If there's one character from the Amazon prime show Family Man 2, that everyone took note of was Rajyalakshmi Sekaran, played by Samantha Akkineni. A lean, mean killing machine, Raji plays a Tamil terrorist in the show.
Why was Samantha Akkineni's character "brown-faced" in Family Man 2?
But even as the critics showered her with praise, fans couldn't help point out that the actress was 'browned up' more than necessary, to pass her off as the Sri Lankan.
After outrage online, Raj and DK, the makers of the show have now clarified that the decision to show her several shades darker than her original skin tone was to "get the character right."
In a statement, they said, 'This whole thing comes in the context of beauty when you're trying to say dark skin is not beautiful and fair skin is beautiful... This is not that context.'
"It's not a race thing either. We did not choose an actor of "a different race" to play the role. We wanted that action girl who can land the punch; someone who can be physically fit and take on a guy double her size".
But Bollywood is not new to 'brownface'. Several actors have gone a shade or two deeper for roles.
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome | Hrithik Roshan in Super 30
Actor Hrithik Roshan came under the scanner during 'Super 30' where he played the role of Anand Kumar, a math whiz from Bihar who revolutionized preparation for entrance exams. Anand is far from Hrithik’s Greek God looks, and while the actor couldn’t do much about the glaring disparity in their physical builds, Duggu had his face bronzed, quite liberally, to get his complexion a few shades closer to Anand's heartland hue.
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome | Bhumi Pednekar in Bala
Bhumi Pednekar went brown for the Ayushmann Khurana starrer 'Bala', to portray a dark-skinned girl. The film dealt with several issues, one being about dark-skinned women getting a raw deal in the marriage market. Bhumi was very natural and effortless in her role, but her skin was definitely not!
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome | Ranveer Singh in Gully Boy
In Gully Boy, fans loved Ranveer Singh as Murad, an aspiring rapper from the slums of Mumbai. The film raked in crores at the box office, but critics and fans were quick to notice that Ranveer had gone a few shades darker. His makeover though had no connection to the storyline or his character in the film. Let's not forget, the film was India's Oscar nominee.
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome | Alia Bhatt in Udta Punjab
A fair-skinned Alia Bhatt graciously accepted a tan two shades darker than her natural skin tone for Udta Punjab, a film where she plays Pinky, a migrant labourer from Bihar. This film started a conversation on whether there is the need to cast a big Bollywood star to 'carry a film', instead of casting someone who fits the role.
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome = India's obsession with fair skin
Brown-facing actors is obviously linked to India's obsession with fairness. For an industry that's all about glam and opulence, economically backward equals 'brownface'.
Bollywood's Brownface syndrome = India's colonial hangover
A colonial hangover only took the idea forward over the years. All the brown-faced actors have played characters hailing from poorer backgrounds.
It's common sense that skin colour has nothing to do with economic and social conditions like poverty and caste, and 'brownface' perpetuates this stereotype.
But such logic seems to elude Bollywood.