Oh! Look controversial topic……..how exciting!!! It’s gonna
be a long post and it might offend some people but seriously I don’t give a
rats arse.
So let’s start ranting!!
I’ve been asked many times in my life, why as an Indian I
avoid or rarely watch Indian movies, let it be bollywood or mollywood or
whatever wood. Why ? Oh Whyyyyyy?
Most of the time, before I could answer their question, they
take the pleasure of making fun of me. The overused insult is “Do you think you
are velai karuchi ?” (Do you think you are white
girl) Usually when that snide brainless comment is thrown at my way, I know
in my heart I rather just smile and ignore this person because in the end,
nothing is going to change his or her head. No matter what I say. Seriously!
So this post is dedicated to people who actually want to
know why. And before I begin, I wanna
say thank you for taking your time to read this and listen to my answer J.
*To make it easier for
me to write this, I gonna put all the Indian film industry (bollywood,
mollywood…….) as Indian-wood it sounds porno but hey whatever as long as its
easier to write!
So It’s not like I’ve never watched Indian-wood before, I’ve
watched Indian-wood plenty, but all that was when I was a lot younger when I
actually liked what I was watching. So what changed my mind?
I have a few reasons
but the main one is:………………It’s skin color people!
Did you notice (or pretend not to notice) that almost all the actress in Indian-wood today
are light skinned. Now before you start throwing seven hellish evil comments at
me. Just hear me out people. Indians, we
come in many different shades, am I right? It does not matter if you are from
south or north or east or west side of India. The fact is, Indians in general
we come in many beautiful shades of color. We range from the darkest chocolate brown
to the almost pale white complexion.
So why in the hell there are not many darker shade actresses
in movies?
Now let’s just back track a little, back when I was younger,
I remember watching many actress that had many range of skin tone color and
they were all famous and beautiful.
Example actress Madhubala, Bhanu Priya, Rohini, Silk Smith, Raadhika, Sarita,
Anu Hassan, Roja, Kajol, Rekha , Sharada, Navya nair…….just to name a few. Some
of you will get defensive and say “Hey they are not that dark! They are fair”.
But people that is
not what I meant. What I meant is that they have some brown in them it does not
matter if they are darker or not the fact is, back them Indian-wood had some
brown girls (dusky completion) ranging from dark to dusky to fair. They had
lighter skin actress and they also had darker skin actress. Back then I was
happy if I saw Sarita in movies. I thought she was beautiful with her big
Indian eyes and dark skin. But now, all you see is light skinned girls or very very
light dusky actress! What happen to all the darker skin girls? Why are they not
cast as the main actress in movies anymore? All I see is darker skinned girls are
either a ‘friend’ to the lighter skinned actress or she is a laughing joke!
Why is there a prejudice against casting only light skinned
girls. Now now I’m not saying Indian girls with lighter skinned tone are not
Indian. Come on people! What I am saying is that WHERE IS THE BALANCE!
And you must be wondering hey there are plenty of dark
skinned actors in movies! Well my dear friends there is not much prejudice
against dark skinned actors compare to actress isn’t it? Famous Indian movie
star is dark skinned guy am I right? But here is another thing that makes me
annoyed about Indian-wood film industry, why is that, a dark skinned guy falls
for a lighter skinned girls and if she rejects him, he tells her to see his
personality not his skin tone. He advice her on how wrong she is at judging him
by his dark skin tone but you rarely see that happening the opposite way?
They make song and jolly duet about it, in fact a whole
movie dedicating a story of how a dark skinned hero falling for lighter skinned
actress all the time. Where is the ‘other’ movie, where is that movie where a
darker skinned girl falling for a lighter skinned guy. Where is that movie?
Where is that song?
Why is that when a dark skinned guy when tries to sing a
song about his skin tone and trying to somehow match his skin color in a duet
with lighter skinned girl, he always compares himself or make example of Rajinikanth. Why? Because he has someone to look up to as
an inspiration. A person who is not light skinned and is famous. So how is a
darker skinned girl going to make a duet song about liking a lighter skinned
guy, when all the Indian-wood only worship light skinned girls? Who is she
going to sing about ? Let’s be real! Do
you ever recall any movie where a dark skinned actress is a portrayed as
beautiful and intelligent or dreamy. No I do not mean when she is caked with
make up to make herself less dark in appearance.
Remember the Karuthamma movie, I loved it! For the story and
also for the fact that a light skinned doctor falls for a darker skinned
village girl. I was thrilled!!! But there was no happy ending was there? She
did not get married to him in the end did she? Why can’t there be a dark
skinned girl who is not a village born and she is dreamy in the eyes of the
hero? Why is that in the country where we are known for our brown skin tone, we
only celebrate light skinned actress? Again let’s not forget the bias gender
issue either. I think there is plenty of balance of dark skin and light skinned
actors. Now all we need is a good balance of that applied in actress
department. We need our very own “Female Rajinikanth”.
