Shobhaa's Take: Bodyshaming is a nasty sport

I deserve the body I have today,” declared the freshly sculpted Parineeti Chopra to a tabloid. Her eyes flashed defiance. There was steely determination behind every quote. The entire interview was about her body of work. Literally. How she managed to knock off those extra kilos, what she eats these days, where she works out... and mainly how she feels about her “new, improved” svelte self.

In a word, she feels triumphant. I read the interview with mounting horror. And felt a little alarmed. Parineeti has had to battle more than just extra kilos. I am sure the weight of being identified as Priyanka Chopra’s cousin has been an issue too, albeit an unacknowledged one.

Well... this weight loss has been her solo achievement, and Parineeti wants the world to recognise it. I couldn’t quite decode her statement “I deserve the body I have today...” I mean, I can perfectly understand an actress boasting, “I deserve the roles I have today”.

Deserve is a powerful word. It means a hell of a lot. There is an implication in the word which suggests the person has been unjustly done out of something earlier. Had Parineeti said “I love the body I have today,” I might have understood that better. We all want to love ourselves — including the body. But not excluding everything else!

I have long been Parineeti’s admirer, ever since I watched her first movie (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl). But I really noticed her immense potential in Shuddh Desi Romance. She was just terrific! And such a natural. Ishaqzaade didn’t set the box office on fire, but Parineeti was very good despite the poorly scripted role.

Frankly, her body didn’t bother me at all. In fact, her slight chubbiness came as such a relief from the other toothpicks in Bollywood — girls who had whittled themselves down to walk the ramp, but appeared a bit too sex-less and skinny in movies. Parineeti resembled “Everygirl” — shining eyes, happy smile, and yes, a few extra inches here and there. She was easy to identify with.

Easy to like! Today, she is virtually unrecognisable — attractive, no doubt. But a brand new persona, who will have to start from scratch to remind her fans that the perfectly proportioned, leotard woman is still the girl India fell in love with years ago — Shuddh desi kudi — who probably grew up gobbling mom’s aloo parathas cooked in shuddh desi ghee.

Body shaming has become a particularly nasty international sport. Nobody is spared public scrutiny and humiliation. Politicians, sports stars, rock stars, movie stars, models... everybody is being weighed and sized! God help you if you appear less than perfect on Instagram squeezed into that deadly LBD/Tux.

The pressure to confirm to the idealised body type has led to a burgeoning industry — today’s bright young person acquires a personal trainer before working on getting a proper personality. Those, like the pre-diet Parineeti, who do not make the cut, suffer from social scorn with scary consequences in some cases.

Teen suicides, linked to weight gain, are on the rise. While unhealthy eating patterns brought on by new fangled diets, are causing a range of medical conditions, sometimes leading to pre-mature death. Is any of this worth the risk? Even for a young and talented movie star, who hopes to jump right back into the race, with the recently acquired silhouette?

Throughout her long interview, the focus stayed steadfastly on her body — no doubt she is proud of the results of all that hard work, but hey — let’s hear a little about your career plans, too! A year long sabbatical from any competitive field, is something very few professionals have the guts to opt for.

Parineeti has certainly displayed courage and confidence by taking a year off to get into shape. Now what? Those 12 months have seen the rise and rise of Alia Bhatt, another talented actress who shed a huge amount of weight before debuting in Student of the Year. The big difference being Alia had taken on the challenge before getting into the film industry. Her audiences know THIS Alia... and adore her.

Parineeti will have to labour doubly hard to reacquaint herself to fans. For her sake, I hope they greet her next film with the same level of interest and enthusiasm, keeping in mind her impressive talent, they can gush over the sleek new curves later.

Showbiz can be horribly cruel. Especially to women. When an actress is not fighting age issues, she is being torn apart for weight issues (too skinny, too fat). These days, the single most hurtful adjective to an actress’ ears isn’t “untalented”. It’s “fat”. Call any woman “fat” and see the extreme reaction to the word. When matrimonial ads in dailies advertise for grooms and describe the prospective bride as “healthy”, everyone knows it’s a euphemism for “fat”. That seals the poor girl’s fate right there and then.

I guess “fat” was the worst word in Parineeti’s young life for far too long. It must have tormented her into taking the road to “body nirvana”. I am happy for her. And I hope her new body gives her the level of peace and self-fulfilment she was clearly craving. Given her formidable talent, the roles should follow automatically. Fingers crossed.