“I hope you do not keep moving things. “The memory is not good for me,” he says. She begins to explain without any conviction that she does not work there “in reality”, but before the words leave her mouth she left. The sting of this racist petty aggression is sharp and short – like tearing a small plaster – before suddenly, almost comically, the woman faces a more pressing issue. He locates a man from South Asia holding a knife and stabbing a police officer. He runs after him, chasing a possible terrorist. This is the opening scene for DI Ray, a new thick ITV crime drama set in Birmingham, whose use of ethnic stereotypes keeps viewers guessing where the story is going. The series follows Rachita Ray, a Leicester-born British South Asian officer promoted to homicide detective, played by Parminder Nagra, best known for her roles in ER and Bend It Like Beckham. Not only do we see Ray landing in a complicated first-murder case and watch the investigation throughout the series, but we also see her battling the assumption that her rapid promotion is due to the color of her skin, and everything is done with great finesse. “I do not want to just hit the police” DI DI Ray writer Maya Sondhi. Photo: PA Images / Alamy “We wanted to show you from the beginning that this is not going to put you in the head for the fight. it will become a peppery “, says the author of the series, Maya Sodi, speaking to Zoom on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. The Birmingham-born actor, best known for his role as well-meaning police officer Maneet Bindra in Line of Duty, co-created the show after collaborating with police drama creator Jed Mercurio. “We talked a lot about identity,” says Sondhi. “Jed came from immigrants, his parents were Italian and we thought – how can we make these issues accessible?” Their response was to create a character whose professional and personal lives collide. “Rachita Ray is not only involved in her professional life, but also in the fight for her identity as a British Indian,” says Sondhi. “It was natural for her to cross paths, so that what happens in her professional life could affect her personal journey and vice versa.” Nagra especially loved how Sondhi weaved many of these scenes with humor. “For a moment you may find yourself laughing at a script in which Ratsita has found himself,” he says, “and then you think about it again and think it’s actually uncomfortable.” It’s the kind of experience Nagra is familiar with – and one she has to keep in mind while on set. “There are times when I may be in these situations, but when you’re in these scenes, it’s almost – how does Rachita feel about that?” Police stereotypes have also touched Sondhi’s life. She remembers a case a few years ago when her brother, a student lawyer at the time, spent the same day in London as a terror bomber and was described as racist. “He was stopped and arrested by the police. They searched his bag and found his wig and dress. My brother was just like, “It’s what it is.” “He could have really swept the floor with them, but he was more hurt by the fact that the policeman had racist profiles.” While police are a mature industry in which they can explore racial stereotypes, Sondhi says she wants the show to highlight issues worldwide. “I do not just want to fight the police.” “The ‘Where I Belong’ fight is so exciting for our generation” Par Parminder Nagra with Keira Knightley at Bend It Like Beckham. Photo: Bskyb / Sportsphoto / Allstar The strong point of the show is the examination of the coded tribal language. It sheds light on how police officers use terms such as “crime of honor” as proof that they understand a community, but apply them in a way that does not seem to be discernible from offensive stereotypes. Sondhi coined the term “culturally sensitive homicide” as “sounds like a term to be used.” The conclusion is clear: these are non-white crimes. “Say it like you like it, but it’s still a crime. “Why can’t the police just call it murder?” This desire to sound comprehensive is something Sondhi has noticed in all industries. “People talk, don’t they? “They are so careful with the words they use.” “There is so much terminology now that it sounds like people are inclusive, but in the end, what are their intentions?” Another key issue in DI Ray, and very personal to Sondhi, is Ray’s complicated relationship with her identity as a British Indiana. The detective has a white fiancé, lost his understanding of Punjabi at the age of three and has mostly white friends. She spent most of her life assimilating, but now finds herself a distorted puzzle piece in every setting – not white enough for whites, not enough brown for Indians. At one point, we see Ray interviewing the victim’s girlfriend’s family, to be dumbfounded when they speak Punjabi. It’s a funny moment as Ray, who has clung to her power as a homicide detective, reluctantly postpones the British Indian computer, whose understanding of the language means they can translate. Her expression is awkward and the very serious, very aggressive protagonist is forced to acknowledge her insult. “I think the ‘where do I belong’ struggle is so exciting for our generation, as I think we all wonder where we fit in,” says Nagra. Unlike Ray, she was surprised to find that her Punjabi was better than she thought, as she understood everything on the set – a welcome discovery after years of feeling “a little rusty”. Sondhi, who lost her Hindi and Punjabi at the age of four after her parents spoke mostly English at home, agrees. “I always felt a little ashamed of who I am, because I grew up without looking at representation. I did not see myself in Disney stuff, I did not see me in cartoons, I did not see me in teen shows. “All my role models were white, blonde girls.” Workplace diversity issues are also addressed in DI Ray. Ray’s colleagues assume that she is hired with diversity and this is evident from their reluctant interactions with her. After successfully neutralizing the gunman in the first episode, a senior commenter says she is “exactly what the team needs” and promotes her in a South Asian crime case. It’s a worrying situation that many people of color can relate to no matter how great you are. “Symbolism is a huge thing that bothers me,” says Sondhi. “Ray is really good at her job and wants to keep up with her.” “You’d like to be hired because you’re good at work”… Parminder Nagra as DI Ray – a character facing accusations of symbolism. Photo: ITV But since stereotypes and petty aggression are the key to DI Ray, wasn’t Nagra worried about the team working on the project? After all, Mercurio has been accused of perpetuating racial stereotypes in his work – showing one-dimensional depictions of Islamist terrorists controlled by a Muslim woman by her jihadist husband in Bodyguard, for example. He denied the allegations, telling the Radio Times that “if the show had taken place in the recent British past, the perpetrators may have been Irish Republicans”. She has not seen Bodyguard, but she is sure of DI Ray, whom she says is Sondhi’s work and story. He never had fears or discussions about how the characters were portrayed. “It was Maya’s script and Jed really supported it,” she says. “When Jed was filming, which was quite common, it was to make sure the scenes made sense and made it enjoyable for a viewer to watch.” I’m asking Nagra about opportunities for South Asian actors to have fun now. “Diversity has definitely gone much further [in television and film] “than when I first came on stage,” he says. “Just look at Bridgetton and the work that Reese Witherspoon is doing. Priyanka Chopra is huge here too. “Things have definitely changed, but I think people are a little scared when you hire someone, do you hire them because they have a framework for diversity or are they really good at what they do?” “You would like to believe that you are being hired because you are good at work,” he says emphatically. “But it is also very frustrating for me. As the years go by, I still answer these questions. It’s still the No. 1 thing, as opposed to being the character. “ As our Zoom draws to a close, Nagra’s tone has changed. Her indignation is now visible on the screen. I realize that she is exhausted from explaining herself and her career in relation to the color of her skin. How much he looks like DI Ray. DI Ray airs Monday, May 2, at 9:00 p.m., ITV
