Tell me I'm not imagining this...
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| Suraj Sharma unshopped. |
In the international / North American market, the posters for Life Of Pi (2012) seem to de-emphasise Suraj Sharma's Indian looks, either by making him small, selecting an ambiguous face angle or focusing on the tiger instead.
Even in the Asian posters, which I believe not coincidentally are the ones with the clearest depiction of him, his eyes are not black or brown but blue.
And come to think of it, the first time I saw the trailer, knowing nothing of the Martel story, I thought he was a Mediterranean fella, sorta like Sinbad or maybe that aboriginal kid from Australia (2008).
Hmm... marketing research is a scary place.
Hollywood doesn't want you to think it's a movie about Indians. If this is true, it also means the research is sound. At the end of the day, it's all about the money.
Take it easy, fellas.
