Exclusive | 'My American accent cost me a role': Ankur Rathee reveals facing bias in Bollywood

Ankur Rathees journey has been shaped by two worlds Born in India and raised in San Diego the actor grew up with a desi upbringing while navigating life in the US However establishing himself in the Indian entertainment industry as an IndianAmerican actor had not been easy with stereotypes creating roadblocks along the wayIn an exclusive conversation with MidDay Ankur opened up on the challenges of being an IndianAmerican actor in Bollywood The Best of the Best actor revealed that he hid his identity for six to seven years fearing that his American accent would lead Bollywood filmmakers or producers to question his suitability for desi roles The actor also shared how speaking in his American accent led him to lose out on a roleAnkur Rathee on struggles of being an IndianAmerican actor in BollywoodWhen asked if he ever feels caught between expectations working as an IndianAmerican actor across industries Ankur admitted that he feels this more in Bollywood than in Hollywood The actor said I think America in general is such a melting point of different cultures You can see that some of the most popular actors there are British or Australian Producers have no doubts about how they will portray American characters because they know these actors are professionalsHere you could say there is a certain amount of stereotyping or doubt When I came here when I spoke in English with my American accent that became a factor Even though most of the work I have done here the characters I have played have largely been Indian and I have had a desi upbringing he addedThey assume I am an NRI and cant portray a desi characterWhen Ankur speaks in his natural American accent Indian producers may assume he is an NRI and question whether he can convincingly portray a character who has grown up in India He said I dont use my American accent for these roles I speak in an Indian accent whatever that may be Despite that when I meet producers here and they hear my American accent they assume Oh hes an NRI How will he portray a desi character So despite having done so much work that doubt will still exist However it is gradually beginning to fadePeople get nervous when I speak in an American accentAccording to Ankur some actors who grew up in India may struggle with Hindi yet his American accent can make them question his suitability for Indian roles even though he has worked hard to improve his language skills I think my Hindi has also improved considerably over time But I must say Ive worked with actors who grew up here and whose Hindi is so poor that I cant even begin to describe it Im not saying Im the best I still have a lot to learn There is room for growth everywhere but when I speak in my American accent people get nervous Then it becomes my job as an actor to put them at ease The Four More Shots Please actor saidI hid my identity for sixseven yearsIn the beginning Ankur deliberately avoided speaking in his natural American accent and avoided telling people in the entertainment industry that he was IndianAmerican because he feared being judged or stereotyped He said For the first six or seven years whenever I met people from the industry I would hide my American accent I also wouldnt lead with the fact that I am IndianAmerican I never embraced that part of my identity My sister is an actress and so are my sisterinlaw and my wife but they never felt the need to hide anything However I felt that I had toAnkur lost out on a role due to his American accentAnkur recalled the incident when he thought that he had got the role but after the producer heard his American accent he was no longer considered for the part The Thappad actor said This has happened to me before I auditioned for a role and the producer and director liked me I went to meet the producer and spoke in my American accent because I thought I had already got the job you know But after I got home my manager called and told me We have to go in a different direction and I lost the roleAnkur feels that Indian filmmakers in comparison to Hollywood have a limited understanding of actors and their capabilities Here in India Ive generally observed that peoples understanding of actors is limited They have every right to turn me down its their money and they can do what they want But I think it shows a lack of imagination he addedAnkur Rathee on the professional frontOn the work front Ankur Rathee was recently seen in Netflixrsquos American comingofage dance comedy Best of the Best He is also known for Indian films and shows including Thappad Shehzada Netflixrsquos Eternally Confused and Eager for Love 2022 and Amazon Prime Videorsquos Inside Edge Four More Shots Please Made in Heaven among others