#kalang

*Wolfgang kills his cousin with a rocket launcher, shoots his uncle in the face, and kills about 10 people* Me: OMG I love him so much.

“If I told you that you’re the last thought I have before I sleep... if I told you that you’re the first thought I have when I wake... if I told you... how much I love you... would it have done any good?

“Yes”

“How?”

I’ll admit, when I first heard about this plot-line of Sense8, about Kala being arranged to marry an Indian man but not wanting and falling in love with a white guy, I was very skeptical. I thought it would be some White Saviour narrative that would portray Desi men in a negative light and Desi women as needing to be ‘rescued’ by white men. But after watching, I am glad to see that I was wrong.

Most white saviour stories would feature a woman of colour who would be portrayed as ‘exotic’, demure, subservient, and unusually attracted to a white man whom she’ll become extremely devoted to, despite him not having done anything worth such attention or love. These stories include the operas Lakmé and Madama Butterfly, the musical Miss Saigon, and films such as Disney’s Pocahontas and the 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong. And even more, the woman of colour would usually become so helpless without the white man to save her, that when he whisks her in his arms, she’d gladly give up everything to be with him: her language, her culture, her family, etc. Even more, men of colour would be demonized in order to make her have no other choice but to run into the white man’s arms. It’s basically a way for them to project their sexual fantasies about women of colour since the days of European imperialism and colonialism.

Kala and Wolfgang, however, couldn’t be more different from the above narrative.

First of all, Rajan, Kala’s fiancé, is a good man. He genuinely cares about her and wants her to be happy. And while Kala does feel confused about the wedding, she does not feel ‘trapped’ or in need of rescue. In fact, Rajan even asks Kala if she wants to end the marriage when he sees that she’s not happy. And in no way is Kala ever ‘rescued’ from anyone, and she is definitely not a submissive person. She’s an emotionally strong person and she’s capable of taking care of herself. Kala is not subservient or portrayed as ‘exotic’, she’s human. The creators also handled the marriage situation in quite a sensitive way, showing that Rajan is a sweet man who truly cares about Kala, but her main conflict stems from the fact that she does not love him. And throughout the series, she can hold her own and is very resilient, yet a caring and gentle girl who wants to make her family proud.

Also, Kala does not give up her culture or her language at all. She’s still very much in touch with her religion and her devotion to Ganesha, which are treated respectfully. She is never portrayed as needing to be ‘saved from her barbaric culture’ or however those White Saviour narratives go. It’s actually her father-in-law who is skeptical about Hindu traditions and wishes to get rid of them, yet even so, he’s never demonized.

Now, let’s talk about Wolfgang. First of all, I am so glad that he’s not a White Saviour. Typically, these kinds of characters would have the following characteristics: learning the ways of the native people, becoming superior to them, and also find love with a woman of colour, who will still passionately love him even after he is involved with the death of a member of her family. They’re also typically cocky and dominant over the woman of colour, who all but sacrifices her entire life to be with him. 

Wolfgang, however, does not have any of these characteristics. He’s a troubled individual who needs a lot of help, and Kala’s gentle nature gives him the emotional support that he needs. However, he does not see Kala as someone to be ‘rescued’. Rather, he thinks that she should stay away from him because he is dangerous. He listens to her and treats her as an equal, and he does genuinely care about her as well. Wolfgang also listens to her talk about her culture and heritage, not to humour her, but with a genuine interest and respect in the hopes of understanding her. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, Kala actually comes across as more emotionally strong than Wolfgang. Most White Saviour narratives portray the people of colour as irrational, angry, and overly-emotional while the white people are shown as logical and smarter. Yet Kala is quite an emotionally strong character, in contrast to Wolfgang, who has issues with his anger and is constantly at war with his own inner demons of the past. Yet Kala is like a light in his life, as she cares about him and helps him out by giving him the emotional strength and support that he desperately needs.