Did Sara Ali Khan flub her lines while talking about India’s fair skin obsession? The young actor was speaking to Barkha Dutt at the We The Women summit in Bengaluru.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Mean if you want to be tan just put some bronzer if you want to be fair put some powder
00:03I don't think it's the end of the world
00:13There were many girls who talked about how their tan or their color has made them suffer
00:20so anytime do you fantasize about being tanned or
00:24You want to go on beaches and get tanned does that color? I love going on beaches
00:30It has nothing to do with being tanned, but I mean I love the beach
00:32And I don't necessarily think that I mean if you want to be tan just put some bronzer if you want to be fair put
00:38Some powder I don't think it's the end of the world, but I don't think it should define you at all
00:41You know I think this whole chatter about skin color is like really
00:45You know I mean I wanted to put pink nail polish. I put it if I want to look dark
00:49I'll just spray-paint myself. It's fine. You know what about people who are dark and are under enormous pressure to look fair
00:54This again. What is pressure? I think that at the end of the day prejudice, rude comments
00:59I understand that, bias, you won't get married
01:02But you won't change
01:04I can say that everyone should say that all beauties are the same
01:08But maybe they won't say it
01:10But you should have the confidence to say whatever you want to say
01:13It should happen but not everyone can do it
01:15But I believe that there is a larger probability and a higher success rate
01:20For you to attempt to change yourself than to change the world because they are not going to change
01:25Just change the world
01:31Sara, this burden of celebrity that you carry before you have a chance to find
01:36Find who you are, establish who you are, carve out your own personality
01:40Not just famous parents, famous grandparents on both sides
01:44How is that growing up?
01:47See, I'll be honest with you
01:49I don't... you know, people have used words like burden, pressure, all of that
01:54But I don't really believe in that I think that you know
01:57You're as burdened as you want to be and you take as much pressure as you want to you know
02:02of course
02:03I'm aware acutely aware that I come from a film background and therefore the
02:08Scrutiny or the attention that I have received has been more than it would be otherwise
02:13But I don't necessarily look at that as a burden because if I do then I will be stiff
02:19And I won't be able to perform and I don't think that that's fun. Then, you know, I think that
02:26I'm like I said, I'm aware of where I come from
02:28But I don't at all look at it as a burden and I don't think I ever have
02:33So I think there's a part of it. That's a privilege. There's a part of that's fun
02:37I'm this part of it that must be mildly suffocating. I
02:41See again suffocating is an intense word. I don't know about that. But I think that with any form of kind of
02:48Like you said
02:49Privilege. Yeah, there is a setback to it as well. You know, there is a lot of scrutiny
02:54There are a lot of eyes on us for instance
02:57And I can't deny the fact that star children as much as I hate those words do get it easy
03:03You know
03:04We do have a privilege in terms of access that others don't have
03:08but it also comes with scrutiny and at the risk of sounding negative which I don't intend to at all because whether it's the
03:14Audiences or the industry or the media everybody has been very very loving maybe even more than I deserve
03:20but I do think that there is a
03:22Whole lot of people out there who are waiting for you as a star child to make one mistake
03:27Of course and to falter even a little bit to be able to say they come
03:31Oh, Scott, I saw me similar. Yeah, let's make a bad. Hey, have you and your brother had equal freedoms?
03:36again, it's different because I think that I have a progressive mother and
03:41you can't also
03:42Make the difference, but see we are not equal. Okay, we should be treated equally politically, but we are not equal
03:49What do you mean by that? I can't argue that me and my brother deserve to come home the same time
03:53We live why not because maybe it's a little more dangerous for me to be able to change those
03:58But can I say a rude word change those people outside?
04:01I mean get them to stay in but can I or can you I would fight for the right of
04:06Women to stay out as late as men
04:08I appreciate that
04:09But I also understand and recognize the fact that I as a woman or my mother as a woman or my brother as a man
04:15Cannot change the intentions of the man on the road. I know but it's not because we are not equal
04:20It's because the world is not equal. Of course, of course, but if there's a difference, right?
04:25You see the difference the world is not equal. We are fighting to make it. I totally agree
04:29but I don't think that it makes it, you know a
04:33Example of inequality to allow my brother to come home later than me
04:37I think that these are just few basic things that enable safety and I think that that's a personal choice and that's okay
04:43But there are bigger things like political rights or access to education or employment to equal pay and I think in factors like this
04:52Equality is more necessary. The fact is that you're Sara Ali Khan new entrant exactly
04:56But there are the men who are still playing the roles of the play 20 years ago
05:00Like that has to be slightly buggy, I mean, yeah, but I see audiences are watching them, you know
05:06So, I mean you can't just blame them
05:07I mean the audiences are wanting to watch them like romance the daughters of the heroines. So then
05:17I
05:18Think that it's also it's a give-and-take, you know, I think that we as people
05:23Yeah can turn around and you know kind of criticize a question, but look at the people
05:28I think it's also about acceptance. If we women were to put our foot down, maybe we would be treated differently
05:34Yeah, maybe we would I don't know. Maybe if you said I'm bored of watching him. Maybe he wouldn't be cast for the 97th time
05:43But don't you make like jokes about it or does it make you angry I'm a newcomer all my jokes are private
05:51You know, you know your get-out-of-jail-card is
05:55Oh, no, some people have been regressive I don't take it seriously, but this stuff like like, you know
06:03Tutu or a tattoo. Yes, sir. They say this. Yeah. Yeah, I know I've heard this. I'm I'd you say I'm a newcomer. Yeah
06:15You know, honestly, I
06:17Really feel like I ignore these things because I think the best thing to do when somebody is trying to take away your agency is
06:24Give yourself multiple agency by ignoring it and being you anyway
06:27It's not about getting into like a banter of name a or a to make a ruby to Corona
06:31Chupachap say Karo
06:32Jab kuch karna hota hai toh nare laga ke karne ki zarurat nahi aap chupachap bhi kar sakte ho
06:37We have all these conversations about body positivity now
06:40Does it really work or our women still battling some guy's idea of what beautiful is?
06:46No, I am sure there I am sure they are
06:49I think that they do and I think that it's not just guys
06:52I think I honestly feel that women should be women's best friends
06:55But unfortunately in the world that we live in it's really not that way
06:58I think it's the woman that will first say are a look at her. She's looking so fat. I mean, she's looking so bloated
07:04I don't even think men notice this stuff, you know a lot of times
07:07so I think it's this whole agenda of like kind of
07:10You know adhering to this perfect image when I don't even know who came up with it
07:16Like who decides what's perfect?
07:18I mean if you want to be a little larger than what you know
07:21The neighbor's wife thinks you should be then you be that just be healthy because I think that's important
07:27But the rest is your choice and should be always