Bollywood Stars Called Out for Supporting BLM But Not India’s Racial Problems
By Ryan General
Actresses Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor are among the Bollywood stars being called hypocrites for expressing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Critics on social media are calling out the Indian celebrities for their selective activism, stating that they have yet to speak out against injustices suffered by minorities in India.
Meanwhile, others also berated the celebs for having promoted skin whitening creams which are popular in India, reports the Huffington Post.
While serving as brand ambassadors for Garnier, L’Oréal and Pond’s, both Chopra and Kapoor previously promoted products aimed at reducing dark skin.
Although Chopra had expressed her feelings of guilt about her skin-whitening campaign in the past, she was still recently ridiculed after her husband, singer Nick Jonas, took to Twitter to say that they are taking a stand against “systemic racism, bigotry and exclusion.”
Commenters noted how Chopra had never made a similar stand against India’s own “systemic racism.” Indian Muslims, the largest religious minority in India, are among the most persecuted.
Even Bollywood star Abhay Deol took a jab against “woke” Indian celebrities with selective activism.
“Now that ‘woke’ Indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps they’d see how it manifests in their own backyard?” the actor/producer wrote on Instagram last Tuesday.
“America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically. I’m not saying they deserve it, I’m saying look at the picture in its totality. I’m saying support them by calling out the systemic problems in your own country, because they turn out to be one and the same thing. I’m saying follow their lead but not their actions. Create your own actions, your own movement, relevant to your own country. That is what the black lives matter movement is all about!”
Feature Image via @priyankachopra and @sonamkapoor
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