NEW DELHI: Even as Bollywood’s Greek God Hrithik Roshan signed on the dotted line to endorse Emami’s Fair and Handsome face wash brand, actor Upen Patel has joined the list of actors who have refused to endorse fairness products as it encourages racist stereotypes.

Bollywood actors like Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Randeep Hooda, Nandita Das, Bipasha Basu and Kangana Ranaut have previously refused to endorse fairness products. 

On the other hand, actors like Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Arjun Rampal, Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha, Priyanka Chopra and Yami Gautam amongst a host of other actors have no qualms endorsing these products.  

A source from the film industry said, “Upen was recently approached by a skin care brand asking him to endorse a skin-lightening product. But apparently, he turned down the brand. He refuses to endorse anything that puts a value or discriminates a person based on his skin colour, taking a stand similar to what Nandita Das had done a few years earlier.”

Confirming the news, Patel said, “This fair skin obsession has to be discouraged. It is so regressive and problematic to put a value, negative or positive to skin colour. It is actually the seeds of racism and only promotes low self-esteem. For me, I believe in loving yourself just the way you are. Dusky, dark or wheatish, you are perfect.”