Aanand L Rai’s directorial Raksha Bandhan gained mixed reviews from both, the audience and the critics but failed to impress the audience at the Box Office. While actors like Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar were appreciated, it was also Deepika Khanna’s impeccable acting that stole the show. Now, in a recent interview, the actress, who suffers from PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease), opened up about her weight gain and revealed if it affects her career.
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Deepika Khanna shared that the industry is becoming towards people of all kinds irrespective of their weight or colour. She also revealed what Bhumi Pednekar told her when asked about her thoughts on body weight. “The industry for plus size actors is opening. It’s welcoming people from different places, colour and all kinds of bodies. I like that kind of acceptance. I actually asked Bhumi (Pednekar) about her thoughts on body weight, and she said ‘listen it’s totally up to you, what you want to be. If you don’t want to lose weight, don’t. if you want to, go for it’. Once you start working on films, you might want to lose weight and that’s also fine. She told me to just be the way I want to be. She was like ‘chill! Bus khush raho’. That’s the best thing I heard,” the actress said.
Deepika also shared that several people, ‘from autowalas to random strangers’ had asked her to lose weight in the past. However, she also mentioned that despite being a fitness freak, Akshay Kumar never pressurized her or judged her over her weight. She mentioned that Khiladi Kumar rather urged her to do what she feels was right.
“See I have come across people, from autowala to random strangers, coming to me and saying ‘aap na thora weight lose karo’. I have met trainers who told me ‘you should definitely get in shape.’ His (Akshay’s) idea has been different. He respects me and told me to do whatever I feel is right. He told me to not be unhealthy. He said ‘if you feel happy in your body then don’t ever change,’” she added.
Deepika Khanna further divulged that she is not that keen on losing weight until she reaches a certain level. The actress also stated that she wants to influence others and stated, “When it comes to losing weight, I have promised myself that I will not lose weight till the time I reach a certain level. I want to prove that I can be a part of something without being changed. I want to influence others.”
Before making her Bollywood debut with Raksha Bandhan, Deepika Khanna was known for playing the character of Chef Simpy in the television show Patiala Babes.
