Vaani Kapoor Opens Up About Colorism and Body Shaming In Bollywood: I Wasn’t Milky White

Vaani Kapoor, who stepped into Bollywood back in 2013 with Shuddh Desi Romance, recently spoke out about a painful chapter in her career—one that still stings in 2024.

Even after carving out a space for herself, she revealed she’d been dropped from a film once because of her skin colour. At 36, Vaani didn’t mince words.

Vaani Kapoor gets real about body-shaming

The actress has faced plenty of criticism for her body too, especially for being “too skinny.”

Talking to News 18, Vaani explained, “No one ever said it to my face, but word gets around. A director once decided I wasn’t fair enough. I just wasn’t ‘milky white.’”

When asked how she coped, Vaani was matter-of-fact. She said she had to accept it and realise that if that’s what a director wants, she wouldn’t want to work on their film anyway.

She didn’t hold back. “He can find his ‘milky white’ beauty. I know I’ll find a filmmaker who actually values talent. This happened ages ago, and for the record, the director wasn’t even from Mumbai,” she said.

Vaani Kapoor: People love to tell me I’m too skinny

Vaani also addressed the constant body-shaming she’s faced, especially about being thin. “People love to tell me I’m too skinny, that I should put on weight because apparently, only curvier women are considered beautiful. But I like myself just the way I am.”

Vaani added, “I’m healthy, I’m strong, and honestly, I don’t want to change for anyone. Sometimes you can’t even tell if people are actually concerned or just throwing around unsolicited advice. But I’m fine with who I am.”

Currently, Vaani is gearing up for her next project, a Netflix series titled Mandala Murders, where she will be playing Rea Thomas, an investigating officer digging into suspicious deaths in a town called Charandaspur. 

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