Nargis Fakhri: I faced body shaming, and when I put on weight, people said I am pregnant

Actor Nargis Fakhri, who was on a planned break i the US, is now back in India and raring to get back to work. However, despite being on a break, she was making headlines.

Rumours that she has found love again with US-based Kashmiri businessman Tony Beig were under the spotlight recently.

“You know, people say so many different things, so I am actually not going to say anything about this, because everyone just writes whatever they want to, so I will just let everyone have fun,” she laughs when we ask about it.

But this constant scrutiny over whatever she does or says, how well has the actor adjusted to it? She says, “I don’t think I have really managed to deal with it, which is probably my issue. I don’t really bother to think too much about it. I notice people love to keep writing about personal stuff, I don’t know why.”

She doesn’t get annoyed by this attention, Fakhri asserts, “I am fine, everyone dates. It’s just that I am the lucky one to be a celebrity, everybody wants to see everything about me.”

Aside from their love lives, another recurring topic that celebrities deal with is their body image. And Fakhri was a victim of it when she took a three-year break after Azhar (2016) and returned to the big screen with Amavas (2019). The rumour mills labelled this break a maternity leave. Several sources claimed that the actor was pregnant, when it was simply a case of weight gain, as she later revealed on Instagram, with before and after pictures: “On the left I weighed 178lbs (80kg) and on the right, I was 129 (58 kg). I have since lost 20lbs (9kg) through making lifestyle changes. If i can do it, so can you.”

Ask her about the same and she reveals, “I definitely faced body shaming for a short time. I do believe there is a certain look or appearance people expect from you. So there is pressure to maintain that.”

Delving into the details when we probe further, the actor continues, “It’s funny because I realised you are never good enough, and everyone has an opinion. When I first came to India, I was too skinny, so everyone was like ‘you need to put on weight’ I then maintained it, I have a naturally skinny state. Later I gained about 50 pounds, so they posted I was pregnant, which I thought was not funny, but also very funny. I think first my feelings got hurt, but I realised it’s my job to take care of myself. I lost 40 pounds, worked out, and got that body back.”