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Chum Darang to Meiyang Chang: TV actors who faced racism
From Chum Darang to Meiyang Chang, here are TV celebs who have spoken out about their experiences with racism.
Racism isn’t something new but a harsh reality many suffer from. Not only outside India, but several people face it even in their own country for their looks, backgrounds and more. Celebs aren’t immune to the sting of racism. From Chum Darang to Meiyang Chang, let’s take a look at some of the TV celebs who opened up about receiving some racist comments in the past.
1. Chum Darang
In a recent candid conversation with BBC India, Chum Darang shared her experience with racism and shared how young boys at a mall called her with hurtful names like ‘momo’ and ‘chow chow.’ She added that she was confused about how to react to such things.
She continued that despite her appearance, she is an Indian, just like everyone else. Chum shared that she hopes people understand that looking different doesn’t make her any less a part of the country.
2. Meiyang Chang
Actor-singer Meiyang Chang once talked about facing racism during the coronavirus outbreak. In an interview with the Times of India, he discussed how people would maintain distance from him or call him ‘coronavirus’ due to his appearance.
He shared that social distancing was necessary but highlighted that name-calling was unfair. Chang, who identifies as ‘Indian Chinese,’ stressed the importance of sensitivity in today’s time.
3. Tanishaa Mukerji
Tanishaa Mukerji once opened up about a traumatic experience of racism in the US, where a restaurant employee made offensive remarks, calling her and her friends ‘fresh off the boat’ and questioning their ability to speak English. She told Mid-Day that despite approaching the staff for help, they refused to assist, leaving her shocked and disappointed. The actress expressed her sadness at facing discrimination in a country known for its values of rights and liberty.
4. Satish Shah
Veteran actor Satish Shah had once opened up on an incident that took place at Heathrow Airport. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared that he overheard airport staff making a racist remark about him. He shared they were questioning how he could afford a first-class ticket, with one saying, "How can they afford 1st class?" The actor replied with a confident smile, proudly stating, "Because we are Indians."
5. Rajiv Adatia
Earlier, in an episode of the popular cooking reality show Celebrity MasterChef, Nikki Tamboli made a racist comment towards Rajiv Adatia, referring to him as ‘angrez’ (foreigner). She said, “Tujhe pata nahi hai kya, angrez?” (You don't know or what, foreigner)
After she faced backlash for her comment, she wrote a long note and shared that such remarks are often made in jest among contestants, and this particular comment was no different. She added that there was no intention to offend and that she and Rajiv had spoken about it, even laughing at how the situation had been blown out of proportion.
