Internationally renowned actress Nandita Das(best known for Deepa Mehta’s two ele- mental films Fire and Earth) has faced multi- farious levels of discrimination for her dark complexion.

“All around us the images of women and men, are those with light skin. Be it films, television, magazines, hoardings, ads…every- where we have “fair’ people, in a country that is largely dark!Every skin-care product has a skin-lightening element.”

Nandita feels dark-skinned people are often made to feel inadequate. “Right from their childhood.We have made identities like nationality, religion, caste, colour of our skin, sexual preference, all given identities, the reasons to judge people. Identities where we have had no role to play. We just happen to be born with it. Shouldn’t we be assessed by our thoughts and actions instead? In the Indian entertainment industry, being fair is one of the primary ingredients of good looks and ‘good looks’ a primary criterion for being acceptable.”