Why Cast Bhumi, Alia, Ranveer When Bollywood Has Dark Complexioned Actors?

Indians have diverse skin colours, we have so many dark-complexioned people, yet why do we run behind the fair so much? Sadly, Bollywood which too has so many actors who are dark and are really good at their work still gives preference to fair skin even when the role demands them to be dark. What is with this prejudice is something that is yet again being questioned on social media.

This controversy rose again when the poster of the Ayushman Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar starrer 'Bala' came out. The creatives show Bhumi coloured to a dark skintone.

Interestingly, the film is meant to shed light on India's obsession with fair skin and the discrimination that dark-complexioned individuals face. It is in one of the scenes in the trailer that shows Bhumi arguing with Ayushmann on the need for fair skin. Now if the movie is focussing on this then why cast Bhumi at all and colour her dark when we already have such amazing dark-complexioned actors already?

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This triggered a debate on social media where many questioned her casting. Now Brownface is mostly from "blackface" which was a theatrical practice in the past two centuries and hell it is practiced in many places, today as well. It has been deemed offensive and eliminated in some ways.

If this was not enough, let us go back to the time when Alia Bhatt's look too was questioned in Udta Punjab. She was given a dark makeup for her role. Not just her but even Ranveer Singh was given that look for Gully Boy.

Here are some tweets that came up and we second them.

It's 2019 & people still don't understand that brownface/blackface is highly offensive.

I'm pretty sure there are a lot of talented actresses with a naturally darker skin tone in India.. instead of using make up to darken this actress's complexion. #Bala

— Yuvna (@YUVNA_H) October 11, 2019

This poster is soo weird💀
and why Bhumi Pednekar when we have Konkona Sen Sharma, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and many more bollywood actresses with dusky complextion https://t.co/uk2I2M4sW0

— ๖ۣۜƤiαﾂ (@ShadySGian) October 10, 2019

brown facing is disrespectful to dark skinned people. is it that hard to find an actual dark skinned actress for this role?? the hypocrisy jumped out.

— kinshu (@yooongayy) October 11, 2019

Y'all are either constantly endorsing fairness creams or putting on tons of dark makeup to make some dumb point there's no in between. When will yall learn that there are real living dark skinned girls who're pretty af and mich better suited for roles like this

— Anjali 🏳️‍🌈💜 | Jimin💜 (@ARavenclaw28) October 11, 2019

When will Bollywood grow up and own up to it's mistakes? Isnt it better to cast a dusky-skinned talented girl who'll suit the role instead of finding a lighter skin toned girl and dump darker make up on her?

— Ruth ரூத் (@Ruthstweets) October 11, 2019

So bollywood is trying to make a statement about India's obsession with fair skin by casting a fair skin woman to play a darker one?
Also! My God that makeup is bad! No dark person looks like that! They are beautiful

— Ekta Chauhan (@ekta2993) October 10, 2019

We only hope that the industry changes as that is what we need at the moment.