joke, then those who believe in that will get encouraged to pick on their Northeastern colleague or neighbour.”

While Juyal has released a clarification and apologised for hurting sentiments, the judges of the show, including actor Madhuri Dixit Nene and choreographer-director Remo D’Souza, have refrained from commenting on the issue.

Noting the lack of representation on the small screen, Assam-born actor Parineeta Borthakur wonders why people from the NE are not shown in stories, unless based in the region. Actor Bijou Thaangjam from Manipur, seen in Mary Kom (2014) and Shivaay (2016), notes that “TV is stuck in the past”, but representation on OTT is getting real.

Actor Adil Hussain, who hails from Assam, calls it more of a “territorial instinct prejudice”, and adds that things would be better if the youth are educated in an inclusive system. Here, the Village Rockstars director Rima Das, who also belongs to Assam, accepts that while stereotypes exist, it is their responsibility to change the narrative. “I feel that we need more mainstream opportunities... If we get more visibility, our characters will get more visibility. Misconceptions will change then,” she concludes.

Looking down upon another language or culture is pretty much there. I don’t think it’s going away very soon. There’s more acceptance in the film industry now, but I am not saying that we have suddenly become evolved citizens.

I can see some television shows where they are not presenting the Northeast correctly. That’s because it is by someone who is not from the region, and doesn’t know the culture well.

The bias continues to exist... It (the racist behaviour) is basically to blame on the general upbringing of a few idiots. I personally think there’s more awareness around this now.

You never see people from the Northeast when they tell stories based out of Delhi and Mumbai. I have hardly seen any Northeastern looking actor playing a main lead unless the story is set in the region.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu became a household name overnight after she bagged India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics — winning a silver in women’s weightlifting (49 kg). Given Bollywood’s recent fascination with sports biopics, netizens started wondering how soon a biopic would be announced on Chanu’s triumph. But one point that was stressed upon by many was that the actor portraying her should be from northeast India, like her. One of these voices was that of actor Bijou Thaangjam, who also belongs to Chanu’s home state Manipur. A few days after Chanu’s win, Bijou took to Twitter to call out the bias in Bollywood against actors from the northeast. The actor, who has been part of films like Mary Kom, Shivaay and Paltan, among others, spoke about being approached by a casting director for the role of a domestic help. “When are we gonna change. We live in a time where @mirabai_chanu & @MangteC (MC Mary Kom) brings glory for the nation and yet, our Cinema is still stuck to portraying Northeastern in such stereotypical characters (sic),” he wrote, adding that these characters are often written in stereotypical manner, portraying people from the northeast as “stupid and weird”. In an interaction with us, Bijou shares the issues that actors from the northeast face in Bollywood.

In the name of inclusivity, actors from northeast India are often called to audition for very stereotypical roles. People from the entire northeast region, Nepal and Northern Himalayan region are put in a bracket called “Chinese looking”. This is very offensive and degrading. We, as actors, are only given roles like domestic help, security guard, salesman, waiter or someone who works in spas and resorts. This is not about looking down on any profession, but how these characters are written and portrayed as caricatures and stereotypes in films. And these are all tertiary characters, with either no dialogues or just one or two scenes in the entire film.

I am going to call it cultural bias. Filmmakers, or more precisely the people who fund filmmakers, do not believe that Indian audiences will flock to see northeast Indian leads. This causes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. There are no northeast Indian stars, so northeast Indian are not cast in starring roles, so northeast Indian actors don’t get a chance to become stars.... and repeat ad infinitum. Thus, the filmmakers’ bias is confirmed. I can remember only Danny Denzongpa being of some significance in Bollywood.

Because Bollywood is racist and sexist. As much as celebrities claim to be for minorities and for women, when it comes down to it, they’re full of it. If you look at the top stars, you won’t find more than a handful who aren’t north Indian. Among the women in that line-up, most of them are gori chitti. The argument has been made that minorities aren’t “bankable” or that most women can’t “open a movie”. But this has been proven wrong time and again.

Unfortunately, northeast Indian actors get typecast as people with thick accent who often just get cast as extras. Such stereotypes provide people with a template and they don’t see it as something wrong. Northeast Indians have no intention or desire to dominate Bollywood or take all the major roles, which seems to be what people fear the most. What actors from northeast India really want, is positive and fair representation when they do happen to be on screen, i.e. three-dimensional characters that don’t portray stereotypical roles. Now, why would anyone object to this unless they’re overtly or covertly racist?

Film is a visual medium, and people connect to it faster. It’ll be a shame if an actor of another ethnicity plays the role in today’s day and age. Inclusivity is a big thing across the world, and it’s about time that we as a country practice it as well.

Representation! Whether it is representation of northeast Indians or representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, people want to see themselves on the screen. They want to be able to resonate with a character that looks like them, acts like them and has some characteristics like them. Hence, it’s important to look at the northeast region of India to realise how large and diverse culture it has. All the states of the northeast have their own ethnic identities. The representation of that in films and television leaves a lot to be desired.

First and foremost, I want to be called an actor, not a northeast Indian actor. I am looking for roles which are authentic, fair, and have humanity – where we are not the side script to the larger stories and are not just seen through mainland eyes.