When Dabangg Released, I Was Fat-shamed By Industry People And It Really Hurt: Sonakshi Sinha

Actor Sonakshi Sinha is currently basking in the success of her film Mission Mangal. Sinha plays a scientist Eka Gandhi who wants to work for Nasa, a member of the team of scientists behind ISRO's successful Mangalyaan Mission. The multi-starrer also featured Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi in pivotal roles.

Sonakshi's life has not been like the typical star kids in Bollywood as she refused to conform to the industry's beauty standards. The actor, who made her debut with Dabangg, recently opened up to Pinkvilla about being bullied and fat-shamed during school and early days of her career.

"I have been bullied quite a bit. I have had my fair share because I was a fat kid. I used to weight around 95 kilos and I was always a big kid. Even though I used to do a lot of sports, the boys used to bully me and call me names. They wouldn't give me the main roles in plays in school. They would always make me stand at the side or be the narrator."

She also opened up about another incident from her college days. "For instance, I remember something that happened in college.  So we had to organise this annual fashion show and I wanted to be this model and walk on the ramp. So one of the thin girls told me, 'You handle the lights'. I said, "Why? I want to walk the ramp." She replied, "No, you are too big to walk the ramp." I just felt really bad. There's so much you want to do when you are growing up. So who is this girl who happens to tell you that you can't do it just because she is 10 or 20 kilos less than me! I'm very happy with where I have reached," she shared.

Sonakshi, who has time and again reiterated the importance of self-love and not conforming to toxic beauty standards, talked about being body-shamed by the industry people. "It didn't stop there. I lost 30 kilos for my first film. When it released, the audiences lapped me up but the worst part is I was being fat-shamed by the industry people and the media. That really hurt. I knew I wasn't the average-looking stick figure person. I didn't have to. Honestly, I knew I had a lot more to offer than what I weight on the weighing scale. So I never took that to heart," she shared.

Sonakshi will next be seen in Dabangg 3, starring Salman Khan. Directed by Prabhu Deva, the film will release on December 20, 2019. She will also appear in Bhuj: The Pride of India, starring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Parineeti Chopra. The film will be released on March 14, 2020.