Racism in cinema: Bollywood mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all

Hrithik Roshan's yet-to-be-released "Super 30" has walked right into Bollywood's -old debate on racism and class-caste stereos with fair-skinned actor transitioning to tones of brown, apparently in keeping with his de-glam role as a grassroots teacher from Bihar. 

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'colour coding' is t new in formulaic cinema with numerous examples over deces of Bollywood mistaking stereotyping with realism and using various shes of brown to portray those grappling with caste and class divides -- remember Sunil Dutt as angry young farmer in "Mor India" and, six deces later, Alia Bhatt as a labourer in "Udta Punjab". 

Fair-skinned actors both who were dabbed with tan makeup in an effort to be auntic. 

Clearly, pass of time me little difference to  cliche that fair equals upper class and success and dark skin detes working class. 

Sociologist Sanjay Srivastava believes stereo has always existed in cinema where a dark skin tone is associated with people who are on lower rung of caste and class. 

"In west, re is 'black face' where white actors opt for exaggerated stereos, but it is criticised severely re. In India, fair skin tone is aspirational while dark skin tone is associated with people who are lower on caste and class hierarchy and popular culture just perpetuates this stereo.  

"This is why youngsters appearing for interviews use fairness creams because somehow y believe fair skin colour represents a value. re is t much outr because people are used to this discrimination," Srivastava told PTI.  

conflict is back with "Super 30",  a biopic on Anand Kumar, a mamatics teacher from Bihar who opened a coaching institute to help underprivileged students prepare for competitive exams, set for release on July 12. 

film has been in news for all wrong reasons but what has upset people from state most is Hrithik's fake accent and his 'brown face' because that's how Bollywood thinks people from Bihar look. 

Many cinema enthusiasts say actor could have played character without being me to look so brown. 

"People need to understand that Biharis don't live in coal mines. Most have access to soap and face wash," a PhD student pointed out on social media.  

"I like Hrithik but that brown face. So if an actor puts up a brown face makeup that automatically makes him/her poor well done Bollywood. #Super30," ar social media user wrote. 

Many ors agreed. 

"I was excited for #Super30 initially but trailer just gave me all reasons to t watch it. That Bihari accent just doesn't suit Hritik & that brown face! Mahn even actual guy ain't that brown," ded ar critic. 

If makers are so particular to make actor look part, y can just as well choose ar person to play role.   

In this case, director Vikas Bahl could have chosen Pankaj Tripathi, who hails from state and plays a role in film, point out some on social media.  

"Super 30 is a movie in which Hritik Roshan is playing a teacher from Bihar...and Pankaj Tripathi is dancing," a social media user pointed out irony while juxtaposing Tripathi and Kumar's faces, which bear some similarity.  

Hrithik is t first actor to be hit by 'brown face makeup syndrome' in an attempt to make him look like a commoner.  

Most recently, Ranveer Singh appeared shes darker than what he is in real life to represent an up and coming rapper from a Mumbai slum in Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy". 

In an interview, Zoya defended Ranveer's tan saying that's how actor looked as he h come from a tropical vacation. 

n re is "Udta Punjab", which h Alia playing a Bihari labourer working in fields of Punjab. filmmakers used old ruse and darkened her skin tone in a bid to make her look part.    

As a mirror of society, and refore racism that underscores it, mainstream Hindi cinema has done this often. In many cases, a dark skin tone is t just taken to depict working or lower classes but also as antisis of good, fair and handsome protagonist. 

In award-winning "Fashion", Priyanka Chopra plays a high-strung supermodel who is unable to cope with  rigours of fame and becomes an alcoholic and a drug dict. But turning point for her comes only when she wakes up to find herself next to a black man. It's only n that she realises  horror that her life has become. 

Parallel cinema, too, surrendered to this fair-dark stereo with greats like Shabana Azmi and late Smita Patil, both dusky, being considered most suitable for characters in films on rural and urban angst of working classes. 

"Stereos regarding class and caste which have been popularised through s, TV and cinema, and about fairness being about success... most people do t find this offensive as re is widespre condemnation in public discourse," Srivastava said.  

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re are many exceptions, of course.

In "P Man", for instance, a biopic on Arunachalam Muruganatham, a social entrepreneur from Tamil Nu who introduced low cost sanitary ps, Akshay Kumar plays title role with artifice. He is as he is.