Well, even classifying them could be construed as discrimination. India has a longstanding affair with ‘Fair and Lovely’ so much so that now we even have ‘Fair and Handsome’ for men! Even after centuries long subjugation and discrimination, we still harp on the color of skin. We even discriminate against people who are darker than us. It is confounding how a population that has been discriminated against on the basis of color, can do the same to others?
Well, I think it is part of our centuries of yearning to be ‘Sahib’ that has lead to these silly notions. But in spite of all these signs of pull to fairer complexion, it would not be right to say that we do not appreciate wheatish complexion.
Dusky Beauties of Bollywood
These Bollywood stars show us that beauty is not just skin deep. A talented individual can get to the top no matter what. Their charm, grace, and beauty is just too much for their dusky complexion to play a spoilsport or deter their fans.
Sushmita Sen
What can be a better example of a enigmatic personality than Sushmita Sen. Miss Universe 1994, has won many awards and has established herself as an actor in Bollywood. Sushmita Sen was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh to Wing Commander Shuber Sen and Shubhra Sen. She was one of the first and pioneered single parenthood in India when she adopted a baby girl in 2000.
Silk Smitha
Silk Smitha or Vijayalaskhmi Vadlapati was mainly South Indian Cinema actress, but she also worked in Bollywood. Her striking looks and sultry mannerisms captured attention of most audiences. Born in Andhra Pradesh, Vijayalakshimi had very tough early years as she progressed from a touch-up artist to bagging main roles in the movies.
Nandita Das
Daughter of famous painter and sculptor Jatin Das, she made her acting debut in 1947, The Earth as Shanta, The Ayah. She has many more wards and films in multiple languages to her credit, since then. Most of her movies have focused on social issues toward raising awareness on important subjects.
Kajol
Daughter of actress Tanuja and Shomu Mukherjee, Kajol made her Bollywood debut with Bekhudi in 1992. Although the first movie didn’t make much of impression, her second – Baazigar – with Sharukh Khan was a big hit in 1993. She has wan many awards since then, including the Filmfare best Actress Award for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge in 1995, which is also one of the longest running movie in theaters in India.
Rani Mukherjee
Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Rani Mukerjee from the same extended family as Kajol. A reluctant actor, Rani made her Bollywood debut with Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat. After a patchy start, she won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Kuch Kuch Hoa Hai.
Bipasha Basu
One of the highest paid actresses and heartthrob of many, Bipasha Basu made her debut with the thriller Ajnabee in 2001 after a successful modeling career. She won the Best Female Debut Award for the movie. Her roles in thrillers and horror movies like Raaz have now established her as the horror queen of Bollywood.
Deepika Padukone
Currently one of the highest paid celebrities in India and nation’s most popular actress, Deepika Padukone is the daughter of badminton player Prakash Padukone. Deepika was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and grew up in Bangalore.
Deepika made her Bollywood debut in Om Shanti Om and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2007. She has endeared audiences with many more stellar performances since then, the latest being Piku with Amitabh Bachchan
Malaika Arora
Malaika Arora has donned many different hats in the entertainment industry. Born in Thane, Maharashtra. She was one of the first VJs for MTV in the 90s and shot to fame with her dance in Chaiyya Chaiyya in the movie Dil Se.
Shilpa Shetty
Born in Chembur, Maharashtra, Shilpa Shetty began her career in the glamour world as a model for a Limca television commercial in 1991. She made her debut with Abbas-Mustan’s superhit Baazigar with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. She has worked in various films since then and won a few awards. She shot to international fame after she won the Celebrity Big Brother season 5 in UK, which was surrounded in controversy.
Rekha
The original dusky beauty of Bollywood, Rekha Ganesan was born in Madras, Tamil Nadu to Tamil and Telgu actor parents. She made her Bollywood debut with Sawan Bhadon. Her first popular and successful project in Bollywood was Ghar and Muqaddar ka Sikander in the late 70s.
Leave a Reply