The Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 22, 2025:
A Daily Mail article from the time reported a “nasty race row” erupting among “fans angry a non-Anglo-Saxon family would become show regulars”. “I think they got death threats,” Viswanathan recalls. “The audiences were just not about it.”
That near-miss seems emblematic of Viswanathan’s early experience with the local industry. In a story deploringly common for actors of colour or ethnic backgrounds in Australia, she found that onscreen opportunities here were severely limited.
A Daily Mail article from the time reported a “nasty race row” erupting among “fans angry a non-Anglo-Saxon family would become show regulars”. “I think they got death threats,” Viswanathan recalls. “The audiences were just not about it.”
That near-miss seems emblematic of Viswanathan’s early experience with the local industry. In a story deploringly common for actors of colour or ethnic backgrounds in Australia, she found that onscreen opportunities here were severely limited.
Viswanathan grew up in the outside ’burbs of Newcastle, a “big old beach rat” with an Indian dad and a Swiss mum (her family’s still based up there). “It’s beautiful, and I feel so lucky to have grown up there … But it’s changed a lot. The ’90s and noughties in Newy hit different,” she deadpans.
Looking Indian but speaking Swiss-German: in Newcastle back in the day, this could short-circuit people’s brains. “It was such a strange dichotomy. When people saw my mum and I together, they thought I was adopted,” Viswanathan says. “I felt like an outsider, always. But then comedy felt like a bit of a superpower, because funny is funny, you know? It doesn’t matter what you look like.”
If you are obviously different from the majority, you will likely have it easier in America than in Australia.
Most people want to watch people on TV who look like them.
The Daily Mail reported Dec. 9, 2011:
Neighbours racist row erupts as Indian family moves into all white Ramsay Street – and viewers complain
Staff from popular TV show forced to remove racist posts left on its website from fans
Actor who plays Indian father hits out saying they probably supported the ‘White Australia’ policyA nasty race row has broken out over an Indian family becoming residents into Australia’s long-running TV soap Neighbours.
The actor who plays an Indian father in Ramsay Street has hit out at fans who say it is ‘un-Australian’ to cast him, saying they probably supported the ‘White Australia’ policy.
Melbourne-born of Indian descent, Sachin Joab is part of the long-running TV soap’s attempt to tackle perceptions the show is too white and doesn’t represent modern Australia.
Yesterday, Neighbours staff Down Under were forced to remove several racist posts from fans angry a non-Anglo-Saxon family would become show regulars, writing ‘that racism and small-mindedness won’t be tolerated.’
Joab blamed racism on a ‘lack of education.’
‘There is various pockets that will say it is un-Australian to have an Indian or an Indian family on Ramsay St,’ he said.
Neighbours executive producer Susan Bowers explained that the show wanted to represent a ‘more modern society.’
Joab will be joined by Menik Gooneratne and Coco-Jacinta Cherian – together they will make up the Kapoor family.
‘The ABC and SBS TV have always cast multi-cultural Australians, and it was only 20 years ago you put Greeks and Italians on TV and people would question it,’ Ms Bowers said.
‘We have been criticised heavily for being too white and you are damned if you do and if you don’t, and we would much rather be criticised for moving in this direction.’
The criticism that the show is too white likely will come from elites while criticism that the show is not white enough will likely come from non-elites.
Bowers, like most people, would rather be despised by strangers than her peers.
