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* Downplayed with [[Characters/StevenUniverseConnieMaheswaran Connie Maheswaran]] on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', who doesn't fit too many nerd tropes despite her intelligence. Even though she does display several "geeky" qualities towards anime and books, as well as practicing the violin and playing tennis, she has recently developed into quite a skilled sword fighter and Steven's love interest. Her mother's a doctor, too!

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* Downplayed with [[Characters/StevenUniverseConnieMaheswaran Connie Maheswaran]] on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', who doesn't fit too many nerd tropes despite her intelligence. Even though she does display several "geeky" qualities towards anime and books, as well as practicing the violin and playing tennis, she has recently developed into quite soon becomes a skilled sword fighter and Steven's love interest. Her mother's a doctor, too!
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Alphabetizing example(s), Updating links


* Dr. Kavita Rao in ''ComicBook/XMen'', who first appeared after having developed a serum that could cure the ''Homo superior'' mutations, and later joined them as part of the X-Club, a think tank assembled by Beast in order to try and reverse the effects of the [[ComicBook/HouseOfM Decimation]].
* Salah from ''ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'', who is probably Pakistani but fulfills this role as the tech expert and robotics engineer.
* Kamala Khan aka ComicBook/{{Ms Marvel|2014}}. She's Pakistani rather than Indian, but she probably still counts. She is a huge superhero nerd, having intricate knowledge of her universe's superheroes, and she is a keen MMORPG player and fanfic writer. Downplayed, though, because, while she is fairly intelligent, her best friend Bruno (as well as his girlfriend, Mike) are smarter and fulfill the role of TheSmartGuy in her solo series.
* Ipsha from ''ComicBook/LevelUp'', one of Dennis's friends who is also studying gastroenterology. Apparently it's her family's tradition.

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* Dr. Kavita Rao in ''ComicBook/XMen'', who first appeared after having developed a serum that could cure the ''Homo superior'' mutations, and later joined them as part ''ComicBook/LevelUp'': Ipsha, one of the X-Club, a think tank assembled by Beast in order to try and reverse the effects of the [[ComicBook/HouseOfM Decimation]].
* Salah from ''ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'',
Dennis's friends who is probably Pakistani but fulfills this role as the tech expert and robotics engineer.
also studying gastroenterology. Apparently it's her family's tradition.
* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsKamalaKhan Kamala Khan aka ComicBook/{{Ms Marvel|2014}}.Khan]] from ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014''. She's Pakistani rather than Indian, but she probably still counts. She is a huge superhero nerd, having intricate knowledge of her universe's superheroes, and she is a keen MMORPG player and fanfic writer. Downplayed, though, because, while she is fairly intelligent, her best friend Bruno (as well as his girlfriend, Mike) are smarter and fulfill the role of TheSmartGuy in her solo series.
* Ipsha ''ComicBook/{{The Outsiders|DCComics}}'': Salah Miandad/REMAC from ''ComicBook/LevelUp'', one of Dennis's friends ''ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders2007'', who is also studying gastroenterology. Apparently it's her family's tradition.probably Pakistani but fulfills this role as the tech expert and robotics engineer.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Dr. Kavita Rao, who first appeared after having developed a serum that could cure the ''Homo superior'' mutations, and later joined them as part of the X-Club, a think tank assembled by Beast in order to try and reverse the effects of the [[ComicBook/HouseOfM Decimation]].
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This trope is not as common in Great Britain, where a higher percentage of the population is of South Asian ancestry. However, it did exist to some extent in colonial India, where the British were fond of stereotyping the different ethnicities on the subcontinent. There were some exceptions, but in general Punjabis (from northwestern India and Pakistan) were seen as tough and brave and were popular choices for [[UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest sepoy troops]], while Bengalis (from northeastern India and Bangladesh) were supposedly weak and cowardly intellectuals. In a nutshell, Punjabis = jocks, Bengalis = nerds. This was an egregiously odd racial profile to give them given that the sons of prominent Bengali warrior families constituted more than half the entire British East India Company's mercenary force -- indeed, the move to reduce Bengali recruitment and diversify the force was a major contributing factor to the 1857 mercenary rebellion which resulted in the company's dissolution -- but then again racial profiling is by definition neither a logically-consistent discipline nor one founded in reality.

Note that actual UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} films rarely use this character type. That's because ([[SarcasmMode Get this]]) [[CaptainObvious Indians are pretty common]] [[ShapedLikeItself over in India]], so they don't have any trouble giving them diverse roles. Also, Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible, so while people from the country of India are the most common examples, the trope can also apply to Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and occasionally even people from the smaller South Asian countries of Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.

