Nawaz scorns fairness ads

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who recently spoke of facing bias in Bollywood over his appearance, specifically his dark complexion, has taken a dig at celebrities endorsing fairness creams.

“So much of fairness cream is consumed in our society, and it’s being promoted by well-off, responsible, and knowledgeable people. I think unko sharm aani chahiye,” says Nawaz, whose latest film, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, released recently.

“You’re promoting fairness creams in a country where 90% of the people are brownskinned. You’re giving them an inferiority complex. Aap logon ko batana chah rahe hai ki, ‘Aapka colour theek nahi hai’?” says Nawaz, whose tweet on the colour bias issue had brought it into the limelight. It had apparently been said about him that some top female actors couldn’t be cast opposite him, because of how he looked.

Nawaz recalls hearing such statements earlier, too. “When I told people about my intention to become an actor, they said, ‘Look at your face.’ Maybe we have a certain kind of colonial pressure on us that makes us behave this way. When we look at foreigners with fair skin, we automatically think they’re rich and beautiful, but when we go to some other country, they think that our skin colour is beautiful,” he says.

The actor adds, “I thought it’s important for me to bring up this issue. If my words can help even one person feel confident, then I think I’ve been successful.”

PHOTO: AMAL KS/HT