Actor Sai Pallavi was in the news a month ago for refusing to feature in a fairness cream commercial. However, there was no official confirmation on this.
In a recent interview with Behindwoods, Sai Pallavi, who is immensely popular in south Indian film industries, acknowledged that she had indeed turned down such an offer. The actor, who made a sensational debut with Premam, went on to discuss why.
"The circle that I know is my parents, Pooja (her sister) and friends. I've tricked Pooja at times...as far as I know, Pooja eats stuff like cheese burgers and has had a complex that she isn't as fair as I am. I've noticed that many a time, when we're both standing in front of a mirror, she will look at my face and hers. I told her once that if she wants to become fair, she should eat fruits and vegetables. And she did it! She doesn't like fruits and vegetables at all but she still did it, because she wanted to become fair. I felt very bad then. What an impact it has created on a girl five years younger than I am!" says Sai Pallavi.
The actor went on to speak about why she decided to refuse to star in the ad.
"What am I going to do with the money I get from such an ad? I'll go home and eat three chapatis or rice. I don't have any other big needs. I see whether I can contribute to the happiness of people around me or I can say that the standards we have are wrong. This is the Indian colour. We can't go to foreigners and ask them why they're white, and if they know that they will get cancer because of it. That's their skin colour and this is ours," she says.
Sai Pallavi added that Africans are dark skinned naturally and that they are beautiful. She also spoke about her own insecurities in the past, which led her to take such a stance.
"If I had not done Premam, I too would have applied 100 creams on my face to remove acne. I haven't done my eyebrows yet. I asked Alphonse (director of Premam) if I should do all this – how can I be the heroine when I haven't cut my hair or done anything at all? What if people walk out? I was literally breaking my mother's bone because I was holding her hand so tight during the first day first show. I was worried about my voice, which sounds like a boy's! Even now, when people call and I pick up, they say, 'Sir, can you give the phone to Madam?' And so, I even change my voice and speak in a feminine way," she says.
The actor then concluded the answer by saying, "I myself have had these insecurities. So when I have the power to change things at least a little bit, I want to use it the right way."
Sai Pallavi's last film was Athiran with Fahadh Faasil. Her next release is the Suriya starrer NGK, which has been directed by Selvaraghavan.
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Sai Pallavi's views come as a breath of fresh air, especially for those who've just seen the Femina Miss India ad where every contestant looks the same, from the skin tone to the hair.
Question: who will be crowned Miss India this year?
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) May 27, 2019
How to choose from such a diverse bunch?! pic.twitter.com/nOnkrvXOts
Here's to more women speaking up and here's to more diversity!