My weight issue had become a national issue
Vidya Balan bowled the audience over with her act in hits like 'The Dirty Picture', 'Shakuntala Devi' and 'Tumhari Sulu'. The actress has come quite a distance and refuses to decelerate. Discussing her journey that is often punctuated with discusses her weight issues, Vidya, in an exclusive interaction with ETimes' Executive Editor Vinita Dawra Nangia, said, "It had been very important to me to have gone through what I did. It was very public and at that time it had been so insurmountable. I come from a non-film family. There is no one to tell me these phases don't last.
My weight issue had turned into a national issue. I have been a fat girl; I wouldn't say that I am at a stage where my fluctuating weight doesn't bother me anymore at all. But I have come quite a distance. I have had hormonal issues all my entire life. For the longest time, I hated my body. I thought it had betrayed me. On the days I was beneath the pressure of looking my best, I would bloat up and I would be so angry and frustrated".
Happy to be in her own skin, Vidya added, "As time passes, I accepted that my own body is the only thing that's keeping me alive as the day my body stops functioning, I am not likely to be around. I have a lot of gratitude for my body. It doesn't matter what I have been through, I am alive because of this body. It's blood and bones. With every day I have begun to love and accept myself more, but it isn't been easy. You need to fake it till you make it."
The 'Kahaani' actress further adds that her body didn't matter to her, after a point. "The distance of your hair, the thickness of your arms, curves, height don't matter; what matters is who you are as a person. When you appreciate the person that you are, every imperfection looks small; but it doesn't strike you while you are loathing and hating yourself. It's an extremely precious and tough lesson that I have been through. I have realized, it isn't people judging you but rather how you judge yourself. Most of us have to be cautious whenever we are mentioning children, the color of your skin, weight, especially with girls," concludes Vidya.
