Priyanka Chopra reveals painful truth about being told she was 'dark'

Priyanka Chopra recalls questioning her looks after facing colourism in Bollywood.Priyanka Chopra Jonas has often spoken about the hurdles she faced while finding her place in Bollywood. From pay disparity to the unequal treatment of women on film sets, the actor has been candid about the realities of her early years in the industry. But one experience, she has said, affected how she viewed herself for a long time- being judged for the colour of her skin.In an interview with the BBC’s 100 Women, published on December 6, 2022, Priyanka spoke about the colourism she encountered after entering the film industry.22 Jul 2026 | 13:00Is emotional support more important than financial stability in a partner?‘I was called black cat, dusky’Recalling her early years in Bollywood, Priyanka said she was called “black cat” and “dusky” because of her complexion. “I thought I was not pretty enough,” she said, explaining how those comments gradually influenced the way she saw herself. She also believed that she would have to work considerably harder to establish herself.What made the experience more complicated, she said, was that she herself felt she could be more talented than some of her lighter-skinned co-stars. Yet she had come to believe that needing to work harder was simply part of the industry.“I believed that I would have to work a lot harder,” Priyanka said, adding that she had assumed it was acceptable because such attitudes were so normalised.Priyanka questioned the idea of ‘dusky’The actor also questioned why complexion had become such an important measure of beauty in India. “I mean, what does ‘dusky’ even mean in a country where we are literally all brown?” she said.For Priyanka, the preference for lighter skin was not simply an issue within the film industry. She connected it to India's colonial history and the lasting social attitudes around fair skin.According to her, the responsibility lies with the present generation to challenge those ideas so that children growing up today do not automatically associate lighter skin with greater beauty or worth.From being judged for her complexion to becoming a global starPriyanka entered the entertainment industry after winning the Miss World title in 2000 and made her acting debut in 2002. She went on to establish herself in Bollywood with films including ‘Andaaz’, ‘Aitraaz’, ‘Krrish’, ‘Don’, ‘Fashion’, ‘7 Khoon Maaf’, ‘Barfi!’ and ‘Mary Kom’.She later made a major transition to Hollywood, becoming the lead of the American television series Quantico. Her international career went on to include films and series such as Baywatch, Isn't It Romantic and The Matrix Resurrections.Priyanka's remarks came at a time when she was also speaking openly about several other inequalities she had experienced during her Bollywood career. Her comments about colourism therefore formed part of a larger reflection on the inequalities she had accepted as normal when she was younger.The journey from being made to question her own appearance to becoming one of India's most recognisable global actors makes her recollection particularly striking. Her comments also underline how deeply colourism can become normalised- not only through what people say to others, but through the way those messages can eventually shape how people see themselves.