There’s a magic to watching a movie on the big screen. There’s a magic to getting enveloped by the story and the world that it brings to life. There’s a magic to seeing a character on screen who you can relate to and emulate. But that is where the film industry and South Asian media, in general, falls short. From advertisements that showcase products like Fair and Lovely to the fact that darker skinned actors rarely get leading roles in films, the media has shown a strong preference for light skin.  

None of this has stopped Sabina Jey. Dark-skinned and standing at five feet tall, she did not fit the media’s skewed parameters for beauty. However, Jey did not give up. In fact, she made it her mission to fight colorism.

Stop seeing your skin colour as a flaw and start seeing is as a gift from God to change society’s fucked up view of what it means to be beautiful. Be the change you want to see. Dark skin is the shit. In celebration of @unfairandlovely To all the lovely girls who have ever felt insecure about their colour pm me or comment your story for a chance to feature on my insta.

A post shared by Sabby Jey (@sabbyjeyxx) on May 5, 2016 at 12:24am PDT

[Read Related: ‘Hamilton’s’ Lead Actress Shoba Narayan Spills on her South Asian Roots and Journey to the Stage]

I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Jey over the phone about her unique journey. Born and raised in New Zealand, Jey grew up with a love for Tamil movies. Jey officially kicked off her modeling career in 2014 and began actively chronicling her fitness journey on Instagram.

However, everything changed when an ex-boyfriend decided to make a degrading post about her – a picture of a black dog referring to her as a “black bitch.” Rather than be deterred, Jey decided to talk about it. In a heartfelt post, she spoke about the importance of loving the color of your skin and not viewing yourself as unattractive.

“People don’t realize that their words of judgment can phase someone so much. It’s not only harmful to me, but it’s harmful to a society that has only recently changed its attitude towards darker skin tones. People have to understand that someone’s ethnicity and skin color is something that can never be changed and using that as an insult is ignorant,” she wrote.

As fate would have it, the post blew up.

“I received so many DMs from other girls struggling with this,” Jey recounted. “It led me to transform my Instagram platform into a feed about positivity and supporting girls struggling with their own issues.”

These issues included bullying, letdowns, dealing with strict brown parents, and other tribulations many in the desi community grapple with.

When the post went viral, it opened the floodgates to other opportunities. Jey secured an acting role from director MA Bala on her first Tollywood feature film, “Kaadhal Nagaram.” She began to campaign for Dark Is Beautiful, doing video work for them and contributing to blog posts about the different aspects of being dark.

My Mission in life is to keep challenging skin colour bias ??. ?? ?? DOUBLE TAP if you are WITH me ??. ?? ? ?Discrimination towards dark skin in media and advertising is still happening all over India, Sri Lanka and other south asian countries ?????. ?? ? #melaningoals #melaninbeauty #darksibeautiful #melaninismagic #unfairandlovely #melanin #melaninpoppy #melaninonfleek #melaningoddess #melaninrich #melaninqueen #brownskingirl #darkskin #browngirlgang #darkisbeautiful #unfairandlovely?? ?? Photocredit: @markleedom ?? Wardrobe: @kesha_klothing

A post shared by Sabby Jey (@sabbyjeyxx) on Jun 17, 2018 at 3:54am PDT

“There need to be more dark-skinned actors in the [film] industry to change people’s perspectives on beauty,” Jey stresses.

She notes that actors in movies are not representative of people in real life, who have a range of skin colors. This is especially true in southern parts of India, where a large portion of the population is dark-skinned. Jey commented on how despite this, girls of dark skin are cast as villagers while those with a fairer complexion are chosen to be the leads in movies and advertisements. 

“If people want to lighten their skin, it’s their choice, yes,” Jey admits. “But dark-skinned people shouldn’t receive hate for simply choosing not to.”

This is the crux of Jey’s message. Nobody should feel forced to change their body just because the media does not positively showcase their body type. No one should let the media and outside judgments stop them from doing what they want to do.

[Read Related: Ballerina Sudarsna Mukund on the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the Ballet World]

After she made the decision to get plastic surgery last year, Jey was surprised by the backlash she received. Many commented on Jey’s supposed hypocrisy.

“Everybody had to comment on it. A lot of people were questioning why I did it. They thought it was hypocritical for me to get plastic surgery while fighting colorism. There was a lot of hate from the online community,” Jey confessed.

She had gotten her nose done, her chin enhanced, her under-eyes done and had some Botox. Jey had been open about her intentions to get plastic surgery done for a long time, both publicly on social media and with her close group of friends.  

“These were completely my own actions, and I was fine doing it because it was to make me happy,” she stated. “They did not affect anyone else’s life.” Her body, her choice.

Despite some criticism from individuals online, many of Jey’s followers were very supportive. She received countless messages from other women confessing that they too wanted to get a surgery done, support that she reciprocated.

