Priyanka Chopra On Featuring In 'Damaging' Fairness Cream Ad In Past: 'Even I Got Caught Up Into It'

Priyanka acknowledged that the narrative started to change after she entered the film industry, particularly with the introduction of social media.

New Delhi: Following her victory as Miss World in 2000, Priyanka Chopra entered the film industry in 2002 with the Tamil film 'Thamizhan' before making her Bollywood debut in 2003 with 'The Hero: Love Story of a Spy'. The actor encountered colorism in her early career and has spoken about having her skin lightened for many films. She expressed regret for participating in "damaging" skin fairness advertisements that promised young women a better future only if they were fairer in the mid-2000s.

Priyanka acknowledged that the narrative started to change after she entered the film industry, particularly with the introduction of social media. She gave her generation credit for speaking out against damaging prejudice against Indians. The actor continued by saying that Indians have been taught about this aspect of their culture since they were young.

"When I joined the movie business, if you were fair, you were guaranteed some sort of success or casting, but if you were darker... and I'm not even that dark. For darker girls, it was like, well, let's lighten you up. I was lightened up in many movies," she told Dax Shephard on the podcast Armchair Expert. The 'Citadel' actress shared that with makeup and lighting, she was made to look lighter than she was on screen.

She added, "We were taught that damaging bullsh*t. Even I got caught up into it and I look back on that, the commercial was so damaging. I'm darker skinned and this guy comes in, selling flowers, and he doesn't even look at me. I start using this cream and I get a job, I get the guy and all my dreams come true. That was like the mid-2000s." Saif Ali Khan and Neha Dhupia were also part of the fairness cream campaign with Priyanka, and the series of ads featured the trio of actors in a love triangle.

On the work front, Priyanka will next be seen in the spy thriller series 'Citadel' and the romantic drama 'Love Again'. She also has Farhan Akhtar's 'Jee Le Zara' starring Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt in her kitty.