I was blissfully flipping channels on my TV last weekend when I came across a commercial in particularly poor taste (and what can only be deemed a new mutation of age-old social stigma.) What I found particularly depressing was that three intelligent, talented and seemingly educated movie stars had no dilemma at all propagating the idea that getting fair skin is the obvious solution to all of life’s problems (even infidelity!) After the movie-trailer teasers for “Kabhi Kabhi Pyar Mein” we finally see what all the fuss was about, so picture this:

Saif Ali Khan and Priyanka Chopra say a tearful goodbye (in good all soul-stirring filmy fashion) cut to three years later when a glitzy magazine cover reveals that Saif has (rather unceremoniously) married a fairer maiden – Neha Dhupia. Of course the erstwhile lovers cross paths on the street one day and Saif appears momentary remorseful while Priyanka slinks away – gloomy complexion and all. It gets worse; Priyanka then happens upon a store window announcing a tantalizing new fairness cream to the rescue. Actually forget fairness, there’s no sugar-coating it this time, the product is blatantly called “white beauty” and basically you can choose between “pale-white” or “pinkish-white.” Back to the commercial: as we catch a glint in her eye we’re left with the sure knowledge that this saga will inevitably be continued. Now whether she gets him back or dumps his sorry ass are we really ok with the message that what matters most is the color of her skin? Scary.

Clearly Saif’s new love interest is (pardon my French) such a bitch while our poor little dark heroine is mending her broken heart with a tub of (not ice cream) just cream.

I seriously can’t believe they’re dragging this out, perhaps to reflect what they think is a “realist” time lapse to allow PC to glow in the dark.

And then the clincher; she takes him back. Hang on, back up. Didn’t he leave her (a literally half-hearted) promise to return and promptly forgot all about her only to be treated badly by his new girlfriend which somehow makes him see the error of his ways? So we’ve now established that PC is a bit of a dormat (albeit a pinkish one.) If anything, maybe he should have been using a fairness cream for men that blinds her from the fact that he’s a total jackass. Thoughts?!