I wanted to make an Indian character who wasn't either a) the savage that must be eliminated, the force of nature that's blocking the way for industrial progress, or b) the noble innocent that knows all and is another cliche. I wanted him to be a complicated human being.
“The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression.”
“I have a certain image that's more classic, and I'm happy to stay out of the fray.”