Colors TV show on Sikkim girl brews controversy; netizens outraged for wrong representation of culture

GANGTOK: Colors TV show, based on a girl from Northeast, has been found itself amid controversy within a short time after the promo release. Soon to be aired, 'Nima Denzongpa' depicts the story of a girl based in the Northeastern region of India as shown in the promo. The lead role will be played by Assam girl Surabhi Das. It will be Das’s debut project in Indian television.

Reactions started pouring in from netizens, as the promo circulated on different platforms.

A YouTuber from Sikkim named Sangay slammed the show for wrong representation of the culture of the state.

"Each of the states in the Northeast have different cultures, there are different communities within the state". She added that the promo seems confusing as surname given to the lead character belongs to Bhutia community while the attire worn by character in the 30 second promo is from a different community.

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The YouTuber expressed concern that the viewers of Colors TV which has a huge viewership will get a wrong idea about the culture in Sikkim.

Several users supported the YouTuber's views on different social media platforms.

"A lot of us who have moved out of our homes have faced discrimination in one form or another. Just watched the promo of #NimaDenzongpa. Looks problematic to me in so many ways. Just hoping the content is not as confusing and problematic as its promo", said one user on Twitter.

"The ways he said "Nima Denzongpa" in a weird accent is cringe worthy enough for me to not watch the daily soap" tweeted a journalist based in Sikkim.

Another user Karma Tshewang went on to create an online petition demanding to "Recast or Accurately depict the people of Sikkim in their Daily Soap "Nima Denzongpa".

"This petition has been created to request for the account representation of the Sikkimese people in their daily soap. We are happy that they are finally producing a TV serial depicting the social problems that we North Eastern Indian face in our mainland India. But we also want the correct representation of our culture", the petition read.

Even though the promo created an outrage among some people of Sikkim, yet there were many from the other parts of the Northeastern region appreciated it and lauded the channel for taking up a Northeastern character as protagonist.

"Being a Nepali born in Assam, I feel that YouTuber is trying to create division among the cultures of Sikkim. It is  commendable that an Assamese actress is portraying the character of a girl from Sikkim. This itself is an achievemnt. We all should appreciate the show and the channel for taking an initiative to highlight the issues of the Northeastern region faced by many", said Indira Chetry, a Nepali born in Assam.

Reportedly, the show ‘Nima Denzongpa’ will be aired on the channel as well as on the OTT platform Voot.

Produced under the banner of Peninsula Pictures, the show depicts the narrative (Nima) from Sikkim who moves to Mumbai with her partner.

The promo of the show portrays how she suffers discrimination, trolls and difficulties in Mumbai because of her northeastern roots. The show will follow how Nima overcomes all of these obstacles and prove to them that she, too, is an Indian.

Talking about the show Das shared the promo on Instagram and said, “This is how destiny works maybe ..”Presenting Nima Denzongpa front of you all.

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