All’s not fair in the Indian glamour industry. While the matrimonial columns continue with the pursuit for slim, fair women, showbiz seems to be taking a complete U-turn.

Being dusky is the rage these days. So much so that even the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai had to go many shades darker in Dhoom 2. Thanks to the phenomenal success of actresses like Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu in the Hindi film industry, unconventional is the look now and the darker you are, the better. In the modelling world too, there are models like Nina Manuel, Lakshmi Menon and Sheetal Mallar to lead the path to fame for dusky newcomers.

Skin tone soaps

But is this trend restricted to Bollywood or fashion world alone? Fat chance. Even on mini screen, dusky heroines are cashing in on their skin tone to rake in big moolah. The latest to hit the popularity chart is Rajashree Thakur who plays Saloni in ‘Saat Phere...Saloni ki Safar’ on Zee TV. ‘Saat Phere’ is the story of an immensely talented girl Saloni who gets rejected by men due to her skin colour. Another serial which has a similar story line is ‘Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai’ on Star Plus. 

Commenting on her role and popularity, Rajashree Thakur said in an earlier interview, “Saloni is not really ugly. She’s just dark. So, people think she’s ugly. The problem lies with her dark skin because some people think dark skin is not beautiful. She’s talented, and in my eyes she’s very beautiful.” According to Tarun Mehra, Business Head Zee TV, where the serial is being telecast, “Colour discrimination has been one of the major issues in India since a long time and hence we thought that there should be a show which deals with this sensitive issue. The story of Saloni, has become so popular with the viewers because she is so real and hence people are able to identify with her.”

Interestingly, in India, when women claim to be at ease with the natural tone of their skin, it’s the men who are demanding a fair share of attention. Leading fairness creams too have come out with variations to cater to men.
If Hema Nambiar of Nivea is to be believed, the sale of these fairness creams are going steady north. “More and more men are opting for fairness creams but women seem to be extremely comfortable with their skin tone. We have found our men’s fairness cream getting popularity like never before and the consumers mainly fall into the 18-30 age bracket,” she says. But the truth is, showbiz and serials apart, our national obsession for lighter skin hasn’t become history yet. Call it the colonial hangover, fair still fares better in the marriage market.
From geishas to goddesses, we want them all bleached.