4 min learnNew DelhiJul 30, 2026 11:00 PM IST
For an actor celebrated at the moment for her daring selections and confident display presence, Vidya Balan’s early years within the movie trade had been full of doubt, criticism, and deep insecurity.
In an interview, Vidya once opened up about how exterior strain and inside battle affected her emotionally and bodily. She shared:
“What individuals don’t perceive about weight—however what I’ve understood via my work with my healer over time—is weight can be safety. Once you really feel insecure, quite a lot of occasions you placed on weight.”
The Emmy-nominated actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Parineeta at age 26, revealed that being informed she wasn’t “younger sufficient” for sure roles had an enduring impression on her shallowness.
DISCLAIMER: This text relies on data from the general public area and/or the consultants we spoke to.
“With Parineeta, which was a interval movie the place I used to be taking part in a lady… everybody then informed me, ‘No, however you need to be capable to do the youthful roles if you’d like an extended profession.’ I used to be already a lady—I used to be 26—I at the least felt like one,” she mentioned on the One thing Greater Present by Rodrigo Canelas.
Attempting to adapt to what the trade anticipated from “youthful actresses” didn’t come naturally to her. “Now, for me to make myself into a lady, behave youthful, costume youthful, it didn’t really feel pure. It didn’t work for me.”
Story continues beneath this advert
The general public and media started to choose aside the whole lot about her: how she seemed, dressed, and carried herself. “Really, individuals began criticising the whole lot about me then, and now I really feel like, oh my god, possibly my success is short-lived. So I believe all of that made me very insecure and sad. And I used to be additionally gaining weight.”
Ultimately, Vidya had a breakthrough: “That’s once I mentioned, ‘You recognize what am I attempting to do? You must do what’s best for you.’”
What psychology says about physique picture, insecurity, and self-worth
Priyamvada Tendulkar, a counselling psychologist, explains that unfavorable self-talk round physique picture is never nearly look; it’s rooted in a lot deeper beliefs.
“Destructive self-talk about bodily look is deeply ingrained in societal conditioning, previous experiences, and private insecurities,” she says. “It may possibly erode self-worth, resulting in emotions of disgrace, avoidance behaviors, or extreme preoccupation with perceived flaws.”
Story continues beneath this advert
Tendulkar emphasises that self worth ought to by no means be conditional: “Your value is inherent and never tied to exterior validation or aesthetic beliefs. Fairly will not be the lease you could pay to exist on this world as a feminine.”
Tendulkar outlines a number of instruments that may assist anybody who struggles with their look or self-image. As an alternative of asking “How do I look?”—ask “How do I really feel in my physique at the moment?”
“Enable your self to be,” Tendulkar provides, “simply as you lengthen that proper to others.”
Balan’s choice to cease chasing approval and begin honouring her fact reshaped her profession and her interior life. As an alternative of shrinking herself to suit trade expectations, she started to take up area as she was.
Story continues beneath this advert
From Kahaani to Tumhari Sulu and Sherni, her characters are actually emblematic of empowered womanhood. However her journey to that time was full of interior battles, ones she selected to face as an alternative of suppress.
DISCLAIMER: This text relies on data from the general public area and/or the consultants we spoke to.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/HDC-GettyImages-668641904-9179dc9fe60446d8b4d8a08fbffcf46d.jpg?w=600&resize=600,400&ssl=1 "What Happens When You Combine Turmeric and Black Pepper")
Recent Comments