Nawazuddin Siddqui confesses to using fairness creams while growing up

The debate around colourism in India has always been rife. From celebs to influencers, many had spoken up about the usage of fairness creams and its obsession with lighter skin. Bollywood superstar Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently starred in Netflix original Raat Akeli Hai, in which he was seen struggling with his dark skin as he smothered his face with fairness creams. 

During a recent interview with Cinema Express, the Sacred Games star confessed that earlier on in his life, he too had suffered from mild body image issues as there was a time when he applied fairness creams to turn his complexion fairer.

“I too grew up applying these fairness creams, expecting miraculous results. In fact, I remember that once, I didn’t even realise that the cream I was using wasn’t Fair and Lovely, but some fake called Fare and Lovely. I spent a lot of time trying to make my skin fairer,” he said. "In mainstream Bollywood cinema, is there any really dark actor, male or female? I had an inferiority complex at first. But I guess the good thing is, I realised that since I couldn’t do anything about my face, I would be better to start focusing on my craft.”

“I knew I was nothing when it came to my personality or my looks. It took some time to come out of that trauma, but I’m glad I made that decision,” he concluded. 

However, his stance has since changed drastically. In 2017, Siddiqui called out Bollywood stars for endorsing fairness creams and the actor maintains his stand. According to the Hindustan Times, the actor had said, “Promoting a fairness cream is shamelessness. Stars must stop endorsing it. I keep saying this and I’ll always say that people should be ashamed of themselves for endorsing the fairness creams.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.