I can still vividly recall my maternal grandmother, my nana’s reaction, 15 minutes into watching Julie, the 1975 film based on an Anglo-Indian family. We were watching the film around Christmastime, on a black-and-white television set in the days of Doordarshan. Even the cakey make-up on Lakshmi’s and Sridevi’s faces [who played Julie and her younger sister, Irene, respectively] on screen wasn’t as white as my nana’s face. As if she’d seen a ghost. And no, we aren’t referring to the Holy Ghost. “Goodness me! What is this rubbish that they are doling out in the name of our community? What did we do to deserve such an embarrassing portrayal? If your papa [my maternal grandfather] were alive, the proud Anglo-Indian that he was, he would have shot off a strong letter to the ill-informed director and producer. I’ve had enough of this!” she fumed, and left her rocking rattan chair in the living room.

In the interest of inviting further angst, I didn’t dare inform her that the movie was a runaway hit. It wouldn’t have been a ‘merry’ Christmas at the Fernandez household. Humour aside, this trend of weak research while portraying a minority is common in Indian cinema. For even tinier communities like the Anglo-Indians, the misrepresentation gets worse.