During her childhood, Esha Gupta was often called ‘Kaali maa’ not because she was powerful like the Goddess but because she had a dark complexion. At that age, she never understood the name-calling and did not pay heed to it. However, the actor was shocked to have faced it again when she entered Bollywood with people taking it a step further and suggesting she go for skin whitening procedures.

“After my first film had released (Jannat 2, 2012), I used to go to meetings and auditions where people used to suggest, ‘Oh, you should get your skin colour lightened’ since a lot of actors have had it done,” reveals Gupta.

She adds that she is “absolutely okay” with her “body and features” and feels that the decision to alter one’s body should never be taken under any pressure. “There were moments when people also told me that I’ll never get that ‘girl-next-door’ roles, and I was fine with it. But I didn’t want anyone to say that it was because of my colour,” says the Rustom (2016) actor, who goes on to share that at one point, she was even advised to get her nose corrected as “its not sharp like other actresses”.

While it affected her mentally then, she is glad that nothing shook her confidence over the years. Gupta shares that during her modelling days everyone loved her “skin colour” and on foreign shores too, it’s hugely complimented. She shares, “During the Coronavirus pandemic when I was working in Spain, everyone would compliment my skin tone.”