[A few recent series have notably nuanced depictions of brown
teens. This is a promising development. (Those racist reactions? Not
so much.)]
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PORTSIDE CULTURE
VELMA, ITS BACKLASH, AND HOW SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN ARE REPRESENTED ON TV
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Saloni Gajjar
February 8, 2023
AV Club
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_ A few recent series have notably nuanced depictions of brown teens.
This is a promising development. (Those racist reactions? Not so
much.) _
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in Never Have I Ever; Velma; Iman Vellani in
Ms. Marvel, Isabella Vosmikova/Netflix; HBO Max; Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel
Studios
It’s unlikely anyone had _Velma_
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first controversial TV show on their bingo card. But in retrospect, it
shouldn’t be surprising that a retooled version of the Scooby Doo
gang would have plenty of people up in arms (especially in _The A.V.
Club_’s review comments and my Twitter DM’s) when the animated
comedy premiered last month on HBO Max. (The first-season finale hits
the service on February 9.)
Developed by Charlie Grandy, the animated prequel follows Velma
Dinkley (Mindy Kaling), Daphne Blake (Constance Wu), Fred Jones (Glenn
Howerton), and Norville “Shaggy” Rogers (Sam Richardson) in high
school. They haven’t yet banded together to form Mystery Inc. or
taken the Great Dane under their wing. But they are going through a
formative time.
Velma, obviously, is the heart of the show. The series is primarily
her origin story—that is, a bisexual South Asian voiced by Kaling.
It’s full of pop-culture references, cornball zingers, and
relationship drama that now feel synonymous with a Kaling project.
This familiarity is one of the main reasons _Velma _was criticized
early on. Well, that and the fact that Velma isn’t white. Because
how dare the producers try to reimagine a cultural figure to make her
more universal, right? To be clear: This is hardly the first
time _Velma _has been essayed by an actor of color (see Gina
Rodriguez in 2020’s _Scoob!_, and Hayley Kiyoko in two_ Scooby
Doo! _movies in 2009 and 2010).
So yes, Velma Dinkley feels similar to _The Office_
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or _The Mindy Project_
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Lahiri. Except there’s a major difference: Kaling is not a writer
on _Velma_ (not that assessing Kaling’s work isn’t valid, like
how brown women in her shows mostly end up with white men
romantically). Part of the _Velma _backlash seems to be an
aftereffect of Kaling being one of the few South Asian creators in
Hollywood to go mainstream. As _IndieWire’s _Proma Khosla aptly
stated
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month, the discourse might stem from fatigue. The industry still
doesn’t have enough opportunities for South Asian writers,
directors, and actors to tell nuanced, original stories. And there’s
no drive to promote them adequately (although Kaling has certainly
helped pave the way in recent years).
Personally, _Velma _struck a chord with me despite its generic
mystery and cheesy one-liners because it shows a messy,
unsure-of-herself brown teen striving to do better. (Find me an
adolescent who doesn’t turn their identity crisis into an overblown
catastrophe.) And it’s especially poignant _because _of the
disappointing and limited South Asian representation in animation,
with the most widely regarded character still being _The Simpsons_
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It’s contemporary shows like _Velma _or Disney Junior’s _Mira,
The Royal Detective_
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different but with central South Asian characters—that help change
audiences’ perspectives and hit home for yours truly.
devi and her mom being iconic (never have i ever +s2)
This type of disruptive yet heartfelt coming-of-age depiction is a
throughline in some other recent TV shows as well, including the
Kaling co-created _Never Have I Ever_
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Netflix_ _and _The Sex Lives Of College Girls_
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HBO Max. The list includes Disney+’s _Ms. Marvel_
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even _Bridgerton_
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see multiple young brown female characters in rapid succession with
distinctive, engaging stories despite intersecting themes of parental
relationships and self-awareness.
Velma’s love for crime-solving stems from a desire to find her
missing mother; _NHIE_’s Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) finds it
tough to connect with her strict mom after her dad’s death; _Ms.
Marvel_’s Kamala (Iman Vellani) navigates the discovery of her
superpowers, which are rooted in her ancestry.
Meanwhile, _TSLOCG_’s Bela (Amrit Kaur), and _Bridgerton_’s Kate
(Simone Ashley) and her younger sibling, Edwina (Charithra Chandran),
aim to live up to their families’ expectations while hoping to chart
their own paths. They all falter and act selfishly in ways that negate
the usual South Asian stereotypes of being a model minority, demure,
nerdy, etc. Each of them demonstrates that young brown women can, in
fact, be a mix of flawed, chaotic, vulnerable, and so on.
This brings me back to Kaling, one of the few big Indian American
names in Hollywood. Her characters undoubtedly share a kindred comedic
spirit, whether in a movie like _Late Night_,
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Velma Dinkley, or a six-season sitcom like _The Mindy Project_. If
you’re a fan, you know this. It’s also clear that she draws from
her personal experiences, like losing her mom to cancer, or an
internet-favorite “will-they-won’t-they” with B.J. Novak. Her
brand of comedy might not be for everyone, but no community is ever a
monolith. Pinning all hopes for representation on one person isn’t a
worthwhile endeavor. There are several other talented artists of South
Asian descent helming their own ventures: Nida Manzoor (_We Are Lady
Parts_ [[link removed]]),
Manjari Makijany (_Spin_), Sujata Day (_Definition Please_
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Darshi (_Donkeyhead_
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Baig (_Hala_
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just to name a few from recent years, although we could use plenty
more.
This is all to say that there is still a _lot_ to say.
Is _Velma_ an intentional departure from the traits we’re used to?
Sure. Is the execution perfect? No. Is it a fun time? Definitely
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But the glaring backlash against the show not only exposes blatant
racism—hey, if you didn’t complain about Azaria voicing Apu, you
shouldn’t gripe about Kaling’s take on Velma, Wu’s portrayal of
Daphne, or Richardson’s version of Shaggy—but also highlights a
lack of empathy and understanding about why these stories matter. We
should be celebrating thoughtful representations of South Asian teens
onscreen, whether it’s Velma or the characters in any other projects
I’ve mentioned. Apparently, there’s a lot of catching up to do.
* south Asian representation
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* misogyny
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* Racism
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* Velma
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* ms. marvel
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