Cover Jassa Ahluwalia writing his book in October 2023 (Photo: Cristian Solimeno)
Jassa Ahluwalia writing his book in October 2023 (Photo: Cristian Solimeno)
1 / 1
In his new book, former Peaky Blinders actor Jassa Ahluwalia explores his British-Punjabi upbringing and calls for the nuanced representation of multicultural people
For most people, Jassa Ahluwalia’s appearance doesn’t match his name. The British-Indian actor, who you might know as Dimitri in the second season of Peaky Blinders or Rocky from the BBC Series Some Girls, looks fully Caucasian and speaks English with a crisp British accent, but is in fact half-Punjabi. His “Indian-ness” is revealed when he breaks out in fluent Punjabi, often surprising whoever he’s speaking to.
One of the common reactions the actor and author receives from full-blooded Punjabis is that his language skills are better than theirs even though he’s “only half.” He hears and sees this comment often, such as in a comment left under a video he posted on Instagram, in which he’s preparing dahl, a lentil dish, and speaking in Punjabi. For Ahluwalia, that stung.
“Seeing the words ‘only half’ really made me realise where this frustration and this sense of not knowing how to involve myself in the conversation was coming from,” he says, referring to the way people with hyphenated and mixed identities assert their presence in everyday social settings, larger cultural conversations, as well as matters related to diasporic communities, diversity, and representation. “I had internalised this sense of halfness. I thought the reason I couldn’t fully be part of this conversation was because I was only entitled to half a chair.”
Above Jassa Ahluwalia (Photo: Cristian Solimeno)
Jassa Ahluwalia (Photo: Cristian Solimeno)
1 / 1
Over the past few years, as Ahluwalia sought to make sense of these limitations, he started recording himself in skits and posting them on Instagram, drawing inspiration from well-known content creators such as Canadian-Punjabi comedian Jus Reign (Jasmeet Singh Raina) and British-Pakistani actor Guz Khan to highlight the immigrant experience. He steps into the role of a Punjabi uncle to put a comedic twist on the interactions between immigrants and the next generation. In other clips, Ahluwalia records himself practicing playing the tabla—a hand drum pair from the Indian subcontinent—or posts old photographs of his childhood visits to his family’s village in Punjab.
For Ahluwalia, this creative process allowed him to revisit a sense of connection.
Seeing that some of his followers and viewers were astonished by his Indian heritage, Ahluwalia coined the term “both not half”, and used it as a hashtag on his posts. The goal was to create a more inclusive perspective and refute the way people of mixed heritage are often pigeonholed. He eventually extended the concept to give a popular TEDx Talk in Chandigarh, Punjab, in 2020. That time on stage further inspired Ahluwalia to write his debut book, Both Not Half: A Radical New Approach to Mixed Heritage Identity, which was published earlier this year.
Part memoir, part commentary on social identity, Both Not Half charts Ahluwalia’s specific experience as a British-Indian who could pass for being fully Caucasian. The book begins with the actor’s personal narrative and becomes an investigation into the layers and complex histories beneath mainstream perceptions of personal and cultural identity.
Above Ahluwalia with his mother at a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Leicester, UK (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
Ahluwalia with his mother at a Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Leicester, UK (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
1 / 1
Ahluwalia writes about his childhood in Leicester, UK, where he was primarily raised by his Punjabi grandparents. The city was, in fact, a multicultural setting—43% of its population is Asian, of whom most have Indian heritage, according to data released by the Leicester City Council in 2023.
“It was possible to have this entirely dual childhood, in which there was no halfness or dilution,” says Ahluwalia on his formative years. “There was just a pure ‘both’—and I realised there was value in that.”
Ahluwalia’s Sikh grandfather was the principal of his school; at home, he spoke Punjabi comfortably with his grandmother. “As a kid, I never had to prove the Punjabi part of myself”, Ahluwalia recalls. “It was only coming away from that as an adult that the ease was no longer available to me. I think I felt I needed to perform it in some way.”
When he began to pursue a career as an actor, he was often cast in roles that were purely Caucasian—which he had anticipated. But Ahluwalia wanted to explore more characters that reflect parts of his heritage. “There was a lot of personal confusion in the way I was presenting myself, just because I was privileging someone else’s perception,” says Ahluwalia regarding meeting other people’s expectations.
