Shabana Azmi: None of the actors is cast due to their ethnicity

With the makers of her upcoming sci-fi series Halo employing colour-blind casting, Shabana Azmi bats for diversity on screen

In early 2020, Shabana Azmi began shooting for Steven Spielberg-backed Halo, adapted from a popular video game. Two years on, the sci-fi television series—which sees the actor play Admiral Margaret Paragonsky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence—is set to air on Paramount+ from March 24. Azmi says it was a sheer pleasure to be part of a project that employed colour-blind casting. “Halo has a cast that includes Korean, African American, English, Indian and Hungarian actors. None of them is cast due to their ethnicity, nor is anyone made to put on an accent that is not intrinsically theirs. That is so refreshing,” she exclaims.

A still from Halo. Pics/Instagram, Getty Images

Colour-blind casting, where one’s ethnicity is not considered while casting for a role, has become increasingly popular in recent times. While the practice has some detractors, the move is largely welcome as it boosts diversity on screen. Azmi echoes the sentiment, as she says, “Every part that I have played in the West in the last 34 years has been that of a South Asian, and they weren’t visible on the screen till recently. I remember asking John Schlesinger as far back as 1988 [while working on Madame Sousatzka] that in the book, the mother was a Jew; how come he decided to make her Indian? He had said, ‘Indians are so much a part of the British fabric, it must result in the choices we make.’ As the world becomes a global village, it makes sense to be inclusivist and diverse. The struggle for colour-blind casting started about 40 years ago, and finally, we are seeing some results.”

The senior actor describes her character as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense woman. “But I had to find her vulnerable spot because you can’t play a character on one sur. She is conflicted because she has been trained to abide by the rules and yet she allows the unscrupulous scientist to manipulate her.” Before Azmi reported to the show’s set, showrunner-director Otto Bathurst organised her visit to the Halo world’s lab, 343 Industries. “It was such an alien world, but so fascinating. I didn’t know the game but my 12-year-old nephew Viraaj, who had never before given me time of day, was suddenly impressed by his Shabana bua,” she laughs.

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