Growing up in India, Bollywood is fed into our systems right from our childhood and is no less than a staple diet for movie buffs in the country. The world's largest entertainment industry has the power to influence millions of people who blindly follow what Bollywood preaches. But given the amount of influence it enjoys, Bollywood’s ignorance about colorism and its obsession with fair skin is apalling to say the least.

Thankfully, with more awareness around the issue of colourism, such stereotypes have become fewer, but here's a list of movies which show how the issue of colourism has existed since ages in Bollywood.

1. Mother India (1957) 

© Mehboob Productions

It's sad how being fair is naturally associated with righteousness and being dark-skinned is associated with everything unfair and illegal. Mother India is Bollywood’s first Oscar-nominated film and we wonder how the filmmakers were so ignorant. The light-skinned son does all the right things whereas the dark-skinned son does everything that disappoints his mother. 

2. Meri Surat Teri Aankhen (1963) 

© GeePee Films

In this movie, a father gives up his child for adoption because he finds his dark-skinned son ugly. Ashok Kumar plays the role of the grown-up son who is shunned by society for his colour.

3. Fashion (2008) 

© UTV Motion Pictures

In the 2008 movie Fashion, Priyanka Chopra plays an aspiring model who falls off the right path to stardom and doesn't realize it until one fine morning, she wakes up next to a dark-skinned person. It was unfortunate to see a person of colour being used as a metaphor to imply drug abouse and the likes.

4. Kambakkht Ishq (2009) 

© Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

In Kambakkht Ishq (2009), the makers made Akshay Kumar wear a terrible wig and coated his face with black color for a comedy scene. Just goes on to affirm how lazy Bollywood script writing has time and again relied on racial stereotypes for cheap, distasteful scenes.

5. Khaali Peeli (2020) 

It's 2020 but Bollywood continues to be ignorant about the stereotypes of colourism with the lyrics of a song in the upcoming movie Khaali Peeli sparking outrage on social media over colourism. It received massive backlash as it was termed racist. It came under the scanner for its hook line - 'Ho tujhe dekh ke goriya, Beyonce sharma jayegi.' 

Be it 1950 or 2020, Bollywood still does not seem to be taking the issue of colourism seriously and continues to promote such stereotypes.

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