Above Ahluwalia with his Grandadfather in Moga, Punjab in 1997 (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
Ahluwalia with his Grandadfather in Moga, Punjab in 1997 (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
1 / 1
In an industry where tokenism is commonplace, Ahluwalia is trying to do his bit to affect change. In 2022, he advocated for a system that allows for “maximum inclusivity, but also specificity where it was required.” This new way of casting actors in roles would do away with the idea of appearance taking precedence, and instead consider ethnicity and heritage as a priority. In Ahluwalia’s case, for example, this new system “allows me to list myself as white, South Asian, mixed, Sikh, Punjabi, and English. It allows me to be all of those things simultaneously, which the previous system wouldn't allow.”
By creating his skits and engaging followers on social media, Ahluwalia explored and expressed his multilayered identity on his own terms. “I’ve made the decision to consciously perform my Punjabiness in order to get to a place where I no longer have to do that. I’ve sort of used performance as a way to get back to a state of not having to perform.” He managed to find the acceptance that he knew in his Leicester upbringing.
Ahluwalia captures that sense of ease in Both Not Half when he recalls a visit to his ancestral village in Punjab with his grandfather. “When I'm sitting on a manja [a traditional woven bed], having my dahl and roti, chatting with everyone, there’s no performance, I’m just myself.”
Above Ahluwalia at his Book Launch in London (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
Ahluwalia at his Book Launch in London (Photo: courtesy Jassa Ahluwalia)
1 / 1
Naturally, there were other experiences that caused friction and discomfort within Ahluwalia. Another episode he mentions in his book occurred in 2015, when he attended a Punjabi wedding with his father, his father's Punjabi partner and her daughter, only to be mistaken by other guests as a foreigner who tagged along. He recounts a moment when a young girl looked at him in shock when he broke into bhangra, a traditional Punjabi dance.
"Her confusion equalled only by her fascination. Staring. At me...She couldn't fathom what I was. A bhangra-dancing white man..to her, I was an alien," Ahluwalia recalls in his book.
As Ahluwalia shares important episodes from his life in Both Not Half, he explores themes of nostalgia and yearning as well. “A yearning for an idealised past that can’t be returned to, but can only be glorified and looked upon wistfully,” he says. At the same time, the actor and author acknowledges that the actual work of creating a future where everyone can feel that sense of belonging is arduous.
Ahluwalia is one of the newest voices to articulate a fundamental aspect of the mixed-race experience—the apprehension of never feeling fully accepted by either community that one might try to call one’s own. The idea behind “both not half” offers a simple shift in perspective that has found resonance beyond India and the UK, including places in Southeast Asia that have substantial mixed populations and share a colonial history. “I felt very connected to the global diaspora community as well,” Ahluwalia says, emphasising the importance of engaging in conversations that are more nuanced than before.
He has received wide-ranging but positive feedback from members of the British South Asian community and other diasporic groups, particularly those who have had to go to great lengths to demonstrate aspects of their identities to find a sense of belonging. In other cases, mixed couples or their relatives have also engaged with Ahluwalia, prompting conversations about how future generations may navigate these feelings. Increasingly, Ahluwalia hears from followers and readers who say they hope their children can grow up the way he did—with unconditional support to explore all facets of their identity.
Encountering those of mixed heritage is not uncommon, however, broader discussions about expressing those nuanced identities are lacking, especially beyond academic discourse. “Both not half” started as a hashtag but has become a rallying point for people around the world. It’s a novel development that contributes to an often-overlooked human experience, offering a fresh take on an internal conflict that is experienced by many people, one that counters fragmentation by championing the whole.
NOW READ:
Karpe and Quick Style bring their distinct hybrid Norwegian flair to Coke Studio
Meet Quick Style, the dance crew that choreographed for BTS and inspired a viral TikTok challenge
Meet Zain, the Pakistani-Arab Canto Rapper from Hong Kong
Aaina was the Arts and Culture Editor of Tatler Asia. A passion for history and all things visual led her in the pursuit of art history. With extensive experience in the art world working for a range of art institutions, she combined her passion and expertise in the form of art and culture journalism. Prior to Tatler, Aaina worked as a culture reporter for South China Morning Post and editor at the online art platform Cobo Social. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of prestigious art publications including Art Review, The Art Newspaper, Ocula, Art Agenda, Artsy, Design Anthology, and Artomity. Follow her on Instagram.
