Abhay Deol criticizes Shah Rukh, Deepika, Sidharth, other stars for endorsing fairness products

The debate on 'fairness' has recently caught the attention of the film industry. The recent statement of BJP MP, Tarun Vijay, also drew some attention to a number of stars who are endorsing fairness creams. Actor Abhay Deol has now taken up the cudgels against the 'fairness' industry. The actor has put up a number of Facebook posts targeting several stars involved with 'fairness' brands. 

Pointing that several of these campaigns are blatantly selling the idea of a 'whiter skin', Deol wrote, "There's a lot more of these campaigns that are blatantly, and sometimes subtly, selling you the idea that whiter skin is better than darker skin. No one at the top of their game in any field is going to tell you that it is demeaning, false, and racist." 

While the posts might rub quite a few people the wrong way, Deol does have a point. Only a few stars endorsing these products have spoken up against the tendency to discriminate against 'dark skin'. Deol, on his part, does a brilliant satire. Even when he is praising Nandita Das for her stand against the fairness campaigns, he does not lose that touch of tongue in cheek humour. 

He starts with John Abraham, one of the industry's first male models. Deol says Abraham did not necessarily endorse the fairness cream. 'Hey! You can see the promise of darker skin too if you read the card from left to right! He's not telling you to go from right to left! Duh!' 

The actor spares no punches calling out the 'photoshop' work on D'Cruz saying that her beautiful face does not need it. 'The reason the tube reads "WHITE BEAUTY" is because the photoshopping on her skin has made her look white and she's clearly a beauty...No demeaning of dark skin here either.' he says. 

Vidya Balan might not want to remember this ad, but Deol certainly does. Poking fun at the ad, Deol says, "his one asks the question "How true is your FAIRNESS?"...And further asks if you just have an "outer WHITE layer" or is your "radiant FAIRNESS from within?"

Shahid Kapoor too finds his way into Deol's list. But the Shanghai actor defends the Padmavati star saying, "His face is dark on the right only because that part of the paper was left exposed to the sun. They are clearly not trying to show a dark shade going on to light...Shame on you to think our celebs would be so irresponsible, there's a good explanation for everything!" 

Deepika Padukone cannot escape this one. Remarking on the unreal colour of her eyes in the ad, Deol writes, "It's not so much a 'FAIRNESS' cream as it is a coloured lens for the eyes...And who wouldn't want grey eyes eh? It's the colour of Delhi in the winter."

Sidharth Malhotra's 'black dust' settles the debate on the purpose of the cream, says Deol. 

He does not even spare his co-star from Ranjhanaa (2012), Sonam Kapoor. Calling the ad 'kinda hard to defend', Deol stops just short of calling it racist. 

To be 'fair' to Deol, he even picked up the international actors who endorsed such products. 

There is even Shah Rukh Khan at the top of the pile. But then "he's clearly trying to make you a man, becoming whiter in the process is just a side effect." 

While the rest of the industry might not take too well to this criticism by Abhay Deol, his satire and humour certainly make for a good read.