Vidya Balan says she 'hated her body' when her weight became a 'national issue'

Actor Vidya Balan has said that there was a time when she used to 'hate' her body, and her weight had become a 'national issue'. She said that she overcame these insecurities over time.

In an interview, the actor said that she is no longer bothered about what people say about 'the length of your hair, the thickness of your arms, curves, height' because it doesn't matter.'

She told The Times of India, "It was important for me to have gone through what I did. It was very public and at that time it was so insurmountable. I come from a non-film family. There was no one to tell me that these phases don't last. My weight issue had become a national issue. I have always 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 a long way. I have had hormonal issues all my life. For the longest time, I hated my body. I thought it had betrayed me. On the days I was under the pressure of looking my best, I would bloat up and I would be so angry and frustrated."

She continued, "Over time, I accepted that my body is the only thing that is keeping me alive because the day my body stops functioning, I am not going 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 each day I have begun to love and accept myself more, but it's not been easy. You have to fake it till you make it."

Vidya has often spoken about her weight, and the hormonal issues that she has had to deal with . "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," she told Filmfare in 2019.