An image of a Sikh character from Disney’s upcoming movie ‘Turning Red’ has gone viral for all the right reasons. The image shows a Sikh police officer whose character has some intricate detailing in terms of representation which has made members of the Sikh community quite excited.
A Twitter user pointed out: “Pixar has a Sikh character in its new feature film "Turning Red". Look how much detail they've put into him, he even has his own "Kara". Beautiful! He's a guard of the school.”
Asian Voice tried to get a sense of what members of the community in the UK feel about this representation.
Sharing his thoughts on this, Hardeep Singh - Deputy-Director, Network of Sikh Organisations told us, “Pixar's depiction of a turban-wearing Sikh in the forthcoming animation Turning Red, is indeed a welcome development. Any character that shows the reality of the positive contributions Sikhs make to the communities and societies that they live and work in, is important when it comes to the matter of representation. Much more progress needs to be made in this regard, however, this is a brilliant start.”
Speaking about this character, Jasvir Singh, Co-Founder of South Asian Heritage Month said, “Representation matters, and seeing Pixar having a Sikh character is a fantastic start. However, Pixar and indeed Disney as a whole are yet to make any animated feature film involving South Asian leads, and the steps that are taken have to be much better than mere tokenism. Many Sikhs have been impressed by the inclusion of the Sikh security guard with a kara and a pagh, but I wonder whether this continues to relegate Sikh identity to the periphery. We shouldn't be content with morsels. We need something with much more substance. Until then, we will be left wanting for more."
