Lost international projects for being too fair: Saumya Tandon

A bit old article but interesting

Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain actress Saumya Tandon: Lost international projects for being too fair

Actress Saumya Tandon was rejected for international projects that wanted an Indian face as she was too fair, the actress revealed in a chat with India Today Television.

SadhnaMumbaiJuly 1, 2020UPDATED: July 1, 2020 13:48 IST

Saumya Tandon. Photo: Instagram

George Floyd's death stirred worldwide protests against racial injustice. Many Indian celebrities also shared social media posts in support of 'Black Lives Matter', which also brought the fairness cream brands under scrutiny, so much that Fair & Lovely removed the word fair from its name.

In an exclusive chat with India Today Television, Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain actress Saumya Tandon appreciated this step taken by Unilever and also revealed how she wasn't cast in international projects for being too fair. "They could not believe that an Indian girl could be this fair. They think only girls from the US, Britain and the western countries are fair. They said that they would only cast a brown skin girl in the role of an Indian girl. And, that they'd never cast a fair-skinned as an Indian. You must have noticed, the Indian actors who work in international movies or shows are generally brown-skinned. This sort of stereotyping that only brown skin should be cast as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani is wrong," said Saumya.

The actress also pointed out how fair is considered to be beautiful in our country. "In our country, fair is considered to be beautiful, which is wrong. Stereotyping is not correct. Every colour is beautiful," she added.

Due to her fair skin, Saumya Tandon's character Anita is addressed as 'Gori Mem' by Happu Singh on the show. Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain shooting has resumed and Saumya has started working from June 30. Speaking about the same, she said, "I am glad to get back to work. As an actor, you are satisfied and happy when you get to perform. Meanwhile, we are taking the necessary precaution. I have two personal staff, who I have asked to commute by my car. I don't let them interact with others on the set. They stay with me in the van."

Talking about her make-up, Saumy added, "I do my make-up and the hair is done by my hair-dresser, who use face shield, glove and sanitiser and have also asked them to take precaution."

Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain will soon return with fresh episodes to &TV.

I believe her. Nobody would think of her as Indian in the West. She would look middle eastern to them

Originally posted by: Chameli_billi

I believe her. Nobody would think of her as Indian in the West. She would look middle eastern to them

Hrithik might be considered an south European too

lo...ab log Indian hoker fair skin ke liye bhi royenge.....dark skinned hoti toh pata chalta...ki what they face.....seriously..its like white people crying ki they are also victim of racism....reverse racism exists only in the minds of these people....

Originally posted by: blue-ice.1

lo...ab log Indian hoker fair skin ke liye bhi royenge.....dark skinned hoti toh pata chalta...ki what they face.....seriously..its like white people crying ki they are also victim of racism....reverse racism exists only in the minds of these people....

There's nothing wrong with what she said. Did you read the whole article?

She said how foreign films like to portray all Indians as brown skinned and how its a stereotype.

She also mentions how brown skin is looked down upon in india.

Originally posted by: blue-ice.1

lo...ab log Indian hoker fair skin ke liye bhi royenge.....dark skinned hoti toh pata chalta...ki what they face.....seriously..its like white people crying ki they are also victim of racism....reverse racism exists only in the minds of these people....

This is what you got from the interview 😂

Neil Nitin Mukesh can relate. 😭

But I don't think she was that fair. Still appears a shade darker than Kareena. Also, unlike NNM, women are rewarded for being fair, unlike men, for whom being too fair could be a curse.

Her struggle is unfortunate, but... I don't think she couldn't make it because of her skin tone. She just couldn't make it for whatsoever reason, but she had to rationalize it so she put it on her complexion.

So Fair & lovely is just &Lovely now kya? 😆

I think we should recognize that even fair skinned people.... thin people.... flat chested people get judged too. It’s not only the thick and dark

She said she lost INTERNATIONAL project for being too fair from an international filmmaker’s perspective which is completely believable since she isn’t “brown” . It’s a stereotype seen in most hw projects’ depiction of South Asian Characters.