With the on-going Black Lives Matter protests erupting in America and across the world, an interesting response took place in Bollywood. While many of the stalwarts of Indian cinema showcased their solidarity with the protests, many fans were quick to highlight the hypocrisy underlying their support. Due to many of these film stars either promoting fair-skin products, or performing in roles with heavy brownface or blackface makeup, their solidarity was questioned, and the conversation regarding the role of skin-colour & race in Indian cinema, once again, came to the forefront. 

Hosts Raeesa Farooqi and Ankur Desai look at various examples of brownface and blackface in Indian cinema, and explore the intersection of colourism, casteism, and classism in Indian society at large.

Films Mentioned:
Bala (dir. Amar Kaushik, 2019)
Super 30 (dir. Vikas Bahl, 2019)
Gully Boy (dir. Zoya Akhtar, 2019)
Udta Punjab (dir. Abhishek Caubey, 2016)
Hadh Kar Di Aapne (dir. Manoj Agrawal, 2000)
Fashion (dir. Madhur Bhandarkar, 2008)
Sudani from Nigeria (dir. Zakariya Mohammed, 2018)
Kumblangi Nights (dir. Madhu C. Narayanan, 2019)

Song Clip:
Chura Ke Dil Mera (from the film Main Khiladi Tu Anari)