It will be hard to recall any commercial Hindi film released before 2022 in which a person from the North East (NE) of India played a pivotal role in the plot, or had almost an equal amount of screen-time as the main protagonists, or even better, actually been the protagonist.
But now, in 2022, no less than two commercial Hindi films—Anek and Badhaai Do—have protagonists from the North East, and in non-stereotypical roles at that. With their assured acting skills and edgy confidence, Carol Andrea Kevichüsa, star of Anek, and Chum Darang, star of Badhaai Do, have done their bit to make the mainstream of the country broader than it was before.
Chum Darang, 31, grew up in small town Pasighat, the oldest city in Arunachal Pradesh, going for picnics, swimming in the rivers that run through her town, sharing baggy T-shirts with her brothers, and, yes, you’ll be surprised, speaking in Hindi. She even worked as a teacher for a year in Arunachal’s Riya village. Today, Chum has three memorable roles behind her—Paatal Lok (2020), Badhaai Do (2022) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)—and was also honoured by Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, for her work.
Meanwhile Carol Andrea Kevichüsa, 21, the youngest of five sisters, was born and raised in Kohima, Nagaland, graduating from a Catholic girls’ school under the watchful eye of her strict parents. She aspired to be a doctor till she was spotted by a modelling agency at the age of 15. Today, she has worked with designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Anamika Khanna, modelled for Katrina Kaif’s cosmetic line, Kay Beauty, and made her acting debut as Aido, an aspiring boxer, in Anek, alongside Ayushmann Khurrana. Aside from all this, she was also presented with the NE Young Heroes award by Pema Khandu, the Arunachal Pradesh CM.
Chum and Andrea are swimming in accolades these days, but their triumphs aren’t just their own. Every laurel they’ve earned has been a win for the entire North Eastern region. Over the last few years, the NE has been noticeably less remote in the imagination of the country than it’s ever been before. Now, with Andrea and Chum taking their places in Bollywood’s pantheon of stars, the North East has stepped front and centre.
Medicine model
Growing up with an English professor for a mother, Andrea insists she led a rather mundane life in her childhood and teens, with church being the only time she got to socialise.
She aspired to be a doctor for practical reasons. As her parents’ last-born child, she knew they would be seniors by the time she grew up and she wanted to take care of them.
“I was adamant about being a doctor and a missionary—we have tribal churches in our own dialect,” she says.
At 15, when Andrea moved to Shillong to study, she was approached by a modelling agency inquiring about an Instagram post she had uploaded.
“I didn’t even know what agencies were. There weren’t too many models from the North East either. So, I refused,” she recalls.
Then, the photographer called her mother and flew to Nagaland to meet Andrea with her family. Her parents gave in, though it was to be a part-time gig. But when she found herself flying to Mumbai for shoots frequently, Andrea took a gap year and moved to Mumbai in 2019. A few months later, the then-18-year-old bagged the role of Aido, an aspiring boxer, in Anek.
“As a child, I could have never fathomed becoming a fashion model or an actor,” says Andrea who describes herself as an awkward, nerdy child, who was always taller than her classmates. “I knew more about music than fashion,” she adds, though the North East is known to be more fashion forward than the rest of the country. A One Direction fan, she had access to fashion magazines only when she visited the dentist! She claims she still wears the same three outfits in rotation even today.
Her parents were pretty encouraging when the time came to switch careers. “We were always on the same page. Even I was hesitant at the time. And I still encourage people to pursue their studies,” says Andrea, who is currently in her second year of a BA (Hons) in English Literature via open school.
Bagging an audition
Education was definitely also on Chum’s mind, evident from her multiple degrees—she has a BA in English from Jawaharlal Nehru University, a B.Ed from Siang Royal Academy, Pasighat, an MA in sociology from IGNOU, and a post-graduation degree from YMCA in Delhi!
With a bank employee for a father, a nurse for a mother, an older sister and two younger brothers, Chum was an utter tomboy till she discovered beauty pageants when she was 16 and participated. When she won a car (still in use back home) one competition, she saw potential. After all, she had always dreamed of acting, having grown up watching Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan classics.
On the first day into her job in Delhi, she realised a 9-to-5 job was not for her. She quit and returned to Pasighat, doing community work and opening her own cafe. But when she met someone who suggested she give acting a shot, she landed in Mumbai in 2018, where she didn’t know a single soul.
Chum spent the first three months in Mumbai in one room, surviving on salads and Maggi, unable to go out and network for work, partly because she didn’t know people from Arunachal living in Mumbai. “There are still just a few, as compared to say, Delhi,” says Chum. It was only when a friend from Arunachal visited that she stepped out and realised that she would have to literally knock on doors to even bag auditions.
“I was shy, so it was tough,” says Chum, who left Mumbai in 2019 after shooting a few ads and giving auditions. “I didn’t think it was happening.”
