The vicious demon of colorism and racism has been eating societies for a long time now. From western culture to eastern culture, the whole world is afflicted with this demon. And even the movie industries that have been criticizing it for a long time now are not untouched by it. Even today, the Indian film industry has an uncomfortable habit of employing skin-darkening make-up to actors on-screen and rejecting talented actors because of their dark complexion. Even after a 100-year-long journey, there are numerous untold tales of racism that remain to wait to be exposed in Bollywood itself. Here are the top 8 Bollywood actors who have talked about facing colorism in the film industry.
1. Nawazzudin Siddiqui: The actor started his career with some roles hailing to rural areas because of his color and face structure. But this was not the only brunt he faced in the industry. A few years ago, he had to suffer the brunt of racist remarks by none other than senior actor Rishi Kapoor. Looking at his color and body, Kapoor said he is an average actor incapable of doing romance.
2. Bipasha Basu: It is said that woman always supports other woman, but in the case of Bipasha Basu her own co-star color shamed her. According to reports, Kareena Kapoor allegedly called Bipasha Basu a ‘kaali billi’ (black cat), referring to Basu’s dusky complexion.
3. Frieda Pinto: Everybody wishes to reach the position where Hollywood actress Frieda Pinto has been ruling right now. But the journey was not easy for her. Frieda has in fact time and again accused Bollywood of being fascinated with white-skinned actors and has openly expressed her disgust about the auditioning process for films in India.
4. Shilpa Shetty: Actress Shilpa Shetty has been the perfect example of aging like a fine wine. During her initial days, she used to be dark in complexion and this invited a lot of racism for her. The Dhaka actress was mocked for her Indian accent and was branded 'The Indian' and a 'dog' during her stay in the Big Brother house.
5. Dhanush is one of the biggest names in South India, but when it was his time to rise and shine in Bollywood, he didn't disappoint! In fact, his portrayal of a Banarasi roadside Romeo in Raanjhanaa was one of the most heart-warming performances of 2013. However, the sad part is that people in the industry couldn't get over their racial fixations and questioned director Anand L. Rai's choice till the very end.
6. Manoj Bajpayee: There is no denying that Manoj Bajpayee is one of the greatest actor ever produced in the industry. He truly conquered the odds and rose to fame. One of the biggest in his journey was his complexion, His character of a prince in the movie was the vision of veteran director Shyam Benegal. However, that couldn't save Bajpai from mean comments which ranged from mocking to racism, despite the movie getting rave reviews.
7. Namita Das: The actress has also fought against the prejudices prevalent in Bollywood. Taking a firm stand over the racist facet of Bollywood, the actress supports the ‘Dark is beautiful’ campaign that fights the obsession with fair skin.
8. Sonam Kapoor: While you may wonder what Sonam Kapoor is doing in this list, it is equally important to understand the mindset of the current crop of Bollywood stars, as far as look-based discrimination is concerned. Answering a question on a popular chat show, the 'fashionista' passed a totally racist statement which goes on to show how skewed the perception of talent is in Bollywood.
