'Undekhi' actor Apeksha Porwal: The bias against dusky women is real

Apeksha Porwal. Pics/Instagram

Apeksha Porwal believes the SonyLIV thriller, Undekhi, made people take notice of her. But now as she auditions for upcoming projects, competition isn't the only thing she has to fight in the industry. The actor points out that the obsession with fair skin runs deep in the industry despite casting directors aiming for a level-playing field.

"The industry talks about diversity, but the bias against dusky women is real. Even when casting directors push for us, it's a constant challenge to land roles that go beyond tokenism. I've always worn my dark complexion as my strength. I've landed roles despite people's mental barrier," she asserts.

Even as things are changing for the better with the world moving towards inclusivity, Porwal says there is a long way to go when it comes to changing beauty standards. "I am aware that I've come at a time when things have changed. Twenty-five years ago, the bias must have been more pronounced. But sometimes, I have faced the stigma too; I have lost deals because of the bias. With so much more conversation around [colourism], we are on the path to change. The hiring that gets done in movies today is a lot better than it was years ago. But dusky skin is still denoted as exotic. You are still fetishising," she notes.

Batting for constant change is the answer, she states. "If tomorrow they are casting for a Kashmiri girl, I understand I'll lose out on it because I don't look Kashmiri. [Conversely] I got the part of a Bengali woman because of my skin tone. So, there are two ways of looking at it. Change is slow. But hopefully soon, there will be opportunities for people of every colour and every background. There needs to be equality in how casting is done."