Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Suniel Shetty is massively loved by his fans for his optimistic demeanor and illustrious cinematic journey. He commenced his acting career in the year 1992 with the action film Balwaan alongside 90’s superstar Divya Bharti and is a household name.
The actor shared to the press that he got rejected by heroines and directors because of his dark complexion; no heroine of the 1990s was ready to work with him, as back then people did not want to see any dark-skinned heroes playing a prominent role, he felt dejected and learned to develop a thick skin. However, Suniel Shetty did not give up and kept fighting to leave a dent in the Bollywood industry with his commendable acting chops. He is counted among the most successful stars of Bollywood today. In his illustrious career of more than 32 years, Suniel Shetty has acted in over 100 super-hit films like Hera Pheri, Rakht, Bhagam Bhag, Dilwale, and Khel: No Ordinary Game, to name a few.
Suniel Shetty recalled that he didn’t get cast for many roles as he wasn’t fair enough and had a dusky complexion. Back then, the entertainment industry didn’t embrace seeing any dark-skinned heroes play lead characters. The perception of dark-skinned protagonists by directors was different in the early ‘90s, resulting in multiple rejections. The actor says things are changing now in Bollywood, and both the audience and the people from the film fraternity are now embracing diversity and paying more attention to artist caliber than their skin tone.