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This trope is not as common in Great Britain, where a higher percentage of the population is of South Asian ancestry. However, it did exist to some extent in colonial India, where the British were fond of stereotyping the different ethnicities on the subcontinent. There were some exceptions, but in general Punjabis (from northwestern India and Pakistan) UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}) were seen as tough and brave and were popular choices for [[UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest sepoy troops]], while Bengalis (from northeastern India and Bangladesh) were supposedly weak and cowardly intellectuals. In a nutshell, Punjabis = jocks, Bengalis = nerds. This was an egregiously odd racial profile to give them given that the sons of prominent Bengali warrior families constituted more than half the entire British East India Company's mercenary force -- indeed, the move to reduce Bengali recruitment and diversify the force was a major contributing factor to the 1857 mercenary rebellion which resulted in the company's dissolution -- but then again racial profiling is by definition neither a logically-consistent discipline nor one founded in reality.

Note that actual UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} films rarely use this character type. That's because ([[SarcasmMode Get this]]) [[CaptainObvious Indians are pretty common]] [[ShapedLikeItself over in India]], so they don't have any trouble giving them diverse roles. Also, Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible, so while people from the country of India are the most common examples, the trope can also apply to Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, UsefulNotes/{{Bangladesh}}is, and occasionally even people from the smaller South Asian countries of Sri Lanka, Nepal, UsefulNotes/SriLanka, UsefulNotes/{{Nepal}}, and Bhutan.
UsefulNotes/{{Bhutan}}.



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* Downplayed with [[CuteBookworm Connie Maheswaran]] on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', who doesn't fit too many nerd tropes despite her intelligence. Even though she does display several "geeky" qualities towards anime and books, as well as practicing the violin and playing tennis, she has recently developed into quite a skilled sword fighter and Steven's love interest. Her mother's a doctor, too!

to:

* Downplayed with [[CuteBookworm [[Characters/StevenUniverseConnieMaheswaran Connie Maheswaran]] on ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', who doesn't fit too many nerd tropes despite her intelligence. Even though she does display several "geeky" qualities towards anime and books, as well as practicing the violin and playing tennis, she has recently developed into quite a skilled sword fighter and Steven's love interest. Her mother's a doctor, too!

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* Make, Overclock's Indian pal, in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. The two of them are still just two more devisers in a SuperheroSchool of about 600 kids.

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* Make, Overclock's Indian pal, in the Literature/WhateleyUniverse. The two of them are still just two more devisers devisors in a SuperheroSchool of about 600 kids.



** Silver (Sakti Chandrasekhar) wants to be a mechanical engineer, and Kaiju (Sadhira Patel) is an electronics prodigy (from natural talent, not due to mutant powers). Unfortunately for them, their powers didn't cooperate; Silver's ability to produce {{Mithril}} meant she needed to study magic (if only to protect herself from those who would exploit her), while the side effects of Kaiju's manifested quasi-saurian PK shell is turning her into a CuteMonsterGirl.

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** Silver (Sakti Chandrasekhar) wants to be a mechanical engineer, and Kaiju (Sadhira Patel) is an electronics prodigy (from natural talent, not due to mutant powers). Unfortunately for them, their powers didn't cooperate; Silver's ability to produce {{Mithril}} meant she needed to study magic (if only to protect herself from those who would [[SuperhumanTrafficking exploit her), her]]), while the side effects of Kaiju's manifested quasi-saurian PK shell is turning her into a CuteMonsterGirl.CuteMonsterGirl.
** Pahelee (Revekah Chatterjee), the [[MadScientist Devisor]]/[[SuperStrength Exemplar]] on 'Team Awesome!', the scourges of the school's powers testing faculty. As with her teammates (all of whom are under eleven), she is both exceptionally powerful and all too willing to throw hands with the older school bullies.
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* The entire family in ''AnandasFall'', including a math professor grandpa, political science professor grandma, physicist mom, neurologist dad, and son who is clearly highly gifted.

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* The entire family in ''AnandasFall'', ''Literature/AnandasFall'', including a math professor grandpa, political science professor grandma, physicist mom, neurologist dad, and son who is clearly highly gifted.
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* The entire family in ''AnandasFall'', including a math professor grandpa, political science professor grandma, physicist mom, neurologist dad, and son who is clearly highly gifted.
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* Anji Kapoor, from the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse. She's a futures trader and damn good at it, watches documentaries about economics for fun, and occasionally reads Creator/JaneAusten, although, like many examples of this trope, she's not actually geeky. Also, she was the first recurring ''Series/DoctorWho'' character of Asian descent, though Rani from the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} series ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', Toshiko from ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'', and Yaz in the main TV series have appeared subsequently.

