Lashana lynch biography of mahatma

The new year is nearly upon us and it’s shaping up to be a hot one in TV land as more and more countries get in on the premium drama series act. Here, we round up 15 of the buzziest titles you’re set to hear much more about over the coming year, from Doctor Whoto The Count of MonteCristo to Netflix Italy’s pornography drama Supersex.

‘Doctor Who’(BBC)

It’s back like you’ve never seen it before. The 40th season of Doctor Who, the outsized British sci-fi series that has been on and off screens for 60 years, will kick off next year with its first ever Black lead alongside a healthy budget boost coupled with several spin-offs. Anticipation surrounding the Doctor’s latest adventures rarely ramps down but there is extra bite with this one. Following his star breakout turn as Eric Effiong in Netflix’s Sex Education, Rwandan-Scottish star Gatwa is a popular choice to take the reins from Jodie Whittaker. Gatwa was brought to the show by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, the man who helmed the first rebooted season in 2005, and Davies’ arrival preceded that of Disney+ and His Dark Materials indie Bad Wolf as co-production partners, bringing with them editorial expertise and a rocketing budget. Davies’ creative muscle has attracted a wealth of interesting talent for the 14th rebooted season including Jonathan Groff, Miriam Margolyes and Heartstopper star Yasmin Finney. With the might of BBC marketing behind it, these factors promise to come together to make something special of the latest eight-part series. Getting Whovians and rookie fans alike in the mood, a trio of Christmas specials are currently playing on the BBC, bringing back old favorites David Tennant and Catherine Tate to adventures watched by millions of viewers p

There was a moment in “The Marvels” when I thought: While casting the 2011 “Thor,” someone should have pondered why Björk Guðmundsdóttir looks East Asian.  That would have changed what is now a very obvious diversity problem in the MCU.

“Thor” is one of the Nordic gods that the Vikings believed in and the Vikings rubbed shoulders with people who looked East Asian. It’s too bad the MCU doesn’t better reflect that.

Sure the MCU had the man-of-few-words Hogun played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. At the time, the question was why make Heimdall Black  like Idris Elba, but perhaps it should have been: Why make Heimdall Black instead of black like Chow Yun-fat? There’s fuzzy logic attached to making a Viking sub-Saharan African Black.

Idris Elba revealed his ignorance about Asians when he famously commented about his casting in “Thor.” “We have a man  who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable? I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley.”

Kingsley is of Indian Gujarati descent through his father and was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji. His father was born in Zanzibar. Mahatma Gandhi was also from Gujarat and did live for a while in Africa (South Africa). Gandhi was from a Hindu family; Kingsley’s father was Muslim (Isma’ili Islam). (Taylor played Cleopatra, who was Greek, in 1963). The film “Gandhi” was in 1982. “Thor” was in 2011, that 48 years (“Cleopatra) and 29 years (“Gandhi”) of cultural change dismissed in one statement.

But I’m not talking about Asians that look like Ben Kingsley or Gandhi. I’m talking about Asians that look like East Asians and the features East Asians share with Native Americans, Inuit, the Sami and the Samoyeds.

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I have not yet seen the Bob Marley movie, ‘Bob Marley: One Love’. However, the reviews thus far have been favourable, including those in reference to the portrayal of the Jamaican accents of the Britain-born actors Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch, who portrayed Bob and Rita, respectively.

That said, I can’t shake off the feeling that the role of Bob Marley, the world’s most famous, respected and revered reggae singer and, arguably, the most famous Jamaican who ever lived, should have been played by a Jamaican.

The movie ‘Ray’, a biopic about the life of legendary rhythm and blues singer, the late Ray Charles, was sublimely played by America-born actor Jamie Foxx. The movie ‘Get On Up’, a biopic of the late, great American singer James Brown, was wonderfully played by America-born actor, the late Chadwick Boseman. The movie ‘ What’s Love Got To Do With It’, a biopic about the late singing superstar Tina Turner, was brilliantly portrayed by America-born actress Angela Bassett.

Of course, a strong counter argument can be made. For example, in the movies ‘Gandhi’ and ‘The Iron Lady’, the lead roles of the late India-born anti-colonial nationalist Mahatma Gandhi, and the late British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, were played to perfection by Britain-born actor Ben Kingsley and America-born actress Meryl Streep, respectively. Notably, both Kingsley and Streep won Academy Awards for their outstanding performances in those above-mentioned roles.

And yes, the movie ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ was financed and produced by a major Hollywood studio and, as such, they call the shots.

However, there are critical questions that should have been asked and answered during the casting of the role of Bob Marley for ‘Bob Marley: One Love’, namely, why couldn’t a Jamaican have be