Who is anyone to decide if I am ugly or handsome: Nawaz on racism in Bollywood

Mumbai: On Monday, Nawazuddin Siddiqui posted a cryptic tweet, which suggested that the talented actor has faced racial prejudice in Bollywood. Later, the ‘Mom’ actor clarified that his trending comment wasn’t targeted on anyone specific.

"Racism exists everywhere, why just the film industry? In our country even a mother, who goes bride-hunting for her son, looks for a fair girl," said Nawaz.

For the uninitiated, the tweet posted by Nawazuddin read: "Thank U 4 making me realise dat I cannot b paired along wid d fair & handsome bcz I m dark & not good looking, but I never focus on that (sic)."

On Tuesday, while promoting his upcoming film ‘Munna Michael’ with Tiger Shroff, Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about how he made his face his USP. He said, "If my average look is my USP today, it is because I have linked it to my work. But we waste too much time over these things. Who is anyone to decide if I am ugly or handsome? Everyone is good looking in their own way," he said.

The racism debate started after the casting director of Nawazuddin’s film ‘Babumoshai Bandookbaaz’ said that one couldn’t cast a fair and handsome person alongside Nawaz. However, casting director Sanjay Chouhan later clarified that his statement was misconstrued.