The Evolution of South Asian Women in British Film and TV
From "Bend It Like Beckham" to "Polite Society," Here's How South Asian Women Have Evolved On Screen
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While the BBC has released a number of South Asian-led comedies in the last decade or so ("Man Like Mobeen," "Citizen Khan"), the broadcaster has also become more representative and multicultural in its wider comedies. One of the first examples of this was in the teen BBC Three comedy "Some Girls," which followed a diverse group of friends in their final year of school. It felt similar to shows like "The Inbetweeners," making space for girls in that teen comedy genre. In particular, having a mix of races included in the core ensemble made the show feel much more authentic.
The one Indian character of the four is Saz Khan, played by Mandeep Dhillon. While the character does adhere to some cultural stereotypes (strict parents, a love for maths, set life plan), Saz is much more than that, and many comedic moments come from her anger issues and sarcastic nature. Each of the girls has their own quirks, but all of them deal with the same day-to-day struggles: school, boys, and parents. Saz is never excluded from that, showing the ways in which British South Asians live a very different life now than the generations before us.