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By Palash Srivastava
New Delhi [India], April 23 (ANI): Priya Kansara, the Indian origin Hollywood actress, reflected on the evolving representation of Indians in English films, saying that there is now more inclusion of South Asian actors in the major storylines of the big-budget movies, including the period dramas.
Priya Kansara gave the voice for Mary, a computer, in the recently released English film 'Project Hail Mary', which starred Ryan Gosling in the lead role. The actress started her career with a brief role in the British period drama 'Bridgerton' in 2022.
In an interview with ANI, Priya highlighted how Indian and South Asian representation has significantly improved since her childhood, saying that they are now part of diverse and nuanced storytelling in Hollywood, contrary to their stereotypical representation of the same in past series and movies.
"In Hollywood, in terms of opportunities, representation and content, there's been so much change. Since I was a kid, I used to watch films and TV, British, Hollywood stuff. I very rarely used to see somebody who looked like me, and if they did, they were a very stereotypical character, or I would see that actor once and never see them again. There wasn't this sense of like diversity or inclusion, but as I've grown older, I've seen more and more of it. More nuanced characters, more interesting storylines, things that don't box us," said Priya Kansara.
The actress explained her statement by recalling the opportunities she recieved in her career, which included the successful British drama Bridgerton.
Priya Kansara continued, "I have also seen things that still continue to box us, and it's difficult because I think there are so many things that have improved. I mean, my career is an example of that. Like I've done loads of roles that I never would have anticipated I could have done. I did period drama! That's the first big role that I got, and I never thought I would have done that in my life. I'd never seen anyone who looked like me do that, and I didn't just get to do that by myself, but I was in a show where two lead actresses were also South Asian. So that was a real eye opener, and it was amazing to see."
She emphasised the need for continued progress, with more varied and authentic stories that capture the full range of Indian experiences.
"I hope that we can continue to kind of keep putting roles out there like that and allowing us to be seen in all different spaces and tell lots of different stories, not just one type of story for an Indian person, but lots of different types of stories because there are so many of us and we all have so many different experiences and life stories. Yeah, I want that to be all seen," Priya Kansara added.
The 'Project Hail Mary' actress also expressed her love for the Bollywood films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Lagaan, Devdas and others. She described the Indian movies as an "inspiration" in her life.
"I grew up watching Bollywood movies and Indian TV. I literally would sit with my mom in the evenings, we would watch her Star Plus serials, and then we'd also watch movies on the weekends. So we watched everything from classics like Lagaan and Devdas and DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to like the Jab We Met and the Bunty Aur Bubblis of the world. I love all Bollywood cinema, and I've always kind of enjoyed it, and that's also been a huge kind of point of inspiration for me," said Priya.
The actress also shared her wish to collaborate with the renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, calling his filmography "mesmerising and beautiful."
When asked about the Indian filmmakers she wishes to work with, Priya replied, "The filmmaker that comes to mind is Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I mean, his work is so classic, and I remember watching Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and feeling like he epitomised what I thought being beautiful was. I remember those feelings when I was a child watching those things and being like, whoa, he's created these universes that were so beautiful and mesmerising and yeah, maybe it would be cool to do something like that."
Priya Kansara has worked as a voice actress for the first time in her career. She described her first experience as both "exciting and intimidating."
"This was the first time that I've ever done voice work and also really done like improv work to this extent as well. It was quite scary, and I was really nervous about getting the vocal quality right and all the rest of it. One of the great things about voice acting is that you're not seen, so you don't have to worry about your face and whether your body is doing the right thing. You can just focus on this one part of you, and actually, what was really important with this as well is that the main focus for me was being there for Ryan and responding to Ryan," said Priya Kansara.
Project Hail Mary stars Gosling as a middle school science teacher named Ryland Grace, tasked with travelling into space 11.9 light-years away to determine why dozens of stars and the sun are dying, risking the extinction of all life on Earth.
The movie was directed by filmmaker duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It was released in India on March 26, 2026. (ANI)