You may have noticed that often fair-skinned actors are cast for playing darker-skinned characters. Or a non-Northeastern actor playing the role of a character from North-East India. Or even a younger actor playing the role of a much older character when there are much more talented older actors to play the same role.
While such practices may have been acceptable before, they shouldn’t be acceptable now. Especially at a time when regressive worldviews and societal stereotypes are being rid of. People online on Reddit have been talking about why still, in 2021, fair-skinned actors are playing roles of dark-skinned characters.
It’s 2021 and India is still doing brown face instead of actually hiring darker skin actors. from india
People went on to list fair actors who were cast for dark-skinned roles. For example, Bhumi Pednekar in ‘Bala’ and Hrithik Roshan in ‘Super 30’.
Some pointed out that the same problem is found in mythological TV serials too. Krishna and Arjun are considered to be dark-skinned, but you’ll not find dark-skinned actors playing these roles on television.
Even regional films and TV shows have this problem.
People then went on to talk about how this problem of obsession with fair skin is a much more deep-rooted issue. In many Indian families, individuals with darker skin are looked down upon. They are often forced to apply desi nushkes to change their skin colour. Then there are fashion magazines and advertisements which propagate choosing fair skin over dark skin.
As a result of this shaming, we wonder how many dark-skinned people have not pursued a career in acting in the first place!
In today’s age, when people are educating themselves, becoming more conscious and inclusive, it is the responsibility of filmmakers to discard the age-old casting procedure which functions on regressive stereotypes.