Actor Adarsh Gourav, who has worked in international projects such as The White Tiger and the upcoming series Extrapolation, is bothered by the stereotypical portrayal of Indians in Hollywood films. “They are still mostly shown as scientists, doctors or engineers. Not to say that it’s not true,” he says, adding, “They are indeed stereotyped for a reason, because there are a lot of Indian doctors and Indian engineers. But then what are movies for?, he questions and goes on, “Movies are for your imagination. Through cinema, you imagine a character that may not exist in reality. That’s what makes it interesting. It’s like a dream.”
But Gourav is excited and positive that changes would happen in this sphere very soon, owing to the big win at Oscars. “What will change for Indian actors over there is the way that Indians are portrayed commonly in most movies in Hollywood, even now. RRR and The Elephant Whisperers winning at the Oscars is a huge moment in the history for all Indians. I believe that this would be the catalyst to a lot of big changes that will be seen in the next five or 10 years. There’s already talks happening about a South Asian segment being introduced in the Oscars, especially catering towards films here in South Asia because that’s the biggest market right now in the world. So, with both these victories, a lot more people will be knowing about our culture and our movies. It will also affect the way Indian characters are written in films,” he shares.
The actor is now gearing up for the release of his awaited Hollywood project, Extrapolation, which also has names like Meryl Streep, Kit Harrington, David Schwimmer, Sienna Miller, and Keri Russell. Sharing the experience of working with Russell, he says, “I think working with her was fantastic. I had three days of shoot with her and not even for a second did I feel that I was working with an actor with so much experience. She was very, very humble. We had a meal together and we spoke about the craft and a lot more.”
Besides her, I actually did not get to share scenes with Meryl Streep, Kit Harrington, David Schwimmer and others. They were in different episodes of the series, but I hope that in the future that happens. I really do!,” he adds.
And that might happen very soon as his previous international project, The White Tiger, Gourav reveals had been a big pivot for him. “I feel my career has completely taken on a new course after the release. A lot more opportunities have come my way, a lot more filmmakers that I want to work with, writers who I resonate with, have become more accessible to me. And it’s been one of the biggest reasons why I’ve been able to do the kind of work that I have done in the last two years,” he wraps up.