Jey has since gone on to found her own social media management company, Sabby Jey Social Limited, and has worked as a brand ambassador for mobile phone giant Huawei, as well as other local New Zealand brands that reflect her values.

“Today, I see myself as a dark brown girl who has finally realized the beauty within her,” Jey wrote in her initial viral post about loving her skin. “I refuse to believe beauty is based on color or that dark skin is less attractive than fair skin. And I will continue to believe this as many strong dark women do. I know one day everyone, everywhere will understand this.”

By Viren Shinde

Viren Shinde is a programmer by day, a photographer and writer by night, and a consumer of all things caffeine … Read more ›

Photo Courtesy of Varsha Panikar

“After so Long” is a poetry film created for Simha’s EP, which is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. The poem was collaboratively written by Simha, a U.S. native, and Jae, who is based in India, during the 2020 lockdown. “After so Long” was recited by Simha and their parents. In 2022, I directed and produced the film through my studio, Star Hopper. “After so Long” premiered on Nowness Asia in March 2022.

By Varsha Panikar

Varsha Panikar (they/he) is a filmmaker, writer and multi-disciplinary artist from India. They are the co-founder of Star Hopper, a … Read more ›

Being a teenager is scary. Hormones, high school, trying to fit in — add to it a flesh-hungry demon from the Indian subcontinent and it becomes downright terrifying. At least, that’s what award-wining director Bishal Dutta’s debut feature “It Lives Inside” will have audiences thinking when it hits theaters on Sept. 22. 

From the producers of several blockbusters including “Get Out” and “Us,” “It Lives Inside” stars Megan Suri as Samidha. Samidha is an Indian American teenager growing up in a quintessential small town, where she’s one of only a handful of South Asian faces at her school. She has a sweet, hardworking dad (Vik Sahay) and a caring, but stern mother (Neeru Bajwa). Both of them like their daughter home early to make prasad for prayers and insist no one whistles in the house, fearing it’ll attract evil spirits. 

[Read Related: Megan Suri Talks ‘Never Have I Ever’ Season 2 & Decolonizing South Asian Mindsets]

Tamira has become the center of school gossip carrying around an ominous black mason jar, dwelling beneath the gym bleachers. One day, she corners Sam in the locker room, begging her for help from the “monster” trapped in the jar, but Sam is rigid. Her desire to fit overcomes her emotions. Tamira storms out — and then mysteriously goes missing. 

Little does Sam know, her childhood friend’s behavior and disappearance were brought on by the Piscacha — a flesh-eating Hindu demon drawn to negative energy — and Sam’s disbelief has just unleashed its terror back on her. 

“It Lives Inside” is a breath of fresh air. It has the nostalgic backdrop of a 1980s teen movie (think “Sixteen Candles” or even “Halloween”) but adds the thrill of an exciting new monster for horror fans, and looks for the final girl.

Audiences have spent decades watching and screaming at faith-based horror stories like “The Exorcist,” “The Conjuring,” and “Carrie,” but “It Lives Inside” is the first of its kind for Hollywood, drawing from Hinduism for its frights. 

Now, I can’t lie…when I first learned the story would be rooted in Hinduism, I was nervous. I worried that religion and culture may be used as a gimmick, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Dutta’s approach is reminiscent of Bisha K. Ali’s with “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+. Characters speak Hindi and we see South Asian religious practices, foods, and clothing displayed prominently, in a natural and authentic way that other groups can easily learn and understand. The culture merely rounds out the story, it’s not the main character or conflict. 

The Piscacha, feeding on the despondence of its prey, may remind some of Vecna from season 4 of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” but Dutta offers a fresh angle, alluding to the characters’ negative feelings toward their culture being the source of its power.  

He offers South Asian American audiences relatable family dialogues and dynamics, but also steers clear of cliches like showing popular kids as mean or Sam’s American crush unlikeable.

“It Lives Inside” isn’t a horror movie you’ll lose sleep over, but that doesn’t mean it’s without palpable moments of fear.

Thanks to Dutta’s creative shots, smart pacing and sensory visuals, in addition to the emotion-packed acting of its cast, the film successfully makes your skin crawl and your jaw drop on several occasions.  

The characters are smartly cast with several standouts. Suri is a welcome new face for the horror genre’s final girl and she delivers her role with the right amount of escalating fear and desperation. Meanwhile, Bajwa leans into hers with the passion you’d expect from a protective brown mom, though, at times, some of her Hindi drama tells come through. 

“Get Out’s” Betty Gabriel is also noteworthy as Sam’s teacher Joyce and an early confidant. Her support of Sam was a refreshing break from the “this person must be crazy” trope we see so frequently in demonic films. 

All that said, “It Lives Inside” does border on being formulaic. It follows a template and scares we have seen numerous times and ones that have done well historically. 

