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Parched actress Tannishtha Chatterjee walked out of the newly minted television show on Colors, Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza. In a detailed interview to a leading Mumbai tabloid and also a letter she has posted, Tannishtha has alleged that she was called ‘Kaali kalooti’ (dark-faced) on the show, and that the insults continued despite her requests to tone it down. Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza is the new season and new format of the controversial roast show Comedy Nights Bachao on Colors that had gone off air recently. Tannishtha Chatterjee was on the show to promote the acclaimed movie Parched in which she stars with Radhika Apte and Surveen Chawla, among others. She alleged that she was described as “kaali kalooti” and asked if she had been eating jamun (blackberries) since childhood as a result of which she has a dark complexion or “mooh kala hai“.
Tannishtha Chatterjee in her interview to Mumbai Mirror says, “Racism is propagated through such shows.” The actress also spoke about racism in Bollywood and how makeup men ask her to go a “tone lighter” for appearing as a fair, urban woman in the movies. Tannishtha says, “I had been led to believe that it was going to be a ‘Roast’ (on Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza). In the West, they cheer your achievements by making fun of them and I was excited about being ‘roasted’ on a comedy show on a leading national channel.” But the actress feels that Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza definitely crossed the line and tested her patience. She immediately told her publicist that she wants to leave the show.
But apparently, Tannishtha was not even let go of properly. The show’s crew just could not understand why she was walking out, she says. Finally, they agreed but insisted that she shoot her “exit shot”! She reveals, “They did not understand why I was angry and told me that if I was offended by any particular dialogue, they would edit it out and mock something else about my features. When I refused to continue, the best they could come up with was, ‘Madam exit toh shoot kar lo!'”
This shows how racism and colour is treated in India. Tannishtha too feels that although a dark complexion is much liked in the West, in India, we look down upon our own people. The actress also said that she was once asked that being a Chatterjee, that is a Bengali Brahmin, how come she was dark-complexioned. It is commonly believed in India that Brahmins are of fair complexion. ALSO READ: COMEDY WAR! Comedian Krushna Abhishek wants to roast his rival Kapil Sharma on ‘Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza’
Parched the movie is directed by Leena Yadav and presented by actor-filmmaker Ajay Devgn. Parched speaks about rampant abuse of women in rural areas, whether sexual, physical or due to age old prejudices. The film shows the journey of these different women and how they bond over their woes and find some solace and joy with each other. The movie has received rave reviews and we don’t see any reason why Tannishtha, having acted in such a strong issue-based film, should tolerate any insult if she does not want to. ALSO READ: Parched movie review: Surveen Chawla, Radhika Apte & Tannishtha Chatterjee make this unconventional drama a must watch!
Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza is hosted by comedians Krushna Abhishek, Mona Singh, Nia Sharma, Bharti Singh, Ssumier Pasricha and Sumeet Vyas. The show has been controversial because of its roast format. Some Bollywood actors, like Akshay Kumar also, have expressed reservations about the format but have appeared on the show nevertheless. The ‘roast’ kind of comedy that insults a celebrity became popular after the first roast show in India by the All India Bakchod (AIB) group of stand-up comedians. AIB had hosted the AIB Knockout where they roasted Bollywood’s BFFs Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, complete with sexual content and expletives. The AIB Knockout was hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar. (India.com had then taken a stand that the AIB Knockout should not have been aired live on YouTube without an A-rating, to which AIB had replied but we stuck to our stand.)
Wonder what AIB and Karan Johar think of Comedy Nights Bachao Taaza and the racist allegations of Tannishtha Chatterjee. Do you support the actress? (Photo by Maxim India.)
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