Indian Producer Rohan Gupta shines light on diversity in Hollywood

With his award-winning short film ‘Diversity on Demand!’, Rohan Gupta comments on Indian stereotypes and the diversity problem in Hollywood.

In recent years, diversity has become a hot topic in Hollywood. In response to public criticism, the film and TV studios have made diversity and inclusion efforts for their projects. However, Rohan Gupta, an award-winning film producer, still feels that these efforts feel disingenuous and performative. In his film, Diversity on Demand!, he uses comedy to highlight and comment on the topics of representation in Hollywood, specifically that of South Asians.

'Diversity on Demand!' is a satirical comedy short that comments on Indian stereotypes in an infomercial format. Over the past few years, the film has been making the rounds at festivals around the world, including the US, UK and Russia. These festivals include the London Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival - Best Asian Comedy Short, Portland Comedy Film Festival - Best International Micro Short, Houston Comedy Film Festival - Best Comedy Micro Short (finalist), Phoenix International Monthly Short Film Awards - Best Micro Short, the GELOS Comedy Film Festival, Independent Shorts Awards and the Denver Monthly Film Awards. 

When discussing South Asian representation, Rohan shared, “I feel like South Asians are often boxed into specific roles and themes. I want to build projects where South Asians can portray all kinds of characters. For example, it’s a dream of mine to create an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia-like show for an Indian cast.” 

In the past, Rohan has also tackled subjects like mental health and sustainability in his work. Recently, he collaborated with NAMI, the leading mental health organization in America, on a series of videos highlighting mental illnesses like Bipolar disorder and Depression. In 2020, he wrote and story produced the Asian Creative Academy award winning docu-series "Frontline Fashion Season 4," a docu-series about sustainability in the fashion industry.

Beyond his socially impactful projects, Rohan has gained recognition for his contributions to film, TV, and video ventures for some of the biggest international TV shows. 

Notably, the widely-watched marketing campaign for 'Asia's Next Top Model Cycle 6' and his pivotal work on the second season of the six-time Emmy-nominated series 'Welcome to Wrexham,' featuring Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. 'Welcome to Wrexham' season 2 has already bagged 2 Critics Choice Documentary nominations and universal acclaim from critics across top publications such as The Times and The Guardian.

Looking to the future, Rohan has a few project lined up. He’s currently developing a TV pilot based on an award-winning script that was featured at the Oscar-qualifying Austin Film Festival, among others. He has projects lined up with popular Asian American YouTube channels in America. With these projects, he aspires to continue the promotion of diversity in film and television in an organic manner. 

Finally, Rohan is also developing a series based on ‘Diversity in Demand!’ for which he has met with some of the top film financiers in Hollywood.