Bollywood's biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, has been accused of promoting racism by endorsing a fairness cream. Television commercials for Fair and Handsome, airing in August, show Shah Rukh, lauding a product that many see as entrenching discrimination based on skin colour by encouraging people to bleach themselves a lighter hue.
Shailaja Bajpai, a columnist in the Indian Express asks,
“When the reigning star of Hindi cinema publicly endorses a cream that openly advocates fairness, lightness of skin, as desirable, nay necessary, it is a damn bad show. How could he do it?”The ad shows Shah Rukh telling some guy that he should stop using female fairness cream and start using "Fair and Handsome fairness cream... for men". Than after he uses mens fairness cream he becomes white, and hot chicks nominate themselves as contenders to be felt up by his fair arms. Oh yes they do. If I was in the ad, I would've kicked the loser in his nuts and told him to stop hitting on chicks. I'd say, "You use cream... that makes you gay... so you have to hit on guys". Than we'd all do a Bollywood dance sequence and everyone would be happy especially the gay guy because he's found his true calling. Yay for me! Here's the video, in case you haven't had enough of Shah Rukh hamming it,
September 8th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
For all these years, fairness cream market was ruled by women. Wasn’t that entrenching discrimination based on skin colour? Now, when a super star wants to promote a fairness cream for men, then it becomes so called “entrenching discrimination”. How come that’s possible? Please someone explain.
October 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am
It’s really a controversial issue. I’m not telling that the cream is good or bad etc. But if anyone wants to get fair skin he can obviously use it. He has the full right to make him good looking. So racism, entrenching discrimination those are the words without having any importance!! When an ad is telling you to use a fairness cream or any beauty product, even with a top celebrity presentation that does not mean they’re forcing you to use it. Whether you use them or not that is completely your own choice! Shahrukh Khan is just endorsing this ad. He is not spreading any negative message in our society.