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| Darshi and Patricia Isaac, founders of Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival |
Agam Darshi’s on-screen husband wore a turban but no beard. The problem? Sikh culture dictates men keep their hair uncut – something the filmmakers overlooked.
“It’s just not being respectful to the actual culture itself,” said the Vancouver actor.
Darshi’s story is indicative of a larger challenge in Hollywood North. While roles are few, even more rare are those that don’t cast ethnic actors like Darshi into stereotypes.
A desire to break that Bollywood mould drove Darshi and another local actor to create the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival (VISAFF), taking place this weekend at the SFU Woodward’s campus.
The festival, founded by Darshi and Patricia Isaac, hopes to go beyond common perceptions.
The three-day festival – now in its second year – highlights a wide selection of feature and short films with South Asian elements. Saturday’s closing film, The Taqwacores, explores the intersection between Islam and punk rock.
Isaac, whose most recent credit includes Daydream Nation with Kat Dennings, hopes the festival will encourage colour-blind casting. She’s also had a similar experience to Darshi at an audition.
“The director said I was fantastic and then said, ‘Now can you do that with an accent?’ I kind of laughed,” she said. “At this time, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to say (the character) probably doesn’t have an accent.”
Darshi plays Kate Freelander on the Vancouver-filmed sci-fi series Sanctuary. She called the role a sweet victory because it doesn’t make her ethnicity a focal point.
“The whole festival is about opening up the perceptions of mainstream audiences so they can see South Asian and other minorities as being part of their world,” she said. “We definitely are South Asian, but we live and think of ourselves as very mainstream actors.”
While both actors are grateful for the road Bollywood has paved in North American film, they hope VISAFF will showcase the potential in their generation of South Asian actors.
“For those of us who didn’t grow up in India, we get typecast … and if we can’t play that genre, then we’re out,” Isaac said. “That’s what we’re trying to change.”
For more information on tickets and films, visit www.visaff.com.