In India, colourism is not a new thing. A lot of people are obsessed with fairness. Colourism is there in the Hindi film industry, advertising sector and even in matrimonial sites. To talk about the History of Colourism in India, our ancient Indian texts have celebrated dark-skinned protagonists like Lord Krishna and Draupadi. Hindi movies continue to portray villains as dark-skinned. Even Indian fairness creams have ingrained a false relation in the minds of the audiences. One cannot deny the fact that colourism has a negative impact on all genders. Women, especially working in the entertainment industry are pressured to meet the standards of beauty, to get good roles.
A lot of TV stars have faced discrimination on several occasions. Many telly stars feel that a fair-skinned lady is always preferred over a dusky woman. A few popular TV stars from the entertainment industry, have spoken about the horrific experiences they had, as they were brown colour.
Here, take a look at the high-profiled TV stars who faced rejection, as they were dark-skinned
Naina Singh
Bigg Boss 14‘s Naina Singh had faced several rejections for her dark-skinned complexion. The actress is best known, for her role as Rhea in Kumkum Bhagya. During an interview with idiva.com, the actress revealed that she faced rejection for her dusky colour. “I have faced ‘racism’ if you talk about my colour. I have got that a lot. Ya, I have faced differentiation in the industry. TV me, jo gori hoti hai, who main lead hoti hai. I have faced that the main lead heroine always has to be fair and pretty.“,she said.
Nia Sharma
Naagin actress, Nia Sharma revealed that it does not bother her if she is dusky or brown-skinned. During an interview with ETimes, the actress revealed, “I never went to my doctor and said I want to be ‘fair’.
Kashmera Shah
Former Bigg Boss contestant Kashmera Shah can give young stars an easy run for their cash. The actress opened up about being targeted due to her complexion. During an interview with ETimes, the actress revealed that she wanted to have a white skin tone like her mother. “I would put powder on my face and wanted to be fair and white like my mother. Earlier, the makeup men I worked with in films, they wanted to make me look fair on-screen by applying makeup”, she said.
Ulka Gupta
The actress revealed that she got a chance to act in Saat Phere, due to her complexion. Later she faced rejection due to her dark skin type. During an interview with ETimes, the actress said, ” I was rejected so many times just for the sake of my dark skin”. The actress is best known for her role in Jhansi Ki Rani.
