Radhika Sarathkumar On Feeling ‘Too Dark’ Beside Kamal Haasan: 'When He Hugged Me...'

A hug during a film shoot turned into a moment Radhika Sarathkumar never forgot. Not because of romance or drama — but because of skin tone. In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, Radhika opened up about an early-career incident involving Kamal Haasan that reveals how deeply colour bias shaped the film industry at the time. The scene required her to hug Kamal Haasan from behind. But something felt off, and director Vishwanath noticed it immediately. “He asked, ‘Y’all don’t like each other?’” Radhika recalled. “I was like, ‘No sir, nothing,’ and for him [Kamal], he was taken aback.” The director wasn’t convinced. “I find some discomfort between both of you.” What followed surprised everyone on set. “Suddenly he looked at [Kamal], took perfume

and sprayed it all over him,” Radhika said. The team assumed it was about fragrance or hygiene. It wasn’t. The real issue was something Radhika had not voiced until then. “I told Kamal Haasan that you are too fair and my hands are two shades darker than my face,” she explained. “When he hugged me, I could see it was looking so bad.” Kamal Haasan’s reaction was simple. He laughed and dismissed it as “not even a matter of concern.” But the memory stayed. “Even today when he sees me, he’ll say, ‘Oh, she is so fixated on the complexion,’” Radhika shared. When ‘Fair Heroines’ Entered Radhika also spoke about a phase in her career when lighter-skinned actresses started entering the industry in large numbers. “That was the time when I was getting comfortable in my own skin. We were all like… but they can’t do what we are doing,” she said.