BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

#BBCtrending: Video spoofs India's skin lightening craze

  • Published
    20 March 2014
Share page
About sharing
Two Indian men in discussionImage source, Culture Machine
Image caption,

A celebrity lookalike explains the benefits of the spoof product

By BBC Trending
What's popular and why

An Indian comedian aiming to skewer India's skin lightening culture has filmed a satirical advert for an intimate skin lightening cream - especially for men.

Its creators say they want to highlight "the absurdity of the trend" in which lighter skin is considered more desirable. The video has been viewed more than 200,000 times since it was posted on YouTube, external on Friday. The mock advert stars a young man - played by comedian Varun Thakur - who cannot find a wife because he is too dark. But with the help of the new spoof product his fortunes are transformed, and he instantly secures an enamoured bride. With a dark comedic twist, the skin lightening cream is specifically for male genitals. As ridiculous as the premise sounds, it broadly mirrors a real life advert for similar product currently marketed to women.

The idea began as a stand-up act performed around the country by Thakur. "I wanted to make a comment on how India was obsessed with fairness creams," he told BBC Trending. "We have a vagina bleaching cream. We have a fairness cream for every body part except testicles." The video has generated a slew of comments - mostly signalling an appreciation of the gag. "A big slap to those who sell fairness," said one. "Finally, the cream I had been waiting for!" joked another.

A number of Bollywood stars have appeared in real adverts promoting skin lightening creams. Last year actor Shah Rukh Khan's decision to endorse Fair and Handsome attracted a huge amount of criticism, and led to the creation an online petition by the Dark is Beautiful campaign, external. Sameer Pitalwalla of Culture Machine, the company that produced the spoof online video, says: "It's a whole roster of Indian stars who peddle a product because they're getting paid for it."

The genuine adverts propagate what Pitalwalla describes as "deep-seated racism" in Indian culture, and the issue appears to be a heavily entrenched one. One 2010 report suggested the market for skin lightening creams was worth £260m ($432m), and growing at 18% per year. "Fair-skinned people tend to get better jobs, they get more attention, they star on television," says Jerry Pinto an Indian cultural commentator. "It's a racist inequality."

Have you subscribed the BBC Trending podcast? You can do so here, external via iTunes or here

All our stories are at BBC.com/trending

Top stories

  • Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians

    • Published
      6 hours ago
  • Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

    • Attribution
      Sport
    • Published
      8 hours ago
  • Tears as fans mourn Liverpool's Jota at Anfield

    • Published
      10 hours ago

More to explore

  • A year in power - BBC correspondents assess how Labour are doing

    A designed image of the door to Number 10 Downing Street with a report card note alongside it in a montage.
  • 'Devastating tragedy' and 'Doctor in your pocket'

    A composite showing the front pages of Metro and the Daily Mail.
  • Diddy's reputation is tarnished, but could he find a way back?

    Diddy on stage smiling and with one hand cupped to his ear
  • The sale of illegal cigarettes signals a deeper problem with UK high streets

    A treated image of a crushed cigarette
  • Your new banknote ideas - from British Bulldogs to Fawlty Towers

    Dudley the Bulldog on Cawsand Beach in Cornwall with the sea in the background
  • Weekly quiz: Who threw a star-studded wedding party in Venice?

    US reality television personalities Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian stand on a taxi boat in Venice on their way to a wedding party
  • Oasis 'sounding huge' as comeback tour launches

    Oasis pictured in 1994
  • What will Trump's tax and spending bill do to the US national debt?

    A composite image showing a large pile of one dollar bank notes, set in a bright blue frame with the BBC Verify branding. Overlaid is a picture of BBC correspondent Ben Chu, who has short black hair and is wearing a navy blue blazer and spotted tie.
  • Politics Essential: Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday

    Politics Essential graphic
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    'Devastating tragedy' and 'Doctor in your pocket'

  2. 2

    Oasis 'sounding huge' as comeback tour launches

  3. 3

    Zarah Sultana says she is quitting Labour to start party with Corbyn

  4. 4

    The sale of illegal cigarettes signals a deeper problem with UK high streets

  5. 5

    Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians

  6. 6

    Diddy's reputation is tarnished, but could he find a way back?

  7. 7

    Tears as fans mourn Liverpool's Jota at Anfield

  8. 8

    A year in power - BBC correspondents assess how Labour are doing

  9. 9

    Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

    • Attribution
      Sport
  10. 10

    Home Office unaware if foreign workers leave after visas end, MPs say

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Diane Morgan traces her past

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Who Do You Think You Are? Diane Morgan
  • Eric and Ernie's formative years

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Eric and Ernie
  • Michael Sheen stars as Brian Clough

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Damned United
  • A compelling study of Britain's decline

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Shifty
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.