As a child of immigrants myself, I find “Industry” to be a refreshing and thought-provoking portrayal of characters who grapple with complexities that are all too familiar. The show masterfully explores the delicate dance between underrepresented identities and participation in questionable systems, a struggle I can relate to on a personal level.
It’s hard to feel pity for Industry’s Rishi Ramdani, portrayed by Sagar Radia, who is arguably the most offensive character in an office grappling with a toxic work culture. He’s a bully and a misogynist, essentially a walking HR violation, often behaving abhorrently during trades. However, White Mischief, which has Industry mimicking Uncut Gems, attempts to elicit some compassion for this character. Despite being described as “the ghost of Margaret Thatcher in a good-looking Asian man” by Eric Tao in the episode, Rishi is still an Asian male, and there’s a complex and intriguing way the series handles this aspect. In essence, Rishi embodies Industry’s cynical perspective on life most vividly: His ethnicity might make him seem disadvantaged on paper, but he’s still a reprehensible individual.
Up until now, Rishi has predominantly served as a source of witty humor and comic relief, with his gruff demeanor and sharp one-liners, such as “How was I supposed to know chrysanthemums are symbols of death? I’ve lost over ten thousand dollars on chrysanthemums!”, making him a beloved character among fans of the show Industry. However, in “White Mischief”, we get an extended look at Rishi’s life several months after his marriage to Diana (Brittany Ashworth), which concluded the second season. It’s Christmas time, and he has purchased a countryside property. The land includes a famous cricket ground and a ‘founders’ wall’ adorned with pictures of old white men who were significant to the area, a fact Rishi reassures his neighbors will be respected during renovations. By most accounts, Rishi seems to fit the mold of a successful man: a country house, wife, child, luxury car. Yet, despite this seemingly polished exterior, he remains much the same person at home as he is at Pierpoint. One of the earliest shots of him in this setting shows Rishi using a urinal while watching an OnlyFans video made by his colleague Sweetpea Golightly. As he’s entertained, the camera pans to reveal his newborn baby strapped to his chest. Rishi’s nose immediately starts bleeding on the baby’s head due to his frequent cocaine use.
Rishi’s rural existence is a complicated scenario. An old acquaintance of Diana who once owned the land occasionally appears, even cutting his hedges early in the morning; this overly familiar white man makes Rishi question his masculinity. Additionally, a gardener frequently mistakes him and his companion for intruders due to their race. However, these minor slights are just one aspect of Rishi’s troubles. He’s heavily indebted, owing a significant sum to a dubious individual, which leads him to risk the stability of Pierpoint by investing large amounts in British currency, all while battling an escalating gambling addiction. His aim is to win enough money to improve his financial situation. To make matters worse, his stress has led to physical symptoms such as red welts appearing on his back. In summary, Rishi’s life is a whirlwind of challenges. Radia delivers a captivating performance in this role, maintaining his charm amid the chaos he creates, and as the episode’s fast-paced editing intensifies, showcasing his descent into addiction, it feels like your neck is being pulled from one self-destructive situation to another. The music of Oneohtrix Point Never sets the perfect tone for this tumultuous journey.
It’s exhilarating to see how bluntly Industry portrays Rishi’s unsavory traits. This could be a turning point in Hollywood representation, showing that Asians have broken through when they can play reprehensible, cocaine-using, sexually aggressive new fathers on Western TV. While I’m being somewhat facetious, there’s also a grain of truth: Rishi’s character feels authentic, something rarely seen in the portrayal of people of color in film and television. In college, I knew several Asian students like him – ambitious to succeed in finance or tech, ruthless in their pursuits, and often unwilling to question the immorality of their profession. It’s difficult to criticize their choices openly. There’s always a rationalization for their involvement in high-finance: they need the money, why should opportunities and power be monopolized by white people, and so on.
Each character in this story has a unique background – Harper is a Black woman from a less prestigious university and a broken family, Yasmin is a ‘nepo baby’ with daddy issues, and Robert is a working-class white man with mommy issues. These factors raise questions about their motivations – does their past justify their actions in pursuit of success? For instance, Harper’s aggressive behavior, Yasmin’s questionable wealth sources, and Robert’s aspiration to emulate the upper class. However, several characters have grown skeptical of the system and moved away from it, such as Gus. By the time we meet Eric, a partner at the firm, he appears consumed by his work, suggesting that the demands of this industry may erase one’s personal identity over time.
As a seasoned trader on the floor, Rishi has a closer bond with Eric than Harper when it comes to selling their souls, but the series “Industry” subtly explores the complexities in his character. Born and raised in the UK, Rishi is of South Asian descent, shaped by the country’s colonial past. He struggles with a powerful gambling addiction. Is this background enough for viewers to empathize with him? This theme mirrors the long-standing TV trope of the anti-hero, such as Walter White, whose circumstances led him to build a criminal empire. Here, “Industry” reimagines this concept, delving into the intricate link between marginalized identities and involvement in a highly controversial industry. Notably, the show’s creators, Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, are descendants of Polish and Ghanaian immigrants.
In the show “Industry”, it’s notable that racial politics among characters are rarely explicitly addressed, instead maintaining a certain distance. For instance, in season two, Harper tells Rishi, while doing drugs together in the bathroom, “Don’t you think people underestimate you?” She implies, though not directly, that he might be racially underestimated. His response, “That sounds tiring,” suggests he finds such considerations burdensome, especially when he’s focused on his business. Scenes like this are rare in “Industry”, but they effectively portray how individuals within this system often suppress their identities in pursuit of wealth and power.
By the close of the day, Rishi manages to avoid catastrophe, at least temporarily. Earlier, he might have lost control and squandered his roulette earnings, but luckily his Pierpoint bet pays off, allowing him to maintain the facade that he can keep his life going for another day. The story concludes with a victorious scene as Rishi destroys the cricket house and demolishes the “founders’ wall”, sticking it to the white establishment. As the tale ends, he is shown smiling in the sunlight, believing in his underdog position in the world. For now, Rishi finds enough motivation to continue on this path.
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2024-09-02 06:56