Bhumi Pednekar On Turning Down Fairness Cream Ads: Don't Want Young Women To Feel Lesser Because Of Skin Tone

Bhumi Pednekar has always be vocal about endorsing body positivity. On screen too, the actress has shed light on society's unrealistic standards of beauty right from her debut film Dum Laga Ke Haisha in which she essaying the role of a plus-size woman.

Recently in an interaction with a leading tabloid, Pednekar said that she is actively staying away from endorsing fairness cream ads as she doesn't want young women to feel lesser because of their complexion.

The actress told Mid-day, "I say no to fairness cream [ads] because I don't want young women to feel lesser because of their skin tone. When I do a Bala, I want to empower people who are told they are not good enough because of their skin colour. The obsession with fairness has reduced slightly. The conversation will [result in change] only when we have enough people talking about it." In the past, many stars like Kangana Ranaut, Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Taapsee Pannu, Bipasha Basu and others have refused to endorsed fairness cream ads.

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Emphasizing on how it's important to instill the values of self-love and body positivity among the masses, the Durgamati actress told the tabloid, "We, women, need to create communities that endorse self-love and inclusivity. We shouldn't be expected to conform to social standards of beauty. My first film gave me confidence, and Sandhya [her character] made me fall in love with myself. Beauty is about finding your own happiness, which includes [attaining] mental and physical well-being."

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The actress also opened up on refusing to adhere to unrealistic beauty ideas in reel life and said, "Off-camera, I refuse to let anyone dictate [terms to me]. I have never had a filmmaker tell me how to look for the camera. My decision has to come from a place of creativity."

Workwise, Bhumi will next be seen in Akshay Kumar-starrer Raksha Bandhan, Vicky Kaushal's Mr Lele and Badhaai Do opposite Rajkummar Rao.