Zarine Khan Was Bullied, Body-Shamed When She Was 100-Kg But It Didn't 'Bother' Her

Zarine Khan has talked about being body-shamed when she was 100-kg and now in a recent interview to IANS, Zarine said that it never bothered her because she was "strong-willed." She told IANS: "When I was more than 100 kg, I was often body-shamed and bullied. However, none of this ever bothered me. It didn't bother me then and doesn't bother me now. I have always been extremely strong-willed and will never shy away from talking about how I feel. I am very grateful to the people who have supported me through my journey - and the ones who haven't, have only made me stronger."

In 2016, Zarine Khan first opened up being body-shamed when she was in school and college for being overweight. The actress shared her old pictures from school and college days and wrote: "I feel proud of myself today not that I felt any lesser about myself back then. Inspite of being so big, I never let people's comments or ideas about me bother me." Clearly, Zarine hasn't changed her opinion in two years.
 

 

Came across these pics of mine from school and college days. (White one was in std 9th & pink one was right after my std 12th exams). Whn I look at these pics I feel proud of myself today not tht I felt any lesser abt myself back then. Inspite of being so big I never let ppl's comments or ideas abt me bother me. Bcoz it's my life and my body and only I hav the right to decide wht I'm gonna do with it. Then one day I decided let me try how it feels to b a little lighter and hence started my weight loss journey. It wasn't easy at all bt everytime I looked at the Progress in the mirror I got the push to do more. I had lots more energy than before and I was loving every bit of this new person I was transforming into. Whn I became a part of this industry, I had lost all my weight ... Infact I was asked to put on weight Fr my first film to look the character. Unfortunately I was criticised to no end Fr my weight bt again I never let tht get to me. How cud I ? Those ppl had not seen me like the way I am in these pics here. And Fr me everything was jus an achievement to reach frm where I was to where I am. I continued on my fitness journey irrespective Bcoz fitness Fr me is a way of life now. Along with the weight loss came a lot of stretch marks bt instead of feeling ashamed of it and trying to hide it , I believe in flaunting it . It makes me feel like a tigress with her stripes. I have come a long way in this journey of fitness and I still hav a long way to go... Bt it's always been only Fr myself and not Bcoz of ppl shaming me ! #IWillBeMe #MondayMotivation #SayNoToBodyShaming #LoveYourself

A post shