Time and again, Vidya Balan has always challenged the stereotypes of being a typical Bollywood heroine which also reflects in her choices of movies. She has carved a niche for herself by portraying varied roles that not only stood out among her peers but also paved way for other actresses who sometimes hesitate in taking up challenging roles in fear of getting typecast. She is also someone who has confidently carried her curvy figure on the big screen veering the industry people to widen their perspectives towards their heroines.
But apart from that, Vidya has always been subjected to body-shaming for her body type, getting called jinxed down south and criticism on her dressing style. She recently revealed that it used to anger her when people used to tell her to exercise to lose some weight and get into proper shape. She said that she has had hard time accepting her body type and how even at her thinnest, she has always felt fat because of the constant judgement around her body.
"I've had hormonal problems all my life. It's probably because of the judgement I've carried around my body. When I was a teenager, people would tell me, 'You've got such a pretty face, why don't you lose some weight?' It's not a nice thing to say to anyone. Be it a child or a grown-up. So, I'd starve myself, I'd go through crazy exercise regimens and lose weight. Then the hormonal issue would settle for a bit before it reared its head again. I guess it was my body's way of revolting because in wanting it to be what it was not, I was constantly rejecting it. There's no machine as smart as your body. It's the only machine that has emotional intelligence. So even at my thinnest, I've always felt fat. Weight loss, weight gain, weight loss, weight gain was my pattern for as long as I can remember. Years ago, I stopped watching my shots on the monitor at shoots because I'd look at the monitor and be thinking, 'Am I looking fat?" Vidya Balan told Filmfare in an interview.
She further added, "When people tell me why don't you start exercising, I want to say f**k you! How do you know I haven't been exercising? Do you know how hard I exercise? Do you know what challenges I've been facing?"
Talking about being tagged as 'bad luck' when she started her career down South, Vidya Balan said, "It angers you to be told that you're unlucky. Or that you aren't good enough. During Begum Jaan, I harnessed all the anger I felt for all these years. I was carrying the anger of rejection, the judgement around my body, the criticism around my dressing. I've been called 'jinxed' down South. I rejected my body all my life. I worked hard at accepting myself. That acceptance isn't complete yet. It's still a long way. People don't understand that when you grow up a fat girl, it doesn't leave you."
Vidya Balan is known for her bold choices and women-centric films which have been received well by the audience and also won several accolades for her performances.
