We live in an era where consumerism and commercialism define what is beautiful and how one should be. Women are expected to fit in the ideal standards of beauty which is impossible as our society has different notions when it comes to beauty.
Ladies are either too fair, too dark, too curvy, too skinny, the list is endless! To top it off, Bollywood has been setting unrealistic expectations of beauty since forever with the heroines being fair-skinned and the villains being dark-skinned.
It’s no secret that light skin is prioritised in show biz, and fair-skinned actresses are often roped in to play the role of a dark-skinned woman on-screen. Remember the role of Alia Bhatt as a farm labourer in Udta Punjab? The actress sported dark makeup to achieve the look.
In the past, a lot of actresses have revealed they were rejected from different projects because of their complexion, and Hina Khan is the latest to join the list.
Recently, while talking to a leading daily, Hina shared an incident when she was rejected from a project for her skin color in spite of being perfect for the role!
She said, “There are times where I probably don’t like the story or I don’t want to do that kind of a character for the time being, but there also are times where you probably test for it, and you are very keen that it works, but it doesn’t work out for various reasons.”
Recalling the episode, she said, “I can’t talk about the project, but I remember I could not crack a project because I didn’t look Kashmiri enough. I am Kashmiri and I can fluently speak the language but I didn’t get cast because my complexion is dusky and I am not extremely fair. That’s what the team and character demanded.”
The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress added, “I really felt bad. When you know the language so well, probably you could have worked wonders in that character, but I didn’t get cast only because I don’t look Kashmiri (laughs). I never lose hope, I don’t give up. I keep trying!”
Hina isn’t the only actress who has voiced her opinion about unrealistic beauty standards. Earlier, Kriti Sanon had opened up about being rejected several times for looking “too good to be real”. There’s really no pleasing society!
Colourism is a deeply rooted societal predicament in India that needs to be tackled ASAP. It’s harmful and can have a negative impact on one’s mental health.
As an industry, Bollywood should be setting an example for a more inclusive society instead of further propagating colourism. We hope they do better in the future!
Featured Image: Instagram
