Actor Dibyendu Bhattacharya, widely recognized for his versatile performances in projects like Mirzapur and Undekhi, recently shed light on the persistent issue of racism within the Indian entertainment industry. In a candid interview with Bollywood Bubble, he described racism as a deeply rooted systemic problem that continues to influence casting decisions across the board.
The actor shared a specific, personal experience to illustrate how blatant skin-color bias remains prevalent:
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The Incident: Bhattacharya was cast for an advertisement and participated in discussions for several days.
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The Justification: Just three days before the scheduled shoot, he was informed of his replacement. When he inquired about the reason, the makers reportedly told him, “Nahi Dada, aapko replace kiya kyunki aap kaale ho aur kaala actor nahi chahiye” (No Dada, you have been replaced because you are dark and we don’t want a dark actor).
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Personal Resilience: While the makers used those exact words, Bhattacharya stated he was not personally wounded by the comment, as he remains comfortable with his own identity.
Bhattacharya emphasized that these occurrences are symptomatic of a much larger societal issue rather than just individual professional setbacks. He noted that such biases are conditioned from a young age due to a lack of social ethics and norms in primary education. Comparing India to countries like Japan and Korea, he pointed out that those nations prioritize teaching discipline and empathy early in life through their school systems, whereas in India, these values often rely solely on home upbringing.
The actor was most recently seen in Undekhi Season 4, which premiered on SonyLIV on May 1, 2026. Beyond his acclaimed work in the Mirzapur series, his recent projects include the Netflix series Maamla Legal Hai 2, which received positive reviews from both critics and audiences.