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I was typecast as the ‘Sexy One’: Esha Gupta on facing racism in the industry

2320

Actor Esha Gupta recently opened up about facing racism in the industry and being typecast because of her dusky skin tone. The actress revealed that when she started out in the industry, she’d be singled out because of her complexion. Esha also said that actors she’d never worked with would advise her to appear fairer.

Esha Gupta remembered the times when makeup artists would deliberately try to mask her dark complexion and that she’d be typecast as the ‘sexy one’ because of how she looked. Talking about it the actress said, “I remember, initially, when I came, there were some actors who I’ve not even worked with… But they met me and said, ‘Tu apna makeup thoda kaala karti hai, gora kiya kar (Your makeup is very dark, you should make it fairer)’, and I was like, ‘Dude, what?’”

“There were also makeup artists who’d try to make me fair always, and then they had to paint my whole body, because my body doesn’t match my face. So suddenly I’m looking like a clown. I’ve done two multi-starrers, and they told me, ‘You’re the sexy one’, because black, the skin tone that I have, which is considered black in our country, that can only be sexy or negative, and fair skin has to be the girl next door and sharif (honest),” the actress added.

She however hopes that things change soon. Esha who made her film debut with Jannat 2, opposite Emraan Hashmi could have been talking about Humshakals and Total Dhamaal as the two multi-starrers. On the work front she will next be seen with actors Mallika Sherawat and Gautam Rode in the thriller series Nakaab, about the death of a TV actor. Nakaab is directed by Soumik Sen.