10 Gorgeous Hindi TV Actresses Who Smashed The “Fair Is Lovely” Stereotype
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India is a country that pays a lot of attention to color. When it comes to colorism, the reality is that India tends to favor actors and actresses who are fair and more conventionally attractive. Television serials, however, are a different story altogether. Once upon a time, darker-skinned, toned actresses would only find themselves cast in villainous roles opposite a very light-skinned heroine. However now, many people working in television shows and serials are going against the norm and proving that dark and dusky skinned actors can be equally, if not more beautiful, than their lighter-skinned counterparts! To prove this, we’re going to list 10 gorgeous Indian television serial actresses who smash the “fair is lovely” stereotype:
1. Anita Hassanandani Reddy
Anita had her shot at fame when she started working under Ekta Kapoor’s banner. Once she achieved fame through Ekta Kapoor, she went on to act in shows like Naagin, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, and a few others. For those of us who grew up on Hindi serials, seeing her striking golden brown skin tone was a breath of fresh air in a world of light-skinned actresses.
2. Shveta Salve
Shveta Salve achieved fame through popular shows like, Left Right Left and Hip Hip Hurray. While the entertainment industry might be becoming more inclusive of people who work in it, the harsh reality is that many TV actresses out there are not given their dues worth because of their dark skin.
3. Sakshi Tanwar
Sakshi Tanwar is probably one of the most popular Indian TV actresses on our list to make it big despite not being fair. Her roles in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Bade Achhe Lagte Hain garnered her a lot of attention and appreciation from the Indian audience. Sakshi has proven that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. She has also starred in Bollywood films like Dangal and Katyar Kaljat Ghusali.
4. Nia Sharma
Nia is known for playing vixens on-screen and has proven that you don’t just have to be fair to be lovely. The stunning Naagin star has slayed our screens with her striking looks and her tanned caramel skin. She has also channeled romantic heroines with equal ease in shows like Ishq Mein Marjawan. We hope to see more of her on the small screen (and maybe even the big screen) soon.
5. Ulka Gupta
Ulka Gupta achieved fame through the show Saath Phere. Not one to mince words, Ulka revealed that she had been rejected for many roles due to her darker skin tone. The young starlet spoke about how she wanted her talent to speak for her and not her skin color. She had also played the younger version of the Rani of Jhansi on the show, Jhansi Ki Rani.
6. Kratika Sengar
Like Ulka, Kratika too is known for her role as the Rani of Jhansi in Jhansi Ki Rani. She has also starred in other popular TV shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasautii Zindagii Kay. It’s good to see that audiences are finally moving on from having colorist and racist beauty standards.
7. Gulki Joshi
Gulki Joshi, however, disagrees with the notion that things have gotten easier for dark-skinned women. During an interview, Gulki had once revealed that things were a lot easier in the past. She had said, “Apart from being dark-skinned, my looks are unconventional. When I started out, dark-skinned actresses were in demand, and a lot of roles were written for them. The scenario has changed now, and we don’t get as many opportunities.”
8. Barkha Bisht Sengupta
Barkha has always practiced self-love and has spoken up about how she feels blessed to have the skin tone that she does. She even stated that she believes her complexion looks superb on-screen. Besides acting in popular television shows, she has also worked in major films like Rajneeti and Ramleela.
9. Rajshree Thakur
Rajshree is most popularly known for starring in the television shows Kasamn Se and Saat Phere. Besides that, she has also acted in mainstream films and has proven her abilities on the big screen. We do wish we could see more of her these days.
10. Mitali Nag
Mitali’s claim to fame happened with the show, Afsar Bitiya. She had faced many hurdles getting work due to the color of her skin and spoke about it during an interview. She talked about how she was rejected many times because of the darker skin tone and that she was desperately waiting for the day when people looked past skin tone and focused on one’s talent and abilities instead.
It really is sad that so many dusky-skinned actresses are cast aside in favor of fairer and more conventionally attractive actresses. But we hope that they have a renaissance of their own and reclaim their hold of our screens! Do tell us which of the divas on this list are your personal favorite in the comment section below.
