'We Became Coronavirus From Momo': Chum Darang Opens Up On Facing Racist Comments Post COVID-19

Actress and Bigg Boss 18 fame Chum Darang, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, recently opened up on facing racist comment all her life, and revealed that things only worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic. She also highlighted the importance of inclusivity in cinema to normalise the acceptance of all cultures within India.

During an interaction with Zoom, Chum stated, "Inclusivity is very important for north eastern people. Television and cinema is a very big thing because it is consumed in each and every household. It has a very wide reach."

Recalling the times she faced racism, she shared that she believes in giving it back rather than playing the victim. "I have faced a lot of racism but I don't want to go deep into those stories and sound like a victim. The thing with racism and discrimination is some people are genuinely not aware, while there are some who do it intentionally," she explained.

She went on to say, "When I say I am from Arunachal, it means I am from this country only. If you don't understand this or keep asking even after I've said it, then you should be ashamed of yourself. You have sung the National Anthem everyday, and I have sung it too. I am a proud Indian and no one can take that away from me."

Recalling how the entire north-eastern community was called names post the COVID-19 pandemic, Chum shared, "Earlier, people would do racist things like calling us 'momo', and later, they started calling us 'coronavirus'. Such comments and mentality do annoy me, but I am someone who knows how to give it back then and there, and I have done it a lot of times."

A few months ago, Chum was in news after she slammed Youtuber Elvish Yadav for his racist comments about her. She revealed in the interview that while she does not pay heed to such people and comments anymore, she decided to give it back as he had hurt her entire community. "We are tribals. Our culture, our identity holds a very important meaning for us. And you cannot hurt my entire community just like that," she stated.

Elvish had later apologised to Chum for his comments, and had also stated that his intention was not to target or mock a particular community.