Months later, she got a call from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office to come in for a test for Gangubai. She flew back and landed Badhaai Do. “I’m so grateful that I didn’t give up. Dil mein toh tha ki acting karna hai. But the competition is so intense that you start to question yourself,” smiles Chum.
Breaking Stereotypes
Chum was never oblivious to the stereotypes that actors from the North East have to face when it comes to being cast in a commercial Bollywood film.
“Being cast as the guard/bahadur etc has always been a norm,” says Chum, who has rejected roles of a masseuse to avoid that stereotype. “There’s a need for that to change and that can only come from sacrifices,” says the actor, who was delighted with Axone—a movie she recommends that everyone must watch.
“Bollywood has a long way to go when it comes to casting actors from the North East. They’re always playing that same stereotype, like the protagonist’s best friend. But, even if it’s a side role, there are ways to bring about an awareness, which depends on the depth of the storytelling. So, you need to be resilient. You will have to work harder than other people of the same calibre,” agrees Andrea.
“I’ve felt out of place in situations at times. But I joined the fashion and film industries at a good time, when they had started on the path of inclusivity. Of course, there are times when designers and brands prefer to have a generic Indian-looking person, but I did get my share of opportunities too,” says Andrea, who admits she was on the fence about Anek initially because her Hindi wasn’t at par, and she had never acted before. But it was a big opportunity. “And when you’re 18, you’re at an age when you are trying to absorb everything like a sponge. My parents encouraged me,” she nods.
Was Chum also hesitant about her Bollywood debut, knowing that she may not bag leading roles?
“That wasn’t a thought because actors from the North East don’t get called for auditions for lead roles! And it’s not a gender thing. Had my eyes been bigger, I would have been offered roles I’m not getting right now. But my eyes are my identity,” she points out proudly.
Ignorance isn’t bliss
Stereotypes don’t just mean losing projects. They also trickle down to discrimination in everyday life. This can be fought if the power of the commercial film industry is put to better use by something as simple as proper representation of people from the North East in Indian cinema, the two believe.
“Bollywood’s reach is insanely huge. The first big change we need is to normalise our features. Just like we have plus-sized models and those with darker skin being celebrated these days, hopefully we will see our normalisation too,” says Andrea, as degree-accruing Chum points out, “You know, there were freedom fighters in the North East as well! If the NCERT could include just one chapter in school books about people from the North East, that would make a whole lot of difference. But books mein nahi hai toh let’s do this through entertainment. A journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. And step one should be awareness so that people are less ignorant.”
Chum faced this ignorance first-hand in Mumbai, when she was called “momo” and “chow chow” outside Infinity Mall. The discrimination was disheartening, but she jokingly gives another incident credit for the fact that she landed the role she was auditioning for in Badhaai Do. Right before the audition, while she was paying for her autorickshaw ride outside the Aaram Nagar studio, two boys on a two-wheeler called her ‘Corona.’ “I cried. But the audition required me to yell and be angry. So, I let out all my rage and bagged the role,” she laughs.
“I was also called ‘Chinese’ and ‘Corona’ by people in Mumbai,” chimes in Andrea, whose Mumbai landlord initially didn’t want to rent the house to her because she’s from the North East. “There is a lot of discrimination due to our food habits and lifestyle. And then there are more nuanced cases also, when someone doesn’t call me ‘chinki’ to my face, but refers to me as that behind my back,” says Andrea, an introvert who had to make an effort to network and slowly grew more confident with each project.
The will to go on
Having been in the fashion industry since her teens, Andrea has managed to develop a thicker skin. “A lot of this confidence stems from perpetrators trying to make us feel like we are less than human. Just because we look different and have different lifestyles and food habits doesn’t mean that we are inferior. We are all Indians.” And so, Andrea focusses on being kind to people.
“They say ignorance is bliss. But that’s true only in a fool’s world,” quips Chum. “Little do the discriminators know that the eyes that they make fun of are the most beautiful thing about my face,” she adds, admitting that the feeling of not belonging comes and goes, but she is now confident. “Because, hello! I am on Netflix! It feels like a dream.”
And the abundant support from back home definitely helps. “When I go back now, the entire town is so proud and supportive of my career. It’s unreal. That love keeps me going,” says Chum.
Andrea, who was swarmed at the airport when she visited home after Anek’s release, adds, “It’s heartwarming. In small communities, achievements are so important. I realised how important it was not just for me but everyone back home too that I do well.”
Any advice for youngsters from the North East joining the industry?
“Give it time, as things won’t work for you in jiffy. Don’t say yes to any and every role. It’s easy to be influenced by the wrong things when you are far from your comfort zone. So, stick to what you came to the big city for, think about your family and pursue your dream,” says Chum.
Andrea agrees. “You will have to work harder than people from the mainland just to be on the same playing field. You will face rejection. But, never compare yourself to others. And, always remember your roots as that’s what keeps you grounded. Your family and friends will make you humble. And humility is vital.”
Words to live by.
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From HT Brunch, November 12, 2022
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