How a dusky complexion helped Sunita Marshall

Pakistani showbiz has frequently faced accusations of colourism with many like Amna Ilyas and Gohar Rasheed consistently expressing their condemnation. Others such as veteran actor Saba Hamid did not only not face colourism, but could not fathom discrimination based on skin colour.

It appears that actor-model Sunita Marshall's dusky complexion has also posed little trouble for her in the industry. Appearing on a local talk show, Sunita revealed that she never faced colourism during her time as a model. In fact, the modelling industry was all praises for her complexion, for reasons both technical and aesthetic.

"I've never faced a major problem. I've actually only been at an advantage in the modelling industry," she reiterated. "I've even done shoots where they've darkened my complexion by a few shades."

The actor explained that this was done partly because of the team's preference and partly because "certain colours pop more over dark skin," as she cited the vibrant yellow she donned for the interview. Reminiscing about her days as a model, the Baby Baji actor recalled that she and other artists with her complexion were often given vibrant colours to wear.

Over the recent years, both Pakistani modelling and television industries have had their fair share of criticism for encouraging discriminatory beauty standards. Equally loud has been the outrage against darkening the complexion of fair or medium skinned models instead of hiring more diverse candidates.

For Sunita, while her modelling endeavours have fared well with her skin colour, the small screen has been a slightly tougher terrain to navigate.

"On TV, though, it has happened a few times," she added. "The problem is, if my dusky complexion is shown in the same frame as that of someone who is very fair, it throws the contrast and brightness off balance."

Sunita further elaborated that tuning up the levels to "balance" her skin tone with the shot tends to over-expose her co-star's complexion, whereas dialling down brightness darkens her skin colour. "So this was a difficulty that some cameramen - not all, only some - faced," she said. Those cameramen advised using makeup to even out their conflicting skin colours and balance the frame, the actor recalled.

Sunita was last seen in the sequel for Baby Baji, reprising her role as Asma. Having joined the industry in 2002, her career spans well over two decades.