Due to the dominance of South Indian films in Bollywood as well, it can be felt that people’s expectations of Bollywood films have started to decrease as none of the Hindi films released in recent times have been a hit.
Also, many actors and actresses are constantly raising comments and talks about nepotism in Bollywood. Similarly, many actresses are reporting that there is inequality in the modeling industry as well. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Smriti Srikanth, who starred in Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan directed by Anand L. Roy, spoke about her experiences in the modeling industry.
Then in Raksha Bandhan the character Lakshmi struggles to find a groom because of her color. Does this give any backlash to the film? The question has been raised. To which Smriti Srikanth replied, “I have inferiority complex even in reality. But for the character, my skin was toned down two more levels. I have also faced a lot of color-related taunts from a young age.” He said.
Also, a verse was the reason for agreeing to play the character of Lakshmi in Raksha Bandhan. It was the dialogue that “Don’t go out in the sunlight or you’ll lose your mind” that attracted me. But when I read the script, what I liked about the character was that she was very confident about her skin tone and color. Lakshmi says black has come again. She loves her color. She thinks of herself as Kareena Kapoor,” said Smriti Srikanth.
Following this, when asked whether color discrimination is still seen in the film industry, he said, “Sometimes during auditions, they classify based on skin color. Some places say, ‘We only want fair people’. But my opinion would be that it should be a demand of the character.
“But once I was in a modeling job and felt really bad. There was some event for a brand. I auditioned for that. The job had two parts and I was selected for both.
All the other girls who came with me got selected for only one section. So, I asked for a raise in my salary. But all I got from them was sadness. They usually don’t choose girls with dusky complexion. But they have taken you. They also told us to take what we give. It will take almost 5-6 years.” Smriti said.