Avantika Vandanapu talked about colourism in India. She mentioned how she feels 'uglier' in India than in the United States.
Ever since Indian-origin actor Avantika Vandanapu starred in the musical comedy, ‘Mean Girls’, she has been making waves. The actor has signed up for multiple projects and is set to wow her fans. In a recent interview, she spoke about colourism in India and talked about how it has impacted her and her perceptions.
In a conversation with Cosmopolitan, Avantika Vandanapu talked about how Indian beauty standards have always preferred lighter-skinned women. Talking about colourism in India, she mentioned that she felt ‘uglier’ in India when compared to the United States. She said, “I have definitely always felt uglier in India than I have here. The colourism situation is primarily one of the biggest reasons why. I’m South Indian, and there’s this perception that North Indian women are more beautiful than South Indian women. And the South Indian women who do reach insane levels of success in India are very light-skinned — some have become lighter skinned.”
The actor talked about how the Western media has started embracing darker-skinned South Asian women. She talked about how she felt ‘represented’ when she watched ‘Bridgerton.’ She continued, “So seeing myself represented in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2’s Charithra Chandran and Simone Ashley — beautiful, dusky-skinned women … in Hollywood has made me so, so happy… I have definitely found that the odds are a bit less stacked against me here than they are [in India] because I can’t change my skin colour. But I can convince people that I’m talented and that I deserve an opportunity or that I have a voice that needs to be heard.”
The 19-year-old actor has shared the screen with actors like Mahesh Babu, Naga Chaitanya, and Shruti Haasan. She was also seen in the Amazon Prime Video series – ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ – where she played the role of Ludo. Recently, she was seen in the horror flick – ‘Tarot’- which has been released in theatres.