Happy Diwali! Here are 5 South Asians who dominated the media this year. This week we’re celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali; I wish everyone
celebrating a wonderful day! In the spirit of celebrating, I thought it would be worthwhile to
celebrate some South Asians who have carried out some great milestones this year.
Kickstarting with the peoples princess Avantika Vandapu. Avantika has caused much
conversation this year after her breakout role in ‘Mean Girls the musical’ along costars Renee
Rapp, Angourie Rice and Christopher Briney. She absolutely outperformed as Karen and
caught the attention of the media with her iconic red carpet looks. Her most discussed outfit
(and for a reason) was her Saree look which she debuted at the mean girls premiere. She even
gave an interview expressing her personal importance for South Asian representation in the
media, stating ‘I think especially as a woman of colour, and a South Indian, I think we rarely
get to see ourselves represented in a group of girls who are unanimously considered beautiful
and popular, and the epitome of glamour even if its just in high-school’. I think many Indian
women, myself included felt a particular weight lifted off their hearts finally seeing someone
that looks like them front and centre playing one of cinemas most iconic characters. She
articulated the general conflict that many south Asian girls experience, often being put in a
box through inaccurate stereotyping in Hollywood. Avantika really put a foot in the door to
diversifying specifically how Indian women are portrayed on screen. Also, seeing her show
appreciation for her culture by earring traditional wear was empowering beyond words,
considering how beautiful these garments are I hope to see them appear more on the red
carpet in the future! Avantika has won the hearts of the public following the premiere of the
film and was even honoured the ‘South Asian Person of the Year’ award by Harvard
University. She accepted her award saying ‘being honoured by such a prestigious institution
as Harvard University is truly humbling and incredibly motivating. This award not only
acknowledges my efforts but also underscores the significance of narratives transcending
borders and the crucial role of Indian representation in global media.’. Avantika is the
epitome of a highly educated role model, another reason why she is perfect representation for
Indian girls across the globe is.
Although we are deep into the autumn season, I will be temporarily transporting us back to
brat summer once again, in order to pay appreciation for our own Charli XCX. It is safe to
say Charli dominated the music industry this summer, whether it was the viral ‘apple’ dance
on TikTok, or you simply walked into any retail store- you could not escape the ‘brat’ album.
The sweat tour also took place over the summer, Charli was joined by another popular artist,
Troye Sivan, and toured North America. The live shows have since become a cultural
phenomenon, with the shows being turned into immersive experiences, essentially glorified
raves. Many celebrities have also been spotted attending her iconic parties including, Alexa
Demie, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Lorde, Gracie Abrams, Addison Rae, Rachel Sennot
and more. The ‘brat summer’ marvel has made pop culture history; it is incredibly
encouraging to see a woman’s south Asian descent so integrated and centred in pop culture,
I can’t wait to see what Charli has to offer us next.
Next up we have British actress Ambika Mod. Ambika is best known for her role in the
Netflix miniseries ‘One day,’ however you may also know her from other projects such as the
BBC drama series ‘This is going to hurt’. Ambika caused much discussion after the release of
the ‘One day’ series on Netflix. As the series is an interpretation of an iconic movie, Ambika
had big shoes to fill playing the character ‘Emma Morley,’ previously played by actress Anne
Hathaway. However, Ambika did not disappoint. Her role as Emma captivated audiences,
providing a slightly differing yet perfect portrayal of this iconic character. Although her
costar Leo Woodall received more significant praise for his performance in the series, being
described as this year’s ‘heartthrob,’ for me Emma was the story. There is a reason her
inevitable death at the end of the series caused audiences to be so hysterical and moved,
Ambika’s portrayal of Emma encompassed the perfect concoction of sarcasm, rawness, and
beauty- making her a character to be perpetually mourned. In October of this year, Ambika
made the ‘Time100Next’ list- an incredible and deserved achievement. Ambika’s role did not
only do justice for Emma but also many south Asian girls, being able to see themselves as one
one of the most iconic rom-com protagonists of all time. Ambika has since commented on the
value of this in many interviews following the release of the show, for example she said ‘I
hope that for lots of young brown girls this will be a symbol that you do deserve to be loved
and you do matter and you are important and you can go after what you want and you don’t
have to be just one thing.’ This remark almost brought tears to my eyes, Ambika possesses
such ambition, much like her character Emma, she has contributed greatly to hopefully seeing
a shift in attitudes towards south Asian women in Hollywood, and for that I am eternally
grateful. I am always left in awe of Ambika’s performances; she has had a much-deserved
admirable year.
Lastly, I am paying my dues to the one and only, beautiful Simone Ashley. Simone has
garnered much attention following her role is season 2 of Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’. She was the
perfect fit for her character ‘Kate Sharma’ and has since become a fan favourite on the show.
The introduction of the ‘Sharma sisters’ also introduced many aspects of Indian culture to the
show that I was shocked and pleased to see. Kates sister ‘Edwina’ often refers to her as ‘Didi’
a term meaning ‘older sister’ in Hindi, there are scenes showing the sisters partaking in hair
oiling, traditional south Asian wear such as lenghas and saris are incorporated into the
costuming of the sisters and the soundtrack even features the iconic Bollywood song ‘Khabi
Khushi Khabi Gham’. Kate promptly became a beloved character, as Simone exhibited
outstanding chemistry with costar Jonathon Bailey. What made Kate so memorable, and
bewitching was her unbending strength and independence. She was not the typical damsel in
distress, meek princess needing to be saved, she was strong spirited and self-governing. I
personally credit this to being a first-born daughter to a south Asian family. I am certain,
many other South Asian first-born daughters identified with Kates unwavering pressure to
make her family proud as well as her intense sense of independence. In October of this year,
Simone was awarded the Glamour ‘Women of the year award for game changing actor’ due
to her impact for dark-skinned women everywhere. In her thanks you speech she delivered
the message ‘To any little girls watching this, especially little girls with slim like mine, I hope
that you can watch me and trust and understand you do belong, you belong on this stage with
me with a microphone like this so your voice can be heard loud and clear.’ As glamour stated
themselves the award could not have gone to a more deserving recipient. Simone is such a
strong role model both on and off screen, she is gracious and humble and perfectly
encapsulates how Indian women and all women of colour should be rightfully perceived.
To all celebrating I wish you a day full of love, light, and positivity! Even though this article
was deliberately timed, its message should be internalised all year round. To all my south
Asians reading give yourself the grace and appreciation you so rightfully deserve, even
without a platform like the names I have listed in this piece you are so capable and inclined to
make a change! Never be disheartened by silly internet campaigns or ignorant individuals,
your culture and origin is something to be celebrated and to take pride in, I hope this article
helped to see that!