Pooja Bhatt has never shied away from scandal. But the actor-director-producer, who lives by breaking rules/stereotypes, won’t enjoy this one. A South Africa-born wannabe actor has accused Bhatt of telling her that she wouldn’t make it in Bollywood because she is ‘‘too dark’’.A story in Monday morning’s South African newspaper The Sunday Times— ‘‘Sorry, you’re too dark for Bollywood!’’—related how 23-year-old, Durban-born Rivona Essop, of Indian origin now living in the UK, had taken part in a British reality TV show called Bollywood Star.A talent contest similar to American Idol, it was filmed in the UK. Essop, who speaks Hindi, English, Zulu and Afrikaans, beat 1,000 rival contestants to finish among the last six finalists. But in the third episode, she was ejected from the contest by its panel of illustrious judges, including Bhatt.A distraught Essop, who hadn’t seen rejection coming, told a Sunday Times reporter that Bhatt had told her off camera that her skin was ‘‘too dark’’ for Bollywood and that she should try her luck in South Indian movies.While the story, though stunning, had a ring of credibility in an industry known for its love for fair-skinned women, it has been denied by both Bhatt and Channel 4, which broadcast the four-part show that ends tomorrow night. ‘‘I never said anything about her skin colour,’’ Bhatt told The Indian Express. ‘‘All I said was that she would get more opportunities in Telugu films because of her exaggerated sense of expression and sensuality.’’She added: ‘‘I am not a racist. My biggest success till date as a producer is Jism, which starred a dusky, gorgeous Bipasha Basu. So who am I to reject someone on the basis of skin colour? Also, I am an Indian, so how can I be racist? Calls to Channel 4 Television were met first with shock—they had never heard of the story—then firm denials. ‘‘The judges all felt that Essop’s acting wasn’t as good as her dancing,’’ explained Channel 4 spokesperson Loretta D’Souza in London. ‘‘That’s why she was rejected.’’While Sunday Times claims the show’s production secretary had confirmed Essop’s accusations, calls to the producers of Bollywood Star, Maverick TV in the UK, earned The Indian Express only a ‘‘no comment’’. They also refused to give Essop’s phone number.Bhatt herself is fuming. ‘‘I never told Rivona Essop that she won’t make it in Bollywood because she’s too dark. If she says that she’s lying. Everybody knows that I don’t live off the camera, so why would I tell her something off camera? All I said was that she would get more opportunities in Telugu films—not that that’s any cakewalk—but because Rivona has an exaggerated sense of expression and sensuality. She also has a very over-the-top idea of a performance.’’According to her, she also told Rivona: ‘‘I hope you prove me wrong and become the biggest star. How come she hasn’t said that?’’She added that she became a judge on the talent hunt show for free and that it was father Mahesh Bhatt, and not her, who was a judge in the final round.
