Kangana Ranaut talks about lack of ‘dark-skinned’ actors like Deepika Padukone, Kajol today; says those who were dusky earlier are fair today

Kangana Ranaut pointed at the lack of dark-skinned representation amongst Bollywood actress, claiming how many of them who were dusky initially look fairer today.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | January 30, 2025 01:20 PM IST

3 min read

Kangana Ranaut takes a dig at Deepika Padukone and Kajol for undergoing skin treatments (Photo: Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Kajol / Instagram)

Actor Kangana Ranaut makes headlines regularly, whether for her work or her opinions. The actor-politician whose film Emergency released recently but failed to make noise at the box office has now shared her opinion about contemporary Bollywood actresses and beauty standards expected from them.

She pointed out the lack of dusky-skinned actresses in the Hindi film industry today, while we have had leading ladies such as Deepika Padukone, Kajol, Bipasha Basu, etc in the past. Taking to Instagram, the actress penned a note questioning representation of dark skin in Bollywood.

Kangana’s insta story about the erasure of dark-skinned representation in Bollywood
byu/NamasteNirvana inBollyBlindsNGossip

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut mocks Deepika Padukone’s role in Padmaavat, claims to have rejected it first: ‘She’s only getting ready the entire time’

Kangana wrote on her Instagram Stories, “This young girl Monalisa has become an internet sensation for her natural beauty, as much as I hate people harassing her for pictures and interviews, I can’t help but think do we have dark dusky Indian tone female representation in glamour world anymore? Are people loving young actresses how they loved Anu Agarwal, Kajol, Bipasha, Deepika, or Rani Mukherjee? Why do all actresses look as pale as a white woman, including those who were dark in their younger days? Why people don’t identify with newcomers the way they identify with Monalisa? Too many laser and glutathione injections?”

Also Read | Kangana Ranaut says no producer, OTT helped her produce Emergency: ‘I had to mortgage my home’

Kangana’s views have sparked a debate on Reddit. While some agreed with him that most actresses today have a similar skin tone, others questioned her. “None of them were dark except by Bollywood standards. They were medium-skinned girls who turned lighter,” wrote one. One fan commented, “The ones she mentioned aren’t even dark-skinned. India is huge and so many darker-skinned people need mainstream representation!”

On the work front, Kangana has begun shooting for her next film with R Madhavan. The untitled film is helmed by Thalaivii director Vijay. The film is a pan-India psychological thriller that was initially announced in 2023.

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