White Actresses Told To Leave Bollywood

Telegraph:

British actresses who appear in Bollywood films are being targeted in a hate campaign by one of India's most feared political leaders.

Read the whole story: Telegraph

Comments

[DoesItMatter]

08:00 PM on 03/19/2010

Media. Media. Media. Argh, what would we do without media?

MNS is not against "white girls" or "foreigners" in the Bollywood movies. They are against "foreigners as item girls".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/MNS-diktat-No-foreigners-as-item-girls-employ-local-talent/articleshow/5688290.cms

The Telegraph article is very misleading as it does not give out all the sides to this issue. Typical, eh?

[popart]

11:18 AM on 03/19/2010

bollywood stars all but have sex right on the screen with their erotic dances but kissing is not allowed...these are the same people who let rats monkeys and cows live like honored guests in their
communities.....too wierd.

[Tenjikuronin]

02:54 PM on 03/25/2010

Rats and monkeys don't live as honored guests, they live in communities because their natural habitats were destroyed by humans.

[realitytrumpsbull]

06:28 AM on 03/19/2010

I don't understand why your skin tone makes you a better/more desirable actor, or actress. Many people have walked across the silver screen over the years, of varying ethnicity(and talent level). Variety is the spice of life, and getting to see people perform who come from various and distant parts of the world and from different backgrounds than our own can only serve to improve and enrich the variety that the performing arts provide the public.

Cinema should strive to do what it does best, namely to entertain. When it becomes political, it becomes questionable. It's all a trick of the light, and a poorly-written script can not be rescued by the actors, no matter how mundane, or exotic. All the efforts of all the people involved go together to make a successful finished product, a movie is not simply the actor or actress in foreground closeup view. And, if it is, then it's just a video photoshoot. Maybe hiring different directors might bring better results, people with some talent and creativity, independent of any concerns of ethnicity?

[Y2KCockroach]

01:33 AM on 03/19/2010

I don't want to wade into the "white girl/dark girl" debate, but I do want to point out that most Bollywood films are really, really bad. They could use sock-puppets for all I care, but the films would remain too painful to sit through.....

[kndam72]

10:21 PM on 03/18/2010

very misleading headline, it is comments made by an Indian extremest and the reaction from one British actress. Come on Huffpo. You are better than that!

[Sunflo]

09:58 AM on 03/19/2010

Nah, this seems to be your typical Huffpo summation where two quotes equal a tome and a 30 second clip sums up an hour-long interview.

[wm1066]

07:39 PM on 03/18/2010

Teabaggers in Bollywood..who woulda thunk it!
I have to say I don't like the musicals, can't handle the nasally sound that the women sing in. But some of the drama movies have been good. The movie about Bagwahn Singh was very good.

[Tenjikuronin]

02:51 PM on 03/25/2010

Nasally sound? They are singing in a different pitch than you are used to, and its actually very hard to do.

[Libertarian79]

07:12 PM on 03/18/2010

This is a demand by a local regional party from Maharashtra state.
This party is made up of a handful of loons. They have no say in anything of any importance.
Its like Alaska Independance Party asking non-native Alaskans to leave Alaska.

They make these totally loony demands to gain national attention. I see that they are successful - HP and BBC picked up this garbage.

[Socrmom]

07:04 PM on 03/18/2010

So how about Intel gets rid of all it's Indian engineers and we move all the Indian call centers back to the U.S.?

[Tenjikuronin]

02:50 PM on 03/25/2010

How about not?

[GiantCrab]

06:44 PM on 03/18/2010

I dont watch any Indian movies, but I will sneak a peak at them when ever my girlfriend is watching them and the whole race thing is really wierd.

The movie seen can be set in some Indian village and then out of no where white women will pop up in a song and dance number, as if they are in Sweden.

The whole thing is racist on everyone's end. Bollywood is racist for saying "White women make this look better than if a Indian woman was in it" and for Indian gangs for saying all non-Indians are going to be in trouble.

[Freenation]

01:01 AM on 03/19/2010

Switzerland is favorite locale...

