An Indian love-interest in an American movie?

I saw The Lovely Bones at the movie theatre downtown today, and first of all, let me say that it’s an amazing movie and I highly recommend it. However, it’s not the movie plot that I’m going to rant about, but a certain character. Reece Ritchie is cast as Ray Singh, the Indian love interest of the main character. You heard me right, he’s Indian. Oh, but you say that Reece Ritchie doesn’t sound like an Indian name? That’s because Reece Ritchie isn’t Indian. More under the cut. And for those who haven’t seen it yet, there are very mild spoilers, but nothing that would ruin the plot. I don’t know if you could technically call them spoilers, but I only talk about a minor character and his portrayal, nothing plot-related.

Usually in movies, nonwhite characters are nonwhite for a reason. Usually, this reason involves perpetuating stereotypes. For example, Indian characters are usually scientists (computer or otherwise), convenience store workers, or exchange students. In The Lovely Bones, Ray Singh was none of these things. He was not portrayed as a loner, nor as a nerd who was only interested in math and/or science (on the contrary, he was a poet who enjoyed Shakespeare).

Now, keep in mind that I haven’t read the book. Because of this, my perspective on The Lovely Bones is a little different from someone who had. I’ve spoken to friends who have read it and read articles about it by people who have read it, and many of them seem disappointed at how Ray appeared. It appears the book described him as dark-skinned, while Reece Ritchie, who plays Ray, is lightly tanned. In fact, Reece isn’t even Indian, even though he’s not white either (he’s multi-racial) and he has Indian-looking features. His parents are portrayed as overtly Indian (his mother appears in a sari) and yet, he does not. For many people, Reece’s lack of pigment was disappointing.

Sure, I would like to have seen and Indian actor playing Ray, but I’m not going to focus on it too much. What’s most important is the fact that the main love interest is Indian, despite the fact that his being Indian doesn’t contribute to his role in the film or his character. In fact, they don’t even say outright that he’s Indian (although they do mention that he’s from England). The only way one would notice that he’s Indian is from his dark skin, his last name (Singh, a common Indian last name that his teacher uses to refer to him once or twice), and the fact that his parents are Indian.

Despite the fact that some are disappointed by this, I see it as a step in the right direction. I know there are some differences between the movie and the book, and I’m not sure whether his race is more highlighted in the book. If anybody has read the book recently and wants to provide more information about Ray’s portrayal and ethnicity in the books, I would greatly appreciate it.

Reece Ritchie, who plays Ray Singh