The Inferiority-Complex of India & Bollywood

[Sudas Paijavana]

People can decide for themselves what they consider beautiful, as long as no one is discriminated, bullied or mistreated because of their colour.

That is precisely what Dark Is Beautiful is speaking out on, Sahas.........

Regarding the tanning comment:

To compare Whites tanning with dark-skinned people using skin-lightening creams is a false-dichotomy, because the former is a sign of privilege, while the latter is an attempt at acquiring a false sense of having that privilege since it is associated with fairer skin. So, when Babloo orders a skin lightening cream, it's because he wants to be treated with respect, the tendency for Indian society to associate lighter skin folks with social standing. When Jonty goes to the Carribbean and gets a sun tan from chilling at the beach, it's because he has the monetary means to do it. And, don't forget that Jonty tans temporarily or gets tanned due to an inconvenient and trivial factor, while Babloo wants to be fairer till he lies on the funeral pyre.

[Sudas Paijavana]

But for me European cinema and Japanese cinema will remain main favourites. Bergman, Bunuel, De sica, Parajanov, Kurasawa, Goddard any day over Hollywood stuff.

Pranam-s,

+1

Any day! European cinema, especially that of Norway, France, and even Spain....I absolutely adore! And, Japanese cinema along with South Korean cinema are some of my personal favorites.

I'm glad that I found another fan of similar taste! Yay!

EDIT: Mexican cinema and TV-shows are also amazing. Check out the the Mexican TV-show called Capadocia. Extremely well-done.

[Sahasranama]

That is precisely what Dark Is Beautiful is speaking out on, Sahas.........

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Sahasranama]

Same with me. I can't stand bollywood. For me the reason I can't see bollywood movie is that the bollywood movies have been used to make black money into white. That's why Bollywood kept running inspite of making loses in early 2000. Also, actors like sanjay dutt, MPs like govinda would go and dance in mehfil of Daud Ibrahim. and that that psycho murderer salman khan would crush people under his car. Really not a thing I can appreciate.

Also i don't like Hollywood much either, though I do watch a lot of old movies of hollywood. But for me European cinema and Japanese cinema will remain main favourites. Bergman, Bunuel, De sica, Parajanov, Kurasawa, Goddard any day over Hollywood stuff.

Yes, that true. Hollywood isn't the only contender from the international scene. Globalisation is a great thing and maybe it will serve as a motivation for Indians to create some independent films.

[Sudas Paijavana]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And, when that eye is pulled out from your head, and is loaded with a beauty-paradigm that the person doesn't originally identify with...

Then what happens to your "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?

Something else has been implanted in the Indian eye that doesn't coincide with originality, the original Indic views on what beauty is. In the Ajanta and Ellora Cave Paintings, we see women and men with varying skin tones and all of them being in harmony with each other - however, that coexistence was later uprooted by outside, non-Indian beauty-paradigms.

I do not and am not contesting anyone's right to bleach their skin. It is a person's innate right to bleach their skin.

I am simply expressing a correlative observation regarding Bollywood and Indians' fascination with skin color: the fairer someone is, the better that person may be, or the higher that person may be in regards to social standing.

You, like me, are pretty fair in skin tone (I'm assuming since we're both from North India). But, when I'm assumed to be a good person just because the shade of my skin is much lighter than someone I encounter on the streets of India....that's my problem. That's despicable, barbaric, and completely out of line (even though I am a good person, or I see myself as a good, law-abiding person). But, to be measured how good I am just because of my skin, that's messed up, man. This happens daily in India. I've experienced it myself.

We can go back to how this shift happened, from appreciating darker skin to lighter skin, all we want. But, like you, I'm also expressing a hefty need for the current Indian youth to realize that what they see in Bollywood is not what they should apply as the ideal standards of beauty. That, they, naturally, are beautiful and that they don't really need to alter anything to fit into an already messed up beauty-paradigm.

Globalisation is a great thing and maybe it will serve as a motivation for Indians to create some independent films.

They already do. You just have to look for them. There are wonderful Indian independent films. They just don't make the spotlight because of mainstream Bollywood.

[Viraja]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I agree with this too. Many of us including me, have admired a lighter skin during teenages and wished to have had it. Even mother Mahalakshmi isn't one who is spared-off of the desire (or) the feeling of 'having-it' since that she has it... There is a incident in Vaikuntha jokingly narrated about it. Once Ma Lakshmi, being 'swarna-varna' and very fair joked about how fair she was when compared to bhagwan who was dark as the rain-clouds. For this, bhagwan Sri Vishnu told her, "one can feel good about one's own good looks and fair skin, but should never belittle anyone else for not having it. Since that you have done it, it shows you have to undergo somemore change, hence I order that you acquire 'aroopa' swaroopa (unseen to the eyes) and perform tapas until acquire the wisdom." Upon this, ma Lakshmi performed tapas and acquired not only more wisdom but also even fairer skin! This incident jokingly shows how even exalted beauties and men/women of wisdom are not exempt from the maya of wishing for more beauty and a fair skin, but that is why god has given us the process of 'aging' and a chance to get rid of this maya atleast at old age when no bodily beauty prevails...

I think, when I review the thread, that it is about Bollywood's belittling attitude against those who are not of lighter skin, I remember reading that even great beauties like Hemamalini and Rekha were rejected first because they were dark skinned.

[Sudas Paijavana]

Greetings,

I remember reading that even great beauties like Hemamalini and Rekha were rejected first because they were dark skinned.

Which is truly preposterous, because Rekha, literally, is/was absolutely beautiful (before she utilized skin lightening creams - just take a look at a few photos of her when she was young or before she got into Bollywood).

[Jaskaran Singh]

Greetings,


Which is truly preposterous, because Rekha, literally, is/was absolutely beautiful (before she utilized skin lightening creams - just take a look at a few photos of her when she was young or before she got into Bollywood).

She honestly doesn't look that much uglier later, though:

[Sudas Paijavana]

She honestly doesn't look that much uglier later, though:

I didn't say anything about her looking uglier later. I only meant the following:

Notice the natural dark beauty:


Now, look at the uneven skin tone (hint: look at top part of forehead) that the lightening cream [plus the profuse usage of make up] did to that natural dark beauty:
= plastic

[Jaskaran Singh]

Whenever Bollywood does this, it insults not only itself but also the Indian people in a heartless manner. I really don't understand it one bit. Do you remember when they had Preity Zinta play a Malayali woman in Dil Se? That's the absurdity that I am referring to (and what Viraja is hinting at). It just comes off as odd and desperate. Furthermore, it lacks originality. And, if Bollywood is trying to represent Indian cinema and the Indian people, it's pretty much failing miserably. Last time I checked, there are not 1 billion Kapoors, Khans*, Singhs, and Aroras and Khannas.

*I'll exclude Mr. Aamir Khan because he's a genuine actor that has wonderful skill and is quite involved with the Indian society, addressing taboos, societal controversies, etc., basically giving-back-to-the-community-type-of-fellow.

Hey, my last name's Singh, and I'm not light skinned. Then again, I have very, very dark skin for a Punjabi: