Rumours are the curse of the profession

After Baahubali and Rudhramadevi, Anushka Shetty is gunning for a hat-trick of hits with Size Zero, which is releasing this week. “When (Director) Prakash narrated the script, I was really excited. But when we did the trials for the clothes, my face was looking small and the whole look was artificial.

So I decided to put on weight, it was my personal choice. I feel it is worth it because of the value of the character,” says Anushka about putting on weight for the role. She adds that to gain the 17 kg she put on for the role, unlike what was shown in the promos, she didn’t eat sweets. “Actually I don’t like sweets. I ate healthy food and I didn’t do regular workouts, I automatically put on weight,” says the actress, adding, “I eat more non-veg food, I like prawns and chicken. I don’t like fish.”

She has managed to lose 7 kg of the extra weight but will need to lose a lot more for Baahubali 2. Anushka adds that she does not believe in the size zero trend that became a fad thanks to Bollywood actresses. “I have never wished to become zero size and I haven’t tried for it. Whatever shape I am in, I am comfortable with.

“These days if you go to any store, the designer outfits are all size zero. It is not fair, they should design for all sizes and not only for size zero. You need clothes for all sizes,” she says. “Generally we don’t have knowledge on fitness and health. Fat is not only because of food, there are many reasons like stress, sleeping, hormones and then food. If someone looks fat we should not look down on them, we should give them a solution,” says Anushka.

On a different note, she adds that she does not take the rumours about her seriously. “What is there to react? Even if I explain every rumour about me, it won’t stop them from writing or commenting. They don’t take the other person as a human being with feelings and sometimes, it hurts. I believe it’s the curse of the profession. I have got  good recognition, so I feel this is the other side of the world.”

She adds, “Thankfully, my parents understand me and  support me. They are very positive people; they are not from a film background and they don’t know how the industry functions. The only thing is that they trust me. They know I am a responsible person and they have never asked me about these rumours.”

Unlike many other actresses, Anushka’s parents are never present during shoots. “I feel I am not a small child, I can handle myself and my parents know that. When I first came here, my father told me ‘You will have to deal with it yourself. No one will sit behind you for your whole life’. But if anything is required, they were just a phone call away. Moreover, I feel uncomfortable to take them for shoots,” says Anushka, adding that till date, she hasn’t faced any situation that warranted calling her parents.

“I have some good family friends like Nagarjuna, the Rajamouli family and the PVP family. Everyone has treated me like their family member and they always take care of me,” she says. What about marriage plans? “It’s my childhood dream to settle down in life. I never thought I would be doing films and earn so much and get recognition. It just happened. I believe when the time comes, it will happen,” she says.

With her plain-Jane roles in her recent films, has she distanced herself from regular commercial films? “No, I am missing those songs and dances. I wanted to do the typical masala commercial films in between but suddenly, some nice script would come up and I would have to say no to them. Sometimes, I get stressed doing these characters as they are physically tiring. I want to stop and do regular films but I am doing them because of my selfishness,” she says.

About her personal life, she says that she is a very private person. “I am a shy person and I don’t want to be the centre of attraction when I am in a room. When I get time, I spend it with my family and friends,” says Anushka. And that’s why she is not active on Twitter. “You have to spend the whole day on it and it needs focus… who is following you and whom do you follow… I can’t do that,” she says.

Many actors and actresses are investing in production or are starting businesses, what about Anushka? “I am extremely bad in business and money management. So no plans to start something,” she says. So what does she do with all that money? “I travel a lot and I buy lots of gifts for my friends and family members,” says the actress.

Anushka says that among the current actresses, she likes Rakul Preet Singh. “There is something very sweet about her and I like her,” she says. When pointed out that many of her fans were disappointed that she was seen as an old lady in Baahubali, she says, “All disappointment will be removed in part two as my role has everything.”

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