‘Not great to be brown or black in some parts of US’

Karan Soni finds the Apu controversy "cool". The Deadpool actor of Indian origin says it is a great time for people of colour in Hollywood, but he cannot say the same for the entire US, especially under Donald Trump's presidency. "I think it is a great time (to be people of colour) in the entertainment industry. In America in general because of Trump, I don't know. I am very lucky to live in Los Angeles, which is a diverse place where it is great to be different," Karan said in an interview over phone from Los Angeles. "In America in general...I know there are a lot of parts where may be it is not that great to be brown or black. So, it is good specifically in Hollywood and in general it depends where you are in America and based on who voted for whom," he added. 

Karan, who got noticed as Deadpool's Indian cab driver Dopinder in the first part, feels the Apu controversy —which emerged as Hank Azaria voiced Apu, a character from The Simpsons — will initiate a positive change. Apu had to grapple with the troubling stereotype of a convenience store clerk with an exaggerated, fake Indian accent since the show's inception. "The controversy over the character is completely justified simply because in 2018 it is weird to have a white actor doing an Indian accent on a TV show. There are so many Indian actors who can do that part and do it better." Karan feels things would have been different if The Simpsons was made in recent times. 

Nevertheless, he is proud that the Deadpool makers understood the importance of having a diverse cast. The film tells the story of an adult superhero with a twisted sense of humour. Karan's Dopinder took relationship advice from Deadpool. His role was short, but it didn't go unnoticed. —IANS