[Tenjikuronin]

02:50 PM on 03/25/2010

Most dance sequences are filmed abroad, hence your 'white' girls........

[SaltyLassi]

05:51 PM on 03/18/2010

No white girls in Bollywood - only Indian girls who look like white girls in Bollywood.

Bollywood is bull o f crap. "oooh, we only want true Indian girls in our movies." Show me how many dark-skinned INdian actresses they employ. All the Indian actresses use skin bleaching creams, and even do tv commercials promoting the beauty of white skin over traditional tan Indian skin. If you're not white-skinned, you can't get a role in Bollywood. They are racist against their own people, and now are showing their racism towards others. nice, and nice.

[Swami Salami]

06:53 PM on 03/18/2010

very well said...

[jetscan]

09:24 PM on 03/18/2010

Ah, the well informed. NOT.

I'd suggest visiting India. You'll find people iin the "color range" black to white, eye colors black to grey, green and blue and everything in between, haircolors black to blond and everything in between, short, tall, fat, chubby and slim people and yes, everything in between.

You'll find mostly dark skinned people (with matching eye and haircolor) in the south and fair skinned with matching eye and haircolor in the north. I don't have to explain what you'll find in between.

I guess you also don't know that human beings are categorized in three main parts: Black, European and Mongolian. The Indians are a subcategory of the European race.

Now, before you start whining (again), I'd suggest reading the story again. It's just a lunatic and his supporters causing the trouble. Just like Glenn Beck, Bo(eh)ner and ...the whole bunch of GOP and Faux morons.

BTW, if skin bleaching creams caught your attention, how about you do some research on how many millions of women in America dye their hair blond, have breast enhencements, liposuctions, vagina rejuvination and .... should I go on?

Sheesh, Bill Maher is right again.

[happymick]

11:23 PM on 03/18/2010

Jetscan I myself have visited India and here are the real facts

You are not respoding to what was said. The original poster said in the movies the people look all white. This is not only true in India, but all over the world. Go watch a Latin American soap opera. They 'are WHITE. like it or not White equals beauty all over the world.

As far as your description of India. It is partly true. There are people of all shades. However "Whites" as exist in European countries are very rare. It is true that Whites invaded India in 1500 B.C. They were tall and fair. They , howqever have mixed with the local Dravidians (who were short and very dark). So the present day Northern Indians are lighter than in the south generally, they are hardly "white"
Your three categories is nonsense. By your estimation Iranians, Arabs etc are white.it is true "Whites" were in those countries a long time ago, but have been bred out of existence. I have been to those countries(as well as India) they are not White. Whites are descendnants of "Indo-europeans. They are not Semites, Turks, or Dravidians. By the way the ancient language of the Whites who invaded Inida is Sanskrit. The language of the Hindu holy books etc. Therefore Hinduism is the most "white" based major relgion in the world!

[SaltyLassi]

03:34 PM on 03/19/2010

Jetscan, I AM indian, so I'd suggest YOU go pay the place a visit. Yes, there are people of all shades, but only the whitest makes it onto the big screen. The most famous of their actors was in a commercial in which he portrayed a man leaving his fiance because she did not use face-whitening cream, and he and his new white fiance walked by the brown girl, who was left crying.

[LMPE]

05:21 PM on 03/18/2010

OK, so do Brits of South Asian descent count?

[Freenation]

01:02 AM on 03/19/2010

Katrina Kaif is brit and south aisan origin is the top female star in bollywood these days...MNS is like Hindu talliban just ignore them, they want something in newspaper printed regarding them..anything

[Tenjikuronin]

02:46 PM on 03/25/2010

You mean Marathi 'Taliban'

[danusgram]

04:59 PM on 03/18/2010

Mumbai home of India's financial markets and stolen American jobs. Its okay to take our jobs but not okay to share yours....hmmmmmmmm

[jetscan]

09:31 PM on 03/18/2010

If you want to blame someone, blame the CEO's of the companies outsourcing the jobs.

Stolen jobs? Wow, and you have stolen the land of the native Americans and slaughtered almost all of them too. Don't talk to me about stolen. Look in the mirror first.

