Casting call:
Female (21 years old - ideally will stay at this age forever)
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Fair-skinned/dusky/honey-brown (or be willing to stand in as comedic relief if not)
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Straight-haired (or willing to straighten it)
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Attractive (or willing to take on a secondary role as a comedy punchline if not)
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Tall (pending measurements to be taken of the male lead; must be willing to crouch if needed)
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Meek (or be willing to bring out personality strictly when asked)
Male (24 years old)
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Relatable, of average height with average features
Maybe a little dramatic, but it gets the point across. Yes, colourism exists. We all know that Kollywood and Indian cinema as a whole favour light skin over dark skin. But the gender aspects of these preferences are interesting to see, at least so openly. A recent call for actors by MRP Entertainment specified that they were seeking a female actor who is “dusky / fair”, while the male actor could be “any skintone.”
Movies, across many cultures, are often written for the male gaze; whether it is for a primarily male audience, or for a male-driven story where a female co-lead plays a supporting or secondary role. Since cinema often prioritises men’s confidence, aggressiveness and actions (traits that can all be easily manufactured for the screen) while prioritising women’s beauty, it is not wholly surprising that these double standards continue to exist. But
it does warrant a discussion on their impact.
Limiting women’s roles to those who meet very restrictive standards limits the types of stories that are told on screen; while most men can probably relate to at least a handful of male storylines through the diversity of faces, heights, shapes and skin colours presented through male actors in Kollywood, women do not see as much range in on-screen characters. So what we end up seeing is the storyline of a single type of person; actresses who are darker-skinned or don’t meet these rigid expectations are pushed aside, while the male co-lead can be short, tall, skinny, large, fair, dark, bald, hairy, muscular, thin, handsome, or any number of other combinations.
This is not to say that there aren’t times when casting for an actress with a specific skin tone isn’t warranted; say, for example, if the movie portrays people from a specific region or ethnic group. But this casting call does not do this, so it makes it pretty clear that a fair-skinned actress is not being sought out for such a reason.
And no, this is not to say that men can’t also face pressures to meet certain standards as well; actors like Surya have led more recent films with a muscular frames, showing that expectations of appearance exist for men too; but typical leading-man roles filled by actors with chiseled abs have also been equally filled by actors who don’t meet such standards, showing that men are allowed much more range in the standards they must meet to be cast.
This isn’t about blaming casting directors or filmmakers — it’s about asking whether the industry can do better. Audiences have been ready for more realistic, representative stories for a long time, but the majority of movies, even with deep social commentary or character exploration, continue to cast actresses who fit a very narrow standard. By sticking to such rigid rules, not only are talented actors and actresses never given a chance, but relatable storylines become more and more rare. Breaking these norms creates better movies and draws in more diverse audiences. The industry can undoubtedly benefit by letting women be more than a shade card and letting audiences see stories that are diverse and feel real.