But in its familiarity, it also manages to feel fresh. With its South Asian twist, the film proves that even formulaic horror films can find new life through diversity and inclusivity. It raises the idea that they have the potential to scare wider audiences and tell more spooky stories by exploring new cultures and casts. 

While “It Lives Inside” is not perfect — the climax may leave you with a few lingering questions — it is a stylish and well-made film and a welcome piece of mainstream South Asian representation.

[Read Related: Kamala Khan As ‘Ms Marvel’ Is The Greatest Thing To Happen To Pakistani-Muslim-Americans]

Recent past has seen South Asian stars delve into many different genres on television and the big screen, but horror has remained largely untouched. Thankfully, “It Lives Inside” has set the table for some brilliant South Asian-based horror films in Hollywood for years to come. 

“It Lives Inside” made its world premiere at SXSW and has made its way through the film festival circuit. It will be released theatrically by Neon on September 22. 

By Ramona Sukhraj

With a B.S. in Marketing from the UCONN School of Business, Ramona has made a name for herself publishing over … Read more ›

As a South Indian American, I am aware of how non-brown Americans view the Indian film industry. One word: Bollywood. Bollywood and the South Indian film industry has always been lumped into the same category as Bollywood, despite the diversity. For Indians, South India is obviously different from North India, but non-brown people assume it would all be the same. This extends beyond Indian cinema; feeding into assumptions regarding other aspects of culture like language, food, and so on. People tend to assume all Indians speak Hindi or eat tikka masala at home rather than trying to understand the diversity of Indian culture. With time, especially with the help of social media, there was more accessibility to understanding the differences among these cultures, yet nothing truly spread across the globe. Then came “RRR.”

[Read Related: On the Road to the Oscars: M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ Redefines the World’s View of Indian Music]

“RRR” is a Telugu film from Tollywood. This South Indian film has become a worldwide sensation with its incredible visual effects, captivating plot, and catchy music. I was blown away by the reception this film got in the United States, especially from American film critics who were all praise. What impressed me the most was how more Americans clarified it was not a Bollywood film, and differentiated it as a Tollywood film. The number of people taking the time to learn the difference between Tollywood and Bollywood might seem simple, yet meaningful, nonetheless. South Indian films are incredibly underrated and are finally getting the attention they deserved. It is incredible to see the celebration surrounding the film and what it represents and means to this community and how we get to share it with the world. The hype was real, and then the awards season began.

 

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A post shared by RRR Movie (@rrrmovie)

The Golden Globes top the list of some of the major awards for television and film and it was amazing to hear that “RRR” had been nominated in two categories for this award. Funnily enough in my own world, it aired on my birthday. Then came the moment when Jenna Ortega said “Naatu Naatu, RRR” and the song played as M.M. Keeravani approached the stage to accept his award. This song became the first Asian, not only Indian, song to win the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The 80th Golden Globes saw many wins for the Asian community with films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “RRR.” There is something beautiful about being South Indian in America and watching a South Indian song win an award in America on one’s birthday. There is a joy in getting to tell my friends, both brown and non-brown, about it and share the song, “Naatu Naatu,” with them. Sure it is Indian, but it is just a bit closer to home, and that closeness stands with a beautiful meaning. When it came to the Critics’ Choice Awards, it was touching to hear about how S.S. Rajamouli grew up with the encouragement of creativity and storytelling. It honestly inspired me to continue my own projects; I hope to see them prosper as well. 

[Read Related: Sri Rao and the Future of South Asian Diasporic Cinema]

After the win at the Golden Globes, the Oscars became highly anticipated for the Indian community, especially when the nominations for Best Original Song were announced. Of course, when the familiar title appeared once again, a victory felt within grasp. “Naatu Naatu” had a couple of big moments at the Academy Awards ceremony: the performance and the win itself. The performance was introduced by the absolutely phenomenal actress, Deepika Padukone, who, too, is s South Indian. Her introduction of the song brought forward the context in which the tune takes place, that is during 1920 under the British colonization of India. She reminded all of us of how significant the song was along with its catchy beat. When it came to the announcement of who won Best Original Song, it was a first-of-its-kind victory given that it was the first time an Indian film won in this category. The speech made by M. M. Keeravani was beautiful as he sang to the tune of “Top of the World” with his own lyrics to take in the moment. It was certainly an extremely proud day to be Indian anywhere in the world, and especially to be a South Indian.

Seeing non-brown folks acknowledging the diversity of Indian culture has been beautiful to witness. The cultural pride of saying an Indian film, specifically a South Indian film, won the Oscar, a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and two Critics’ Choice Awards so far is an absolute joy. Seeing South Indian representation, especially during the awards season, is inspiring for brown creatives. This has been a time of great cultural pride in the South Indian community, and as a South Indian creative myself, I am honored to see it.

Photo Courtesy: Netflix

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By S. Kavi

S. Kavi is a South Indian American writer, poet, and artist. Her work involves the exploration of South Indian culture, … Read more ›