Mother of Ironies: Portrayal of Skin Color in Tamil Cinema (Part 2)
I searched for dark skinned heroines in Tamil cinema. But there are none. Since then, I have a beef with Tamil cinema. While heroes in Tamil cinema have song lyrics and dialogues glorifying their dark skin, the heroines' fair skin is celebrated. "Were you washed clean with white steam? Were you raised without sunlight falling on you? I’m totally confused and floating in the air. I’m totally lost." That's how Dhanush describes Tapsee Pannu in Yathe, Yathe song from Aadukalam. Though resistant at first, she anyway falls in love with the darker Dhanush. Fair skin is a benchmark for higher status in Indian society. If that's wrong and blatantly classist and casteist, then glorifying fair skin on Indian women as the epitome of beauty is also wrong and blatantly classist and casteist. Tapsee wallows to herself about Dhanush's appearance after he confesses his feelings for her - "Did he look at himself in the mirror?" That's wrong but men say that to...