Aahana Kumra Criticized for 'Brownface' in Jhulan Tribute Post

Jhulan commented under the picture saying Kumra did a 'great job'

Aahana Kumra criticized for 'brownface' in tribute post

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Actor Aahana Kumra faced backlash for her tribute post to cricketer Jhulan Goswami. In a series of pictures, Kumra recreated some pictures of the cricketer saying that she wasn't 'promoting any film', "No I'm not promoting any film. This is purely a tribute to a woman I admire the most after spending time with her and learning her whole story about her journey, her hardships and her passion for the sport!"

Aahana Kumra's post on Instagram

She also added that she hopes that 'we can all break stereotypes and be the best version of ourselves', "@jhulangoswami fondly called jhulan di by all her team mates is loved and admired by all the members of the Indian women's cricket team! This photo series is my tribute to her and hopefully as actresses one day we can all break stereo types and be the best versions of ourselves by telling the greatest stories!!" Kumra also posted pictures with Jhulan in the series.

People soon pointed out that Kumra's skin tone was considerably darkened. With many people commenting the same under her post, several Twitter users have also criticized the actor for 'brownface'. Some users also commented on Bollywood's tendency to cast actors with lighter skin for roles that require dark skin. A twitter user shared screenshots of the post and tweeted, "i just cannot. when will they learn. this is atrocious."

Jhulan Goswami also commented under her post, "Great job. keep it up!!"

After her debut with Amitabh Bachchan starrer Yudh, Kumra went on to star as Leela in Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha. She will next appear along side Ranbir Kapoor in their upcoming film Shamshera directed by Karan Malhotra.