Indian professor makes Hollywood debut in Babasaheb Ambedkar’s film ‘Origin’

Hollywood movie ‘Origin’ to be released in US theaters Based on Isabel Wilkerson’s book ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’, the film, directed by Selma director Ava DuVerney, explores the socialization of race in the US. It addresses the serious problem of stratification. , I compared it with India’s caste system.

Gaurav J. Pathania, an Indian professor from Kurukshetra, Haryana, will be seen in the small but important role of Dr. BR Ambedkar in this film.

Patania, who is currently an assistant professor of sociology at Patania Eastern Mennonite University, talked about his journey from Indian professor to Hollywood actor. free press journal (FPJ).

“She (Duvany) wanted to do justice to the role of Ambedkar. She wanted to cast someone who knew the character well and could empathize with the character,” Patania told FPJ. Ta.

The director explained that he withdrew funding from Netflix to allow him to make bold creative choices for the film, one of which was to hire non-actors like him.

As a producer on the film The White Tiger, Duvany has worked with some of the biggest names in Bollywood, including Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao. Patania said that when she asked DuVernay why he was cast in the company of so many other actors, DuVernay replied: I don’t have to struggle to explain to you the importance of that role. you would already know that. ”

“I have never acted before, maybe in a theater somewhere in my college in Kurukshetra. I was never a big fan of the Hollywood industry…It’s a different life than it is now,” he says. “I was able to participate in this project because of Eva and Ambedkar,” Pathania said with a laugh.

Speaking about his experience in the film, Pathania stressed that despite what most people believe, the transition from playing a professor to acting was easy.

“When a professor teaches a class, it feels like you’re in front of a camera. You’re always performing to some degree. I’m an activist and I’m on a big stage, in front of a camera and in front of a bunch of people. I have given speeches at the ,” he added.

“Ambedkar is someone I respect as God. He drafted a constitution that gave Dalits and women equal rights as human beings. God single-handedly made us human beings. There were points during which we all got emotional,” Pathania added.

His father was an Ambedkarite from the village of Kurukshetra where Pathanya completed his primary education.

“I was a shopkeeper for five years. Without that, I would have finished my education sooner,” he said. Mr. Pathania attended Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi to pursue his Ph.D., and then moved to the United States for his doctoral research project.

He embarked on a project to meet people around the world who had met Ambedkar and trace the emergence of Ambedkarism around the world, in order to trace the global phenomenon of Ambedkarism.

Pathania has written extensively on caste, class, and race, with research focused on radical student movements and the social changes they bring about. He published anti-caste writings, poems, and activities on his self-managed website, minsofcaste.org. He also mentors scholars in the field of caste.

Published on: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 9:15 PM IST