No I don't live in India, I live in Europe.

[danusgram]

10:26 PM on 03/18/2010

Well your comment says you watch too many cowboy movies in europe the native americans were not completely slaughtered but you might ask your country for some slave trade reparations for all the slaves they transported here and sold how about that! Your ancestors owe my family big time and by the way I also have some Native American flowing through my blood line, so it mutes your comment about being annihilated.

[b1986]

03:37 AM on 03/19/2010

HAHA!! As a European you have absolutely no right to point the finger at Americans for our past. Those atrocities were committed by EUROPEAN settlers. And Europe's history is far from clean.

[Tenjikuronin]

02:45 PM on 03/25/2010

"Stolen" American jobs? U.S. companies WILLINGLY took those jobs overseas.

[Hammersmithman]

04:42 PM on 03/18/2010

Just when you see India finding her rightful place amongst advanced nations, people like this idiot send her bang back among the rest of the third world.

[doubtingdavid]

04:25 PM on 03/18/2010

It's not racist if it's against whites. When will some people ever learn?

[2008FedUP]

04:51 PM on 03/18/2010

Turn about is fair play. Sorry white girls u gotta go to the back of the line!!!

[InfinteShibumi]

05:10 PM on 03/18/2010

Is it racist--or nationalist? Or perhaps cultural pride? Just last year articles were written that very fair-skinned Indians or whites were preferred for modeling and fashion advertising and higher paying jobs. (http://infowire.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=6d87a3aacbab4814c848e241e36f1e4c)

It's not surprising that some are trying to swing the pendulum back the other way.

[SaltyLassi]

05:52 PM on 03/18/2010

Indians are obsessed with all things white. THey bleach their skin, and even familiar brands like Pond's sells face-whitening creams all over India. If you're tan, people call you ugly. Everyone aspires to have fair skin.

[Velma Sabina]

03:59 PM on 03/18/2010

about time. Bollywood has a ridiculous obsession for white skin and too often rejects dark skinned Indians and rarely casts Black people (whether of Indian or African origin) in positive roles. Dark skinned Indians and Africans are often mocked and derided in Bollywood while white women are praised and adored.

[zeppelingirl89]

04:39 PM on 03/18/2010

Why did you refer to some Indians as black people? They aren't...They are still Indian, albeit with darker skin.
However I could care less what Bollywood does....since it's India I imagine they'd want to see Indian actresses which is understandable. Just as it's understandable for Europeans to want to watch other Europeans and for Africans to want to see other Africans and so on....

[ZenSufi]

05:23 PM on 03/18/2010

Some Indians are in fact, "Black", that is, of relatively recent African descent.

"The Sidhis are a diffused community of people who came from Africa but now live throughout Southeast Asia. In India, about 30,000 Sidhis make their home in and around Junagadh, Gujarat.

These Africans first arrived in India during the twelfth century, mainly as soldiers, sailors and merchants. Some were warrior-slaves to Indian kings who valued them for their loyalty and fighting spirit.

Through the generations that followed, the Sidhis that remained in India adapted to the lifestyle , yet retained some ancient cultural practices and a few syncretic forms of worship. Today, their only link with Africa is through their music, dance and the few customs they have maintained. They speak no African languages and do not know the specific origin of their ancestors."

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1350

[magnoliabird]

05:44 PM on 03/18/2010

Some of the indians I know say themselves that they are black as well and because of their lineage, that is true. I think you should do a little history reading.

[INQUISITION11]

05:14 PM on 03/18/2010

Yes that's true Dalits are treated poorly in India .Lighter skinned girls are associated with the higher casts, but i doubt discriminating against south American and European girls will change that culture in the short term.They'll just be replaced with light skinned Indians.Your glee at seeing girls targeted by a hate campaign because of where they were born is equally sickening.

[Smirk]

08:48 PM on 03/18/2010

Well stated.

[realitytrumpsbull]

06:22 AM on 03/19/2010

I remember reading something about the whole caste system, that there's like 5 different castes. Sucks to be 'on the bottom'...