Priyanka Chopra Discusses How She Was Labelled A 'Black Cat' And 'Dusky' In Bollywood

Priyanka Chopra recently spoke about how she was termed "black cat" in Bollywood because of her skin tone. 

Fair skin has always been a standard in Bollywood.

Source : Instagram

New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra's international career has catapulted her to stardom on a global scale. The actress had a lot of success in Bollywood before she moved to Hollywood, where she has acted in a number of films and is the main attraction in the ABC series Quantico.  Priyanka Chopra recently spoke about how she was termed "black cat" in Bollywood because of her skin tone. 

Priyanka recalled being nicknamed a "black cat" and a "dusky" in an interview with a news website. The actress doubted her own attractiveness. While she felt she was somewhat more gifted than her fellow actresses with a lighter complexion, she believed she would have to work much harder to make it in the industry. 

It's not even been a century since we got rid of the British Raj, yet she says we still cling to our colonial history and all the baggage that comes with it. The actress continued by saying that it is up to our generation to break such linkages and make the necessary adjustments so that future generations would not be privileged because of their skin tone.

Fair skin has always been a standard in Bollywood. Many actors have previously spoken about the issue.

Male performers, like their female counterparts, face unjustified expectations of physical attractiveness. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Dhanush allegedly had a hard time breaking into the business because of the widespread perception that their skin tones made them unsuitable for the typical hero role. 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui said in an interview that he has used fairness creams to lighten his skin tone in the past because of low self-esteem.

Coming back to Priyanka Chopra, her series ‘Citadel’ starring Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci is soon to be released on Amazon Video. On April 28th, the first episode will air.