Colorism

Like Ranu Mondal, I was a dark baby, born to a mother and two grandmothers with pearly, translucent skin. And I grew up believing I was dirty.

Ayushmann Khurrana’s Bala has been praised by critics and fans alike, co-star Bhumi Pednekar’s brownface may have diluted the message of self-acceptance.

The trailer shows the actress’ complexion visibly darkened with the help of makeup. People were not impressed by this detail and raised the pertinent question – Why not cast a dusky actor for this role?

You only have to switch on the television to get a sense of how deep-rooted colourism is in India and in places like South Africa for Indians there.

For Hindus, the mother goddess Durga is a very special deity, able to appear in nine different forms, each of which is endowed with unique powers and traits.

Radha, Sita and Draupadi, three of the most popular female characters from Sanskrit epics, make their way into Ayushmann Khurrana's Dream Girl.

It was the year 1999, Vanessa was a rookie reporter at the SABC. He was a popular radio disc jockey at Lotus FM, they were the perfect pair, or so it seemed.

Simple yet poignant, a poem by Hema Gopinathan sheds light on the struggle over something they had no control over in the first place — their dark skin.

We also need to accept that Apartheid benefited blacks too, albeit to a lesser extent. Apartheid was categorically wrong. I have lived through it, recall how my mother was told to remove me off the bench, because it was for “whites only”.