In some ways, the evolution of Suraj Sharma and Hollywood has been parallel. Where the Indian actor is trying to find his feet in the international circuit after Life Of Pi (2012), Hollywood is shedding its prejudices and embracing inclusivity. The actor, who is headlining The Illegal that recently dropped on Amazon Prime Video, says there has been a sea change in the West over the past decade with regard to cultural representation.  

“I came to the US seven to eight years ago, and since then, things have become much better. There is more scope for us now. It’s no longer about how many Indian actors are [part of the industry]. It’s about how many South Asians are producers or in the writers’ room, or how many have got a chance to direct a film. What they show on screen has a huge impact. The more you see a person from a particular background on the screen, the more familiar you become with [the community]. It’s nice to see more South Asian festivals; they push this movement forward,” says Sharma.

After playing the lead in Ang Lee’s 2012 gem, the actor went on to feature in several American productions, including Burn Your Maps (2016), Homeland and God Friended Me. Even as he chose diverse stories from the lot, he remembers frequently being offered similar parts. “Stereotype is still [prevalent]. Initially, I used to be frustrated with it. But now, I realise the [practice of] stereotyping is not coming from a place of malice. It happens because they haven’t seen [our lives], and so, find it hard to imagine [the universe].”

His recent offering sees him play an Indian filmmaking student in the US. Through his character’s journey, the Danish Renzu-directed venture shows the flipside of the American Dream. “I am drawn to good stories that make the audience think about an issue,” says Sharma, who also dabbled in Bollywood with Phillauri (2017).

Suraj Sharma offers his take on Hollywood and Bollywood and how life has changed since the US Presidential elections
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; April 10, 2017)

It’s been quite a while since Delhi boy Suraj Sharma (best known for 2012’s Life Of Pi) moved to New York (in 2013). He’s there, studying filmmaking at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. During that time, he shot for a few films and most recently, made his Bollywood debut in Anushka Sharma’s Phillauri. LOP’s success hasn’t changed him much and that much was apparent when we met for an interview for the recently released film. He has lost none of the enthusiasm for his craft and that comes to the fore as we talk about industry comparisons and his life in New York (pre- and post-Trump) and coming to terms with racism in the US.

Having now worked in both film industries, how similar or different would you say Bollywood is from Hollywood?
If you think about it in a technical sense, I don’t think either is because they are both at the same level now. And when it’s colour or music which is considered, we are maybe a little better. But on the whole, we are all equal at this point. The difference is the taste thing. Also, how much money you have, differs. They obviously have much more at their disposal. We don’t have that much. Our stories are geared in a sense to drive people away from pain, sadness or depression or struggles of their life because most of the moviegoing audience today in India come from a low-income background. That is very important. Their sensibility comes from the fact that they portray a dark side like we don’t. We portray a light side because we need it. I think that’s one big difference. As far as shooting and work is considered, wahaan pe, they are so stringent and structured that they can’t really fix problems as easily as we can. Over here, we assume that things might go wrong so we are constantly jugadoing things to fix it, fix it, fix it. It’s an amazing ability to be able to do it constantly. I don’t know how people here manage that, but it’s great.

We recently had a big debate on nepotism in Bollywood. Does that exist there as well?
Oh ya! It really exists. If you’re an outsider, I think it makes it much harder for you to actually get a chance. Just because people have obligations and it comes from that. Somewhere, I understand how and why that’s in place. Because why wouldn’t you want it to be the case? But sometimes, it’s really frustrating for some of us.

There’s you, Freida and a lot more Indians putting the country on the global map. But Deepika and Priyanka make more news. Does that give you a sense of being left out ever?
(Smiles) No, I don’t feel left out or aloof, to be honest. I only think I’m very lucky because I was not supposed to be in this situation anyway. So whatever I do have, it’s already amazing. Secondly, I don’t like the idea of fame. I truly wouldn’t like to be in that much of a continuous spotlight. Also, me not being as influential gives me more freedom to do what I want and I like that.

