Sonakshi Sinha On Being Body Shamed: Whatever My Waist Size Is, I Am Forever Being Called Fat

One of the most talented personalities of Bollywood, Sonakshi Sinha has time and again proven her versatility as an actress. May it be Rajjo from Dabangg, Pakhi of Lootera or Khandaani Shafakhana’s Babita "Baby" Bedi, the actress has ruled our hearts with each character. Other than being an accomplished artist, Sonakshi is also a fitness fanatic and promotes breaking the stereotypes of typical body size. However, the Mission Mangal star has often been subjected to body shaming in the industry.

In a recent chat with Deccan Chronicle, the actress opened up about the same and said, “Someone comes up with something and that sticks with you forever. Whatever my waist size is, I am forever being called fat. It is quite unpleasant really. Especially since I was heavily overweight at one point and had put in a lot of effort to shed those extra kilos before joining Bollywood. I knew it is a visual medium and I had to look a certain way to become an actor.” She went on to add, “For me, it was a great achievement to have lost 30 kilos. I had never looked as good as I did and I was feeling rather proud of it. So it hit me real hard when people said, ‘Oh, she is too fat to be an actress’. Yes, I was too fat, but I had lost all those extra kilos to be here.”

When Sonakshi was asked how she maintained a positive mindset in such situations, she shared, “I have always been a very confident person, even while going through all that bullying and fat shaming in school. I knew I am not only about how I look. I was great at sports, debates, plays; I had all those things going for me. I had no doubt about the fact that I am very talented, irrespective of how I look.” She further said, “I have continued with the same approach. When I did Lootera (2013), I was at my biggest on screen, and I gave you a critically acclaimed performance as Pakhi. I was at my thinnest when I did Mission Mangal (2019) and got so much appreciation for playing Eka Gandhi. Your talent is not related to your weight. But you need to have the talent!”

Well, we sure hope Sonakshi’s words have a positive effect on the mindset of the industry as well as our society. You go girl!