Unfair and not so lovely

Nepotism, of late, seems to be the byword in Bollywood. Nawazuddin Siddiqui stirred up an issue of biases concerning the colour of one’s skin in the industry. Nawaz twitted, “Thank U 4 making me realise dat I cannot b paired along wid d fair & handsome bcz I m dark & not good looking, but I never focus on that.(sic)” .

This is in stark contrast to his claim last year. “I think there is no racism in this film industry. If you are talented, you will get your due. I am thankful of being part of this industry,” he had said.

In the Munna Michael press conference in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, Nawazuddin was asked to explain his tweet about racism. Without taking any names, he said, “I only responded to someone’s tweet. On further questioning, he said, “As a kid, I have been hearing these (complexion-related) things. Even in my village, when I talked about becoming an actor, everyone would say apni shakal toh dekh le. When I eventually gave auditions in Mumbai, I was met with scepticism on my choice of becoming an actor. One look at me and they would say actor toh dekhne se lagta nahi. Maa bhi bolti hai bete ko ki gori bahu lana. I don’t know why these concepts exist, but they are there and it’s a fact.”

In a recent interview with The Asian Age, the versatile actor had come out on the racism that he encountered in his early days. “It was very difficult for me as an outsider. Very often, people would say that I didn’t look like an actor. According to some, actors are supposed to be tall and handsome, and possess six packs.  People judged me on that basis,” Nawazuddin said.

Chitrangada Singh

Although obsession with fair skin is a deep-rooted problem in India, actor Chitrangada Singh chooses to take a stoic view of it. “He is entitled to his opinion and I appreciate the fact that he stands up to it. However, I don’t think I’m fit to comment on this, since I haven’t gone through any of this myself. A lot of negativity exists in any theatre industry, be it Hollywood or Bollywood — actors get both ends of the stick,” she says matter-of-factly.

Shraddha Kapoor.

Actor Shraddha Kapoor’s understanding of beauty is much more holistic. “I believe that beauty is entirely skin deep. You can come from any background, you can have any skin colour but true beauty radiates from within. It’s only that all these issues get highlighted in the film industry; otherwise they are prevalent in society too.”

Interestingly, while Shraddha feels the onus is on the individual to deal with this problem, Nawaz is happy about the fact that the industry knows his worth and pays his due. “I don’t want to be the highest paid actor but only choose to play versatile roles, which I am fortunately doing. You get what you deserve, and this place has given me quite a lot,” he added.

Meanwhile, veteran journalist and iconoclast, Shobhaa De is not surprised. “Bollywood has always suffered from a ‘gora chitta’ complex. Show me one dusky super heroine or super hero. Dusky. Not ‘wheat complexioned’. Talent is recognised at the character actors’ level only. Look at Amy Jackson’s spectacular acceptance in Bollywood! There is a colour/ complexion bias. Don’t forget Bollywood biggies are mainly North Indian ‘fair and lovely’ people who prefer other equally ‘fair and lovely’ people. Nepotism exists but certainly doesn’t rock. Colour discrimination also exists, and won’t go away because of what a talented actor like Nawazuddin says,” she concludes.