According to The Hindu, a study commissioned by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) on racial discrimination and hate crimes against people from the northeast States found that the “northeast India seamlessly fits [an] Indian’s imagination of a Chinese person”.

The study found that 78% of the people from the region who were interviewed believed that physical appearance was the most important reason for prejudice against them.

The study said amid the COVID-19 outbreak last year, people from the region “faced an increased number of acts of hate and prejudices against them”. A series of attacks were reported in various parts of the country where people from the region were “harassed, abused, and traumatized” and were disparagingly called ‘coronavirus,’ the study said.

Movies are watched by everyone. We all enjoy them. From thrillers to adventures, comedy to horror movies is part of everyday life and the industry is growing every single day. The Bollywood industry is arguably one of the most impactful sectors in modern Indian Society. The power of audiovisuals has been manifested and exploited politically, socially, and economically throughout history. As the technology keeps growing, political and economic leaders have utilized cinema in changing and shaping people’s outlooks either for their own benefit or for the benefit of the people.

I believe this power can help our brothers and sisters from northeast. All we need is more representation. If Indians see at least one person from northeast in every movie, TV series or web series, I'm sure they will be better informed and are more likely to avoid discrimination. 

Please sign this petition if you think I am right and just like me you want to see this become reality of the modern Indian cinema.