MEET INDIA’S VERY OWN RIHANNA
A model from Chhattisgarh is quite the doppelgänger for R&B superstar Rihanna, a fact that has helped her battle the fairness obsession in India
Everywhere she goes, people call her “Rihanna, Rihanna”. What Renee Kujur from Chhattisgarh has in common with Robyn Rihanna Fenty from Barbados is more than the initial of the first name — this rising model has the chocolate skin, stunning eyes, and full pout that make her a doppelgänger for the R&B superstar. The resemblance has also given a fillip to her modelling career, and wiped away some of the humiliation she initially faced for being dark.
“Photographers would tell their clients that I resemble Rihanna,” says Renee, while shooting with us for this feature. “That way, it was easier to convince them. No one could deny that Rihanna was beautiful. That sort of worked in my favour. Those who had called me kaali and unattractive had to take back their words.”
The 23-year-old model, who stands five foot eight in her bare feet and works as a salesperson for a fashion brand, wants to thank the R&B star for her lucky break. “With such a deep-rooted prejudice in people’s mind, it would’ve been very tough to get work. The Rihanna factor turned out to be a blessing,” says Renee, who has done some catwalk shows as well as print campaigns.
“Rihanna has already convinced people that she’s sexy and beautiful, and the West is crazy about her. If I resemble her, how can I be unattractive? That’s how our mind works. I don’t know where I would’ve landed without Rihanna,” she adds.
Now a resident of Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, Renee at first faced endless rejection — and even ridicule — for her dark skin and unconventional features. She was made to feel small, inadequate, and was even propositioned by those industry people who believe that every model is ready to offer sexual favours in return for work. The language barrier — she wasn’t fluent in English at first — dented her confidence as well. Whatever modelling jobs she did get would end up in her dark skin being lightened by make-up and Photoshop.
But one day, a friend realised that Renee bore a striking resemblance to Rihanna, and photographed her without changing her skin tone. “I laughed off the Rihanna part. But soon, everyone was saying the same thing,” says Renee.
In this fairness-obsessed country, ‘kaali’ is a word that has followed Renee from childhood. At the age of three, she participated in a fancy dress competition in school, dressed as a fairy. As soon as she came on the stage, someone shouted, “Dekho, kaali pari (look, a black fairy)”, and the auditorium shook with laughter. Little Renee left the stage sobbing. Twenty years later, as Renee obliges selfie-seekers, she often recalls that incident. She smiles and says to herself, “Kuch pariyan kaali bhi hoti hain (Some fairies are black, too).”
But despite the Rihanna factor, she gets only one-third of the modelling work that her fair counterparts do. “Few are willing to bend the rules. For most people, beauty strictly means fair skin. It’ll take time to rewrite norms, but I’m happy that I’m part of the change,” she laughs.
Renee wants to meet Rihanna one day. “She has turned around my destiny. I’d love to meet her, surprise her, and thank her,” she says.