The Pakistani entertainment industry doesn’t hide its bias towards artists that actually look brown. Recently, actress Naima Butt opened up about struggling in the industry with her wheatish complexion.
The industry often casts actors/models using blackface rather than work with actors that are naturally brown. The Ehd-e-Wafa actress faced prejudice over her wheatish skin tone.
In her appearance in ‘G Sarkar’ the former theater artist talked about the struggles of girls with a wheatish or dark skin in the biz. She came to television expecting growth but was faced with prejudice instead.
“When I shifted to dramas from the theater, at first I was doing a soap then I got selected for Ehd-e-Wafa. Many people liked the character of Ghazala. An article was written that instead of white girls, a wheatish girl was cast and she is proving her mettle through her acting. I was really shocked that it is getting mentioned in particular. It is really shocking that why it is even mentioned.”
Snarky comments in tabloids turned to problematic advice on sets as people encouraged her to get ‘lighter’ in order to bag a lead role.
“I remember after a few days, there used to be discussions on set and I heard that everyone has taken the whitening injection. And if you want a lead role, then the whitening injection is a must. You will get side roles but if you want a lead role, then it is a must, nobody cares about acting.”
Naima Butt rose to fame with her role in social drama Bhook opposite Maria Wasti. Soon after she was cast in a soap opera and then the hit drama serial Ehd-e-Wafa.
If this is how hard it is for a wheatish actress, imagine how hard it is for a dark-skinned artist. In the past, Amna Ilyas opened up about how the industry initially reacted to her skin color rather than focus on her talent.