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* Anji Kapoor, from the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse. She's a futures trader and damn good at it, watches documentaries about economics for fun, and occasionally reads Creator/JaneAusten, although, like many examples of this trope, she's not actually geeky.geeky (her boyfriend Dave is massively into a strangely familiar sci-fi series, and she just doesn't see the point). Also, she was the first recurring ''Series/DoctorWho'' character of Asian descent, though Rani from the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} series ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', Toshiko from ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'', and Yaz in the main TV series have appeared subsequently.

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* Invoked by Sindhu Vee on series 20 episode 5 of ''Radio/TheUnbelievableTruth'', when she makes an incorrect challenge because she didn't realise a three figure number wasn't a prime. She jokes that she's the only Indian who's bad at maths and her parents would be disappointed.

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* Invoked by Sindhu Vee on series 20 episode 5 of ''Radio/TheUnbelievableTruth'', when she makes an incorrect challenge because she didn't realise realize a three figure three-figure number wasn't a prime. She jokes that she's the only Indian who's bad at maths and her parents would be disappointed.


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* ''VideoGame/HogwartsLegacy'' has the British Indian Amit Thakkar, a {{bookworm}} and astronomy nerd who's a member of the eponymous WizardingSchool's scholarly [[BoardingSchool Ravenclaw house]].
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Once Acceptable Targets is no longer a trope


As far as Indian characters go, we really only know a few things: One, they have funny accents. Two, they drive cabs and [[AsianStoreOwner run convenience stores]]. [[OnceAcceptableTargets Yeah, those ain't gonna fly anymore]]. Three, Indians are so intelligent, they are the source of many white collar job outsourcings as well as stereotyped as doctors. So, obviously, all Indians must be geniuses. And therefore, nerds.

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As far as Indian characters go, we really only know a few things: One, they have funny accents. Two, they drive cabs and [[AsianStoreOwner run convenience stores]]. [[OnceAcceptableTargets Yeah, those ain't gonna fly anymore]].anymore. Three, Indians are so intelligent, they are the source of many white collar job outsourcings as well as stereotyped as doctors. So, obviously, all Indians must be geniuses. And therefore, nerds.
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* In ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', intelligence officer Captain Christian Patel is a stereotypical computer geek.
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* Anji Kapoor, from the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse. She's a futures trader and damn good at it, watches documentaries about economics for fun, and occasionally reads Creator/JaneAusten, although, like many examples of this trope, she's not actually geeky. Also, she was the first recurring ''Series/DoctorWho'' character of Asian descent, though Rani from the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} series ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' and Toshiko from ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'' have appeared subsequently.

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* Anji Kapoor, from the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse. She's a futures trader and damn good at it, watches documentaries about economics for fun, and occasionally reads Creator/JaneAusten, although, like many examples of this trope, she's not actually geeky. Also, she was the first recurring ''Series/DoctorWho'' character of Asian descent, though Rani from the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} series ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' and ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', Toshiko from ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'' ''{{Series/Torchwood}}'', and Yaz in the main TV series have appeared subsequently.
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* Real-life Bollywood nerd Divya Narendra was portrayed by [[Brownface British actor]] Max Minghella (who is of Chinese, British, and Italian descent), in the film ''Film/TheSocialNetwork''.

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* Real-life Bollywood nerd Divya Narendra was portrayed by [[Brownface [[{{Brownface}} British actor]] Max Minghella (who is of Chinese, British, and Italian descent), in the film ''Film/TheSocialNetwork''.
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[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', while Priya is not explicitly shown as particularly nerdy aside from being a bookworm, she is perceived by Ming as being at least bright enough to hold her own in a mathletes competition alongside Mei who is a straight-A student.
[[/folder]]
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Hot Scientist is no longer a trope


* Dr. Rakshata Chawla from ''Anime/CodeGeass'', a {{Bunny Ears|Lawyer}} HotScientist. Also, most of China's [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] are implied to have been designed by Indian engineers.

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* Dr. Rakshata Chawla from ''Anime/CodeGeass'', a {{Bunny Ears|Lawyer}} HotScientist.scientist. Also, most of China's [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] are implied to have been designed by Indian engineers.
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* ''Literature/HowOpalMehtaGotKissedGotWildAndGotALife'' plays with this; Opal is Indian-American (born in India, lived in New Jersey since she was five), who has grown up aspiring to enter Harvard University and dedicating her entire life to achieving this. She has a 4.0 GPA, was her class' valedictorian and has won various academic awards. She's also very socially-awkward, unfashionable, knows little about popular culture, and has no real interests outside of studying. She believes women can be either smart or pretty, and has resigned herself to the former. When Opal is told by the Harvard admissions office that her lack of interesting traits outside of academia is hampering her acceptance, she becomes determined to shed her nerdiness and become 'cool'.

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