Abhay Deol makes right moves, target stars endorsing fairness creams

The debate around fairness creams and advertisements promoting them zoomed into a new dimension with actor Abhay Deol targetting Bollywood stars and models promoting them including Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra

The 41-year-old nephew of veteran Dharmendra, in a Facebook post targetted them all with comments and photos of ads featuring them - triggering a bid debate in social media platforms like FB, Twitter and WhatsApp.

Abhay's comments comes in the wake of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay's comments - “If we were racist, why would we have all the entire south…Tamil, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra…why do we live with them? We have black people around us" - that he made during a discussion on the issue of attacks on African nationals.

In the Facebook post, Abhay wrote: "There's a lot more of these campaigns that are blatantly, and sometimes subtly, selling you the idea that whiter skin is better than darker skin. No one at the top of their game in any field is going to tell you that it is demeaning, false, and racist."

"You have to see that for yourself. You have to stop buying into the idea that a particular shade is better than others. Unfortunately if you look at matrimonial ads you will see how entrenched in our psyche this belief is. We even use the word 'dusk' to describe the colour of someones skin! While an individual may not be able to change this attitude in his/her community, he/she can at least start with the family," said the actor who has acted in movies like Dev D,  Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Chakravyuh.

He also came down heavily on actress-filmmaker and activist Nandita Das' 'Dark Is Beautiful' campaign, saying: "...Silly Nandita trying to teach us that Black is also beautiful. Doesn't she know that we already know that? Why else would we be so accepting of people from the south.. What's that? She's from Orissa? Can we include that in the southern belt of states? ..."

On SRK, he said: "And the King Khan himself asking you- (Translated)- "Being a man why are you are still using a women's FAIRNESS cream!?" He's clearly trying to make you a man, becoming whiter in the process is just a side effect."