Borrowing from the #UnfairAndLovely movement aimed at tackling discrimination due to colour, filmmaker addresses subject in next
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; Junr 12, 2019)

Years after photo-project #UnfairAndLovely — aimed at combating discrimination due to one’s colour — gathered the attention of netizens, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is apparently ready to tackle the subject in cinema. Stating that the final draft of an upcoming project is already under works, a source close to the filmmaker-producer tells mid- day, “Bhansali is keen to launch a fresh face with the film to make it more relatable. He is in talks with a few directors, but hasn’t zeroed in on one yet.”

Mirroring the sentiment that led to the creation of the movement by then 21-year-old Pax Jones, a student at the University of Texas, this film too will chronicle the story of a woman who is meted out a raw deal owing to her skin colour. “The protagonist, an ambitious achiever, is still able to hold her own and victoriously beat all odds. It is a slice-of-life film which subtly takes on the beauty industry that encourage consumers to believe that a lighter skin tone implies better prospects at bagging a job, or even a spouse.”

The film, we’re told, isn’t a biography on Jones.

We reached out to Bhansali, who remained unavailable for a comment till the time of going to press.