A professor from the United States named Gaurav J. Pathania played Dr. BR Ambedkar.
On September 6, Ava DuVernay made history by becoming the first African-American woman to exhibit her film Origin at the Venice Film Festival. To top everything off, Dr. BR Ambedkar, one of India’s founding fathers, appeared in the film for the first time in Hollywood.
A heartbreaking voyage through global inequality, Origin stars Connie Nielsen, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Victoria Pedretti. On September 14 at the Toronto Picture Festival, the picture was honored with a standing ovation.
For the uninitiated, Dr. BR Ambedkar was India’s first Minister of Law and Justice and served as the chairman of the committee that drafted the Indian Constitution. He was portrayed in the film by American professor Gaurav J. Pathania.
Ava DuVernay's "Origin" gets a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival 👏 #TIFF23 pic.twitter.com/i0sb0Uvrqk
— Screen Off Script (@ScreenOffScript) September 13, 2023
The book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson served as the inspiration for the American biographical drama movie. The caste system in India, American racism, and the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany are all used in the movie to examine discrimination.
The portrayal of BR Ambedkar in Origin
According to a story in The Quint, the casting call stated that “actors from the Ambedkar community are encouraged to apply” before the movie’s release and during the casting process. Perhaps the director was alluding to Dr. Ambedkar’s caste, which in India is known as Scheduled Castes and includes Dalits.
Ava DuVernay arrives to the #Origin press conference at Venice Film Festival. pic.twitter.com/1T3FkXRpJN
— Variety (@Variety) September 6, 2023
Dr. Ambedkar, a Dalit scholar who was born into poverty and contributed to the creation of India’s constitution, is well known. The movie chronicles both his accomplishments and his childhood struggles, including being made to sit on the floor of his classroom.
Ava saw parallels between Ambedkar’s experience and that of Al Bright, an 11-year-old Black child who was barred from swimming with his pals in 1951 to celebrate their Little League victory. Al was prohibited from entering the water. African Americans were frequently prohibited from utilizing swimming pools in numerous American states.
The movie directed by Ava has made the Golden Lion shortlist. She told the media about her achievement, stating, “It hasn’t happened in eight decades.” I have faith that the festival will keep that door open.
What does “Origin” involve?
Origin investigates the “unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how lives are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions,” according to IMDb. Along with Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, and Blair Underwood, it also stars Aunjanue Ellis as Isabel.
Beyond her celebrity persona, I regard Ava DuVernay as a brave champion of social justice. Her recently directed @ORIGINTheMovie remarkably articulates the structures of global oppressions and takes you on a intellectual journey to America, Germany & Bharat (India). ✈️✈️ pic.twitter.com/flhdXFVRfq
— Gaurav J. Pathania, PhD (@GAURAVJPATHANI2) September 10, 2023
In her book Origin, the author discusses personal sorrows like the passing of both her mother and her white husband. The tragedies move the author, inspiring her to embark on a voyage in which she experiences and researches various forms of discrimination all around the world. The personification of Isabel is Ava’s personal journey through these topics.
Isabel’s journey in the movie offers viewers an insight into the individual struggles of Black women. When Isabel receives criticism for her views, she internalizes it rather than responding.
Justice and morality are universal concepts.
Ava previously stated to Deadline in regards to her work, “You know, part of the hope with this, we talk so much about IP and what resonates globally. Justice and the concept of right and wrong are universal concepts, as I witnessed and experienced with the Netflix series When They See Us. Right, it’s not only capes.
Every country in the globe has stories about justice that are profound, profoundly felt, and emotionally moving. The tale of these boys, which you would think wouldn’t go, how it moved everywhere, is incredible, let me tell you, which is why when I would see some of the figures that I received shared with me from When They See Us from all these nations and territories.
