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Obviously, the Internet was abuzz with hundreds of suggestions for actors to play the coveted roles of Aladdin and Jasmine. And though there were some arguments out there on whether it was "right" to have south Asian actors play the lead role (Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed for Aladdin and Priyanka Chopra as Jasmine) I once again found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The original Aladdin story is a tale that was featured in the epic 1000 and One Nights which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. And the story of Aladdin, originally, is in fact set in 'one of the cities of China' with what we understand as Chinese characters. Fact.
In saying that, stories have a way of developing, growing and becoming a thing of their own. Aladdin has since been adapted in many forms (much before the 1992 Disney film) and has often been set within a fictional "Arabian" world with Arab characters. Now, the issue that many people had with the 1992 Disney film was the vilified, stereotypical and narrow minded views of Arabs that were depicted throughout the film. Many view this new live remake of the Disney classic as a way to make amends for that.
So, when it was announced that Egyptian Canadian actor Mena Massoud was announced to play Aladdin I was thrilled. Then there was the random pick for Princess Jasmine, Naomi Scott, who is of Gujarati-Indian descent from her mother's side. I don't understand how that works but OK. Then it was announced that Will Smith is set to play the role of the Genie. I personally would have preferred Jamie Fox who is funnier and more authentic than Smith and would be better suited to fill in the shoes of the great Robin Williams.
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