We all are aware about the fascination of Indians with fair skin. Being fair skinned is considered beautiful, irrespective of the features of a person. Some companies earn a lot of money from such fascination of people by selling fairness products. It is sad to know that some stars even promote these products and mislead the ignorant people.
In the wake of the world wide protests against racial discrimination with ‘Black Lives matter’ movement in full swing, Hindustan Unilever has decided to drop the word ‘Fair’ from its famous brand ‘Fair and Lovely’. It is time people should start understanding that fair skin does not guarantee any success.
In Bollywood, it is considered almost mandatory for actresses to be fair skinned, but amidst such a thought process, some dusky actresses have time and again proved that they are not less than anyone in terms of beauty and their fan following too is also tremendous.
Here is the list of such amazingly talented, beautiful and successful Bollywood actresses:
1) Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and English films along with Hindi films. She had a memorable role in the film Raaz. Bipasha Basu also received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for Film ‘Ajnabee’. She has also acted brilliantly in films like ‘Jism’, ‘No Entry’, ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, ‘Race’ and many others.
2) Lara Dutta
Lara Dutta, who won the Miss Universe title in the year 2000, received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for movie ‘Andaaz’. Her performance in Don 2 was appreciated a lot. She had memorable roles in films like ‘Bhagam Bhag’ ‘Housefull’ and many others.
3) Konkana Sen
Kokana Sen has been one of Bollywood’s most talented actresses, having won two National Awards as well as four Filmfare Awards. She received huge appreciation for the film ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag: Journey of a Woman’. Apart from this, she also received great praise for films like ‘Page 3’, ‘Life in a Metro’, and ‘Omkara’.
4) Esha Gupta
Esha Gupta was elected Miss India International in the year 2007. Her role in ‘Jannat 2’ was highly appreciated. Esha Gupta has also proved her talent in films like ‘Total Dhamaal’, ‘Rustom’ and ‘Baadshaho’. Her role in ‘Raaz 3’ was also well liked.
5) Chitrangada Singh
Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh also worked her magic in the film world. Her roles in movies ‘Desi Boyz’ and ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’ were liked a lot by people. Along with this, her performance in ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’, ‘Baazaar’, ‘I, me aur mein’ and ‘Inkaar’ was also appreciated a lot.
6) Rekha
When Rekha stepped into Bollywood, she was called ‘Kaali’, ‘Bhaddi’ and what not. Later, Rekha took her place among the many beautiful actresses. Rekha won the National Award for Best Actress for the movie ‘Umrao Jaan’. She won the hearts of people with her amazing performance in movies like, ‘Ijazat’, ‘Muqaddar ka Sikandar’, ‘Silsila’ and many others.
7) Kajol
Kajol is one of Bollywood’s most loved actresses. Known for her straightforward and feisty nature, Kajol tamed Bollywood with her brilliant acting skills and versatility. She gave her most memorable performances in movies like ‘Baazigar’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge’.
8) Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is one of the most talented and sought-after actors in Bollywood and she has earned that stature due to her unparalleled sheer acting skills. She made her debut with the ‘Parineeta’ and rose to fame with movies like ‘Guru’, ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’, Heyy Babyy, Paa, No One Killed Jessica, Ishqiya and The Dirty Picture among others.
9) Rani Mukerji
With so many achievements in a career that stretches to almost 20 years, Rani Mukerji has been a part of some really amazing films. From a female oriented intense ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat’ to an easy to eye and engaging ‘Hum Tum’, Rani Mukerji has never let cinematic norms define her. While you’d see her sweeping you off the feet with a performance like ‘Black’, she would make sure she does a ‘Ta Ra Rum Pum’ to not lose grip of her commercial audiences.
10) Tanushree Dutta
Beauty pageant winner-turned Bollywood star, Tanushree Dutta caught the attention of the audience because of her dusky skin and sharp and beautiful features. She might not have won Miss Universe, but her sex appeal definitely made her a mainstream beauty and a sought after actress in an industry obsessed with fairness.
11) Malaika Arora
Malaika Arora does not need any introduction in Bollywood. In the song Munni Badnaam Hui, Malaikatok took the audience by storm. Malaika Arora’s glamorous style was also well-liked in songs like ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ and ‘Maahi Ve’. She also played an important role in the film Kaante.
12) Sushmita Sen
A dusky and beautiful Sushmita Sen won the Miss India pageant against Aishwarya Rai, who was famous for her fair skin and green eyes. She continued to maintain her signature charm well after that. She never resorted to fairness creams or skin-lightening. Today, she is still a beauty icon for brown girls.
13) Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty made her film debut in 1993 with the film ‘Baazigar’ Her performance in the film ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ was excellent. Apart from this she also had memorable roles in films like ‘Jaanwar’, ‘Dhadkan’, ‘Rishtey’ and others. To this date, Shilpa Shetty is also a successful fitness trainer.
14) Priyanka Chopra
Well-known Bollywood and Hollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has been ‘Miss World’. Priyanka Chopra has won one National Award and 5 Filmfare awards. Time magazine named Priyanka Chopra in the list of 100 most influential women in the world. Priyanka Chopra was also honored with ‘Padma Shri’ in the year 2016 by the Government of India.
15) Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is one of the highest paid Bollywood actresses. In 2018, Deepika Padukone was ranked in the list of 100 most influential women in the world by Time magazine. Deepika Padukone, who made her Bollywood debut with the film ‘Om Shanti Om’ along with ‘Shah Rukh Khan’, has also become a producer. She has garnered many accolades for films like ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Padmaavat’.
Thank you,
Team HopyTapy