At its best, Hong Kong cinema has always been about more than the box office. It’s about a city showing the world what it is – tough, funny, romantic, contradictory and alive.What Hong Kong cinema is not, however, is inclusive. It never has been.Three young men working on the margins of the industry are quietly trying to change that and, in the process, prove that the city is more colourful than its films have been letting on. They might be taking a long shot, but fortune favours the bold in Hong Kong.“I don’t want to just be famous. I want to be able to get inside a new industry with the right part,” says Bipin Karma. At 29 years old, the Nepal-born, Hong Kong-raised performer knows that he is in this “for the long term”.Bipin Karma, 29, a Nepal-born, Hong Kong-raised actor at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander MakKaran Cholia, a 25-year-old Punjabi, nods in agreement. Hong Kong born and bred, he speaks Cantonese like a native and one day wants to play a superhero.“In Hong Kong, they’re only making police movies and romance. I would love to play a superhero who would represent Hong Kong differently.”
Hong Kong’s film scene: 3 South Asian actors rewrite the script
Hong Kong’s film industry once dazzled the world, but it has never been especially inclusive. Today, South Asian actors – a Nepali movement artist, a Punjabi performer and a Sikh action enthusiast – are attempting to rewrite the city’s casting rule book.
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