Chris Hemsworth and his attempt to exotify India
It is one thing to identify India as a potentially massive market for business just waiting to be explored.
It is another to be oblivious.
Chris Hemsworth’s recent India visit was similarly coloured.
The Avengers hear-THOR-b, was seen touring through the streets of India in his plush car, meeting fans and clicking selfies with them. He is in the subcontinent to shoot for his upcoming film, a Netflix original, Dhaka.
It is customary for every ‘phoren’ celebrity to share their unique experience of India-travel. When Vin Diesel came to Indi to promote xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, he did the 'lungi dance'. When Jackie Chan came to promote Kung Fu Yoga, he had to do the Jai-Veeru bike-ride with Sonu Sood. When Ed Sheeran came, he had to experience being mobbed by Farah Khan and Malaika Arora. When Will Smith came, he met Mr India personified, Akshay Kumar.
When Chris came, he got stuck in traffic.
To be honest, it is not his fault. Diwali traffic is crazy.
But he chose a very different expression to describe his experience.
“Beautiful chaos,” wrote Chris on his Insta story, with a picture of a jammed road ahead, from inside his car. 'Chaos', yes — but 'beautiful'?
The only way we would stop frowning at Mr Abs’ observation is if he was being sarcastic. Because no way is the ‘chaos’ beautiful!
If you’re the one stuck in a car, watching two men almost on the verge of exploding on each other because one of them could have hit the other, then it’s not beautiful.
If you’re the one stuck in a car, as the man in the toll booth gets shot for asking for, well, the toll, then it’s not beautiful.
If you’re the one stuck in a car as herds of godly animals make the road their own, then it’s not beautiful.
Just like Delhi’s deadly smog is nothing like the London fog that inspired painters to paint many a masterpiece.
And frankly, we’re getting a bit too tired of the unnecessary romanticisation of India’s inadequacies.
We’re not a perfect country. For most parts, we don’t even try to be. But we work. Somehow. Barely.
But, we work.
We are also capable of calling a spade a spade. So the next time you're stuck in traffic, just say you're stuck in traffic. Like we do.
Simple.