India's viral singing sensation Ranu Mondal has had a meteoric rise to fame this year and with it, increased scrutiny, which may explain why her recent makeover has divided opinion online.

The 59-year-old homeless woman-turned-artiste shot to fame with her rendition of singer Lata Mangeshkar's iconic song 'Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai' from the film Shor, which captured the hearts of millions of Indians back in July.

Surprisingly for her fans, at a recent engagement, the rags-to-riches star ditched her simple sarees and no makeup style for a heavy, oddly light foundation which was several skin tones too light for her.

I give zero number to the make up artist....why do you want to change the color of somebody.....nature is the best makeup artist...you can only spoil it... poorthing...#RanuMandalhttps://t.co/7yJuNSJGof — Dolli (@desh_bhkt) November 16, 2019

The extreme makeover dramatically lightened her skin to such a degree, that many online considered her unrecognisable and instantly meme worthy.

Oh my God!!#RanuMandal is now actress in Hollywood movie!!😜 pic.twitter.com/vYtcbfoOgC — Vijay Patel (@vijaygajera) November 16, 2019

#RanuMandalJoker 2.0 is coming guys....Excitation level is damn high😍 pic.twitter.com/hktJsV8zOb — Ahnied kolim (@kolim_official) November 17, 2019

However, not everyone was so keen to mock the viral songstress.

"Her makeup is brighter than my future," one self-deprecating Twitter user wrote.

Others staunchly defended the starlet, saying people should focus on her singing talent and not her makeup.

Pic 1 Real BeautyPic 2 Fake Beauty It should not be troll... everyone should see her singing talent...#RanuMandalpic.twitter.com/k88Ff6pLr9 — Juhi Rajput (@Juhi_rajput98) November 17, 2019

In a takedown of wider meme culture and the rush to judge people online, one user made the salient point that it should be the makeup artist, and not Mondal, to blame for the unfortunate makeover.

“Not everything is a meme material,” they added.

Everyone making fun of #RanuMandal please remember that one can’t change their looks,but you can certainly choose to speak logically & with kindness whilst judging her.Being in the public eye & under a scanner while she herself is a WIP ain’t easy for an adult. Cut her some slack — Monica Jasuja (@jasuja) November 16, 2019

The singer also hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week when she denied a selfie to a fan.

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