Pakistani Character In ‘Squid Game’ Played By Indian Actor Anupam Tripathi
Netflix’s South Korean series ‘Squid Game’ has been trending globally. While the idea of a survival game is nothing new, the relatable characters and childhood games have made this series beyond popular! And what’s more – we have a Pakistani character in the series and we are loving this little piece of representation.
Set in Seoul, its plot revolves around hundreds of desperate, cash-strapped individuals willing to put their lives at stake for money by partaking in a series of traditional-turned-sinister childhood games. Among them is Ali Abdul, played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, a struggling factory worker from Pakistan who’s fighting for his life and family. ‘Player No. 199’ is a laborer who gets mistreated by his employer and joins the game to provide for his young family after his employer refuses to pay him for months.
Before ‘Squid Game’ New Delhi-based Tripathi starred in other K-dramas in small roles. One of them was the famous ‘Descendants of The Sun.’
According to Yonhap News, the success of ‘Squid Game’ has made the actor’s family proud. “My mother and brothers are both proud of me. I was convinced that what I was doing was a good thing. However, my father, who passed away in 2017, would have liked it if he had seen it, but it’s too bad.”
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Spoiler Alert!
In case you are wondering what happens to our Pakistani character, unfortunately, he dies. (Why do all good things come to an end?)
But while we were finally glad to see some positive and prominent representation with a well carved out, gullible but innocent character, actor and rapper Ahmed Ali Butt was not happy with the casting. Despite the fact that Tripathi does complete justice to Ali, Butt feels the actor playing the role should have been Pakistani.
In a recent Insta story, Butt lamented, “It’s so frustrating to see Pakistani characters in big TV series being played by Indian actors. Why can’t these productions cast original Pakistani actors for such roles?” He went on to ask, “Same goes for films. If you’re making a film and it’s about a Pakistani city, why is it always cheated somewhere else?” Butt went on to urge relevant authorities to instill “progressive film policies” that will compel international filmmakers to use actual “locations and talent from our country rather than cheap substitutes.”
Let’s see what mysteries ‘Squid Game’ unfolds with time. We can’t help wondering who will be the winner and what will be the mental condition of that person after witnessing 455 people die! Oops… seems like we have made some solid predictions about what will happen in the upcoming episodes. Or have we? *winks
