Dev patel has hit out at suggestions that he is indulging in cultural appropriation' by playing Indian roles.
Dev Patel, who was born in Harrow of Gujarati parents, says he faces regular criticism for playing the parts of Indian characters in films - such as Hotel Mumbai, the forthcoming drama about the 2008 terror attack on the five-star Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
Patel, who plays a Sikh waiter from a Mumbai slum who risks his life to protect hundreds of guests trapped inside the hotel, said: "I get flak because people will say, Why aren't they giving these roles to a real Indian?' I wonder, What does that even mean?
The 28-year-old added: "The only way I can converse with my grandparents is in Gujarati. Does that make me real enough? Or am I only allowed to witness the moments of prejudice and racism going through airports? Is that the only bit that I'm allowed of the culture?
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