As weight watchdogs are on the ascent in the Bollywood industry, how much artistes weigh often carries more weight than their acting credentials. With actors deemed to have an obligation towards their fans to stay in shape, many have been in the line of fire for being ‘too fat’. Sonakshi Sinha is one of the many who have been subjected to constant criticism, more for her weight and less for her stints in films.
The Twitterati has been taking a dig at her physical appearance, with some tweets going to the extent of referring to her as a ‘fat cow’ and jesting at the size of her forehead, reported firstpost.com. But the Dabangg actor, who had, so far, kept mum, has finally broken silence, showing her critics the error of their ‘weighs’.
Last week, Sonakshi took to her Instagram account and posted a picture of a skeleton. She captioned it: “To all those who keep commenting on my weight… take a good look at this picture. Now get this: 1. This isn’t ever going to be me. 2. Get over it…” ‘Weigh’ to go, we say.
Actor Parineeti Chopra, who has also been criticised for her weight, expressed solidarity with Sonakshi. Lauding her contemporaries for taking a stand against those who ‘demean’ them, she tweeted, “Deepika speaks against a demeaning article. Kangana rejects fake awards. Anushka sportingly writes about her lips. Sonakshi [stands up to] the fashion police… They speak their heart and demand respect. Go girls!”
When the 27-year-old was asked what took her so long to respond to her weight critics, she said, “There always comes a point where enough is enough. This was that point. People take too much liberty behind the mask of anonymity on social media,” reported bollywood.com. She added, “Certain people use journalism as a medium to say whatever they want… Critiquing is okay, but personal digs aren’t. Why should anyone tell me or anyone else how we are supposed to look and what size we are supposed to be?”
But Sonakshi acknowledges that being overweight is not the way to lead a healthy life. “I will always stand by the fact that being overweight is not good for you, but I feel that neither is being underweight and I can say this because I’ve been on that side of the fence,” she commented. “There is a certain level of fitness that everyone should maintain and it should always be done in a healthy way. People come in all shapes and sizes. No one should be forced to fit into a mould.”
Before following in the footsteps of her parents Shatrughan and Poonam Sinha, she took up a strict health regimen, losing almost 30 kilos. Sonakshi reveals that the decision to lose weight was her personal choice and not because she wanted to please people. “I work towards being fit, not towards being size zero. I am happy being a healthy size 10. And so is my audience. My success attests to that,” she said. Adding, “But certain people are so narrow-minded, petty, shallow and accustomed to herd mentality that they will say anything for the sake of it.”
Sonakshi also shared how acting takes precedence over all else for her. “I am here to act and not be size zero,” she said. The actor will soon be seen starring next to Ajay Devgn in Action Jackson, which is slated to release on December 5 this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2014.
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