Movies like Indira, Karuthamma and Roja, are my favourite. I
love their story and their casting. Anytime a girl is darker skinned to the
actor I feel so ecstatic, because it is so rare and the trend never picked
up. Roja movie did not touch on skin
issue but the fact that she was the second child in the movie made me even eager
to watch it. I’m a second child nothing ever happens to second child, only the
first !!! LOL
Bollywood has 90% light skinned actress and actors, I don’t
know why but Indians from India always tells me that north people are much
lighter than south, maybe that is true. They have taken that into account and
they stick to light skinned. They white washed everything from actor, actress
and even their movies. Apparently Bollywood thinks that the only way you are
not a typical Indian if you are fair, rich and lives overseas in luxury. Breaking
whatever rule they know about Indian culture. I only watched Hindi movie if Kajol
is around. Although god honest I sometimes feel like she too is whitewashed on
screen.
So what happen to south Indians, Why aren’t you celebrating
the darker skinned actress? You have done well for the actors, so what about
the dark skinned actress? Why are they all light skinned? Are you ashamed of
your dark skinned girls? Why we are so
worked up about a darker skinned girl being the main character?
Here is another thing I notice. When a lighter skinned
actress who may not be the main character plays a ‘maid’ or ‘friend’
characters, she is in good situation no matter how fat or ugly she looks. As
long as she is light all is fair game. But let’s say that fat and ugly girl is
dark skinned and OMG she is a JOKE
!!!???? She is automatically not attractive and became subject to cruel jokes
and poke fun!!! I’m not saying fat light
skinned girls are not made fun, but not as much as dark skinned girls. They
always are seen as light skinned luscious maid or auntie that makes other
supporting actors lust after them.
A dark skinned hero can scold his ‘friend’ saying “it’s not
nice to make fun of dark skinned girls, they are beautiful too’ but turns
around and fall head over heels over light skinned girl. I say ok, maybe it’s a
preference, he likes lighter skin girls. So what happens if a dark skinned girl
falls for light skinned guy, Why can’t that be a preference of hers? Why people
treat her like she is delusional? She is out of his league? Why? Because she is
dark and he is not? Why he can play the card but she can’t?
I know some of you say like “there are still some dark
actress in Indian-wood” True that is true up until I notice all this actress
are either whitewashed or they are caked in make up to appear less dark. There
is not true variety of skin shade anymore. Rather if you are fair…….it does not
matter if you are fat, not attractive or downright worse at acting, as long as
you are fair/ light skinned you are hired!
I have avoided watching Indian-wood movies now because I
don’t feel inspired. I don’t feel proud and I refused to worship and fan girl
over light skinned girls dominating Indian-woods. I want balance, I’m not
saying fire and chase away all the light skinned actress, don’t forget they are
Indians too, what I saying is that I would very much prefer a balance. I want
to see a movie where a light skinned hero falls head over heels when he sees a modern
dreamy dark skinned girl. I want to see a dark skinned girls dancing to a song
that celebrate her dark skin tone. I want to see a dark skinned actress having
main characters roles not just a side joke that nobody will remember her after
T minus 2 seconds. I want to see a “Female Rajinikanth”.
This is why I refused to watch Indian-wood movies. I only
watch them if and only if someone tells me the movie is different or it has
amazing plot. If it’s a love story …..which it always is ……. Its not my genre
unless they produce a movie where a dark skinned girl is cast as the main
actress and her skin tone is not an issue rather she is just a dreamy Indian beauty…….maybe
then I will consider again.
It’s already bad that white skinned is worshiped and it dominates media
industry and the world. So if I can’t be proud of my skin tone in Indian-wood why
should I accept and worship light skinned actress that has nothing in common
with me besides being Indian.
It is bad enough that media force girls into thinking THIN
is beautiful, since that applies to all color, race and country, it is a global
issue. Weight can change and it’s a matter of choice if you want to be thin or
chubby or whatever, But skin is not a choice!!!! It is something you are born
in and it will stay with you no matter what. Since this is not something you
can simply turn on and off, why don’t we teach our younger generations how to
respect and love the skin color you are born with, to tell them not to believe
what bold face lies they throw on TV saying Fair skin means beauty and success.
It’s heart breaking to see a young girl asking her mom to
buy her bleach cream because she is not beautiful and fair like her friends.
And you know what is sadder (if that is even a word) The mom agrees and buys
her 10 year old daughter a bleach cream!!!!! LADY WTF !!!! You lady are a
disgrace !!!!