Donald Trump becoming President has affected everyone in some way. You’ve been in the US four years now. How are you taking it?
Ahhh man, it leaves you kind of flabbergasted. I live in New York, so what happens in my case is I’m living in a bubble outside of America even though it’s America. New York is not America at all. I have been protected from that and am rather safe from all of it. But then again, I’ve also been in these artsy circles where there are discussions about politics. You start to understand and see where this comes from — it’s not necessarily bad people, but just people who have been neglected for long enough to be doing these things and thinking these decisions are right. I went to a Trump rally. It was odd. It was not like people wanted to believe him. People wanted to be heard is all, no matter what it was.

How do you think that will affect Indians there?
I have been trying to have a positive outlook on this. Only in the gravest of times or most extreme situations, do you realise the effects of what you have done or the beauty of a positive sense of anything. Like for example, two things can happen. Trump can be really good for everybody (makes a face). I don’t believe it. The other thing is he’s bad so people realise their mistake and what’s going on. It’s so bad that it makes them see what is bad.

Have you faced anything untoward?
Yes, racism for sure. Like someone would just say, ‘Go back to your country, Sand Enwood’. That’s become a very normal thing especially when you go outside New York. You deal with it sometimes. Most people are really nice and try to overcompensate for everybody else. All these people who are so guilty that they are really nice. But once in a while, you will find someone. You’ll find them here in India also. There, I think people are so prone to think about race and racism right now that it’s the real problem. If they didn’t think about it, it wouldn’t be a real thing. They are so obsessed about racism that they make it a constant reality that nobody can get away from. Nobody can really be human.

Did this happen before Trump also?
No! I never really faced it then. People became more vocal about it after Trump. Plus, I was going outside New York more during that time.

Do you think this might limit the cultural exchange between countries now?
I think it might pause it. For a second. I really do believe and hope that after seeing what is happening, this works as a wake-up call and the exact opposite can transpire right after. People should compensate for this.

Has all this affected your Hollywood career in terms of offers you get?
No. It makes me want to be smarter about the options I take. You kind of have to start thinking about what the social and political circumstance is and what it could mean in terms of what you do — Does it really help it or not do anything and put you in a bad place? It makes you think more, be safer which is not good. Not necessarily the best thing but it’s also not necessarily the worst thing that can happen at this point as well.

Life Of Pi actor Suraj, who makes his Bollywood debut with Phillauri, says Lion star is making Hollywood take note of Indians on screen
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 18, 2017)

While Indian actors generally use their Bollywood outings as a ticket to Hollywood, Suraj Sharma’s career headed in a different direction. After an acclaimed debut in Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi (2012) , the 24-year-old is now set for his maiden Hindi film — Anushka Sharma's Phillauri.

Parallels are being drawn between Suraj, and Indian-American actor Dev Patel’s journey, and the former is delighted about it. “It is a gift since it places me alongside him [Dev]. I hope I at least bag as many roles as he does. I like him as an actor, and love him as a person. We often catch up and talk about movies and life. Just like me, he doesn’t like the idea of fame, and both of us feel the burden of being brown actors [since we are] always typecast,” Suraj says.

Dev’s excellence as an actor, says Suraj, will only enable more Indian-origin artistes bag roles in the West. “From his amazing acting in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) to bagging a Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars for Lion (2016), Dev’s achievements are prestigious for us. They raise our expectations of bagging good roles. Dev has put us all on a pedestal for Hollywood to take note of.”

An array of Indian actors has created waves on the international turf with Priyanka Chopra leading the pack. Yet, brown actors, Suraj feels, continue to face discrimination during auditions. “It’s not racism. It is an ideology so deep-seated that people in Hollywood don’t even realise it. It’s a constant struggle and [we are] often [called to] audition for stereotypical situations,” he adds, and is quick to point out that the growth of independent cinema in India and US is creating a positive change by breaking moulds.

In Anushka’s second production, Suraj will be seen as an NRI, who arrives in Punjab to get married, only to discover that he is a manglik. Ask him if he is superstitious and he responds with a firm no. “But I believe in ghosts! Even though my mind tells me they don’t exist, there is an element of doubt. I have been in some ‘this is not normal’ situations,” he chuckles.