Sundeep Morrison on their short film ‘Your Love’, a love letter to queer South Asians
The Hindu
Sundeep Morrison talks about the role music played in shaping them as a storyteller and how they remain connected to their culture while growing up in Calgary
An awkward Sikh kid born and brought up in Calgary is making waves in Los Angeles with their solo show, and a feminist guidebook and memoir. In all their works, Sundeep Morrison is keen on inspecting the identities that are often relegated to the margins of society while drawing inspiration from their life experiences. Their latest is a short film titled Your Love that chronicles the love story of two South Asian women who are pulled apart only to be reunited years later with the help of an unexpected soul and given a second chance at love.
Excerpts from a conversation...
Your stage show and book have slurs in their titles. Why did you choose to put these words under the spotlight instead of just letting them fade with time?
I purposely chose a pejorative for my solo show Rag Head because it was one of the first names I remember someone using to refer to my father. I wanted to flip that term and use it to show how little Americans know about Sikhs and their faith.
The book came into the picture after I gave birth to my daughter. I feel like society puts women in silos; we are expected to be either perfect or sexy to succeed. An assertive woman exercising her agency is often frowned upon and called names but if a man embodies these qualities he is called powerful and hailed for all the right reasons. I wanted to show how patriarchy uses these terms for women while also attempting to reclaim them.
As a brown kid growing up in Calgary, what attracted you to the performing arts? Were you comfortable being in the spotlight as a child?
(laughs) I was an awkward kid! I did not have a lot of friends growing up so my imagination was my best friend. Back then, in Calgary, there weren’t a lot of South Asians so I relied on my grandmother to stay connected to my culture. In South Asian cultures, storytelling is a part of the social fabric. I organically loved it. I enjoyed understanding how someone could connect to a story and feel seen; the fact that stories can change how people think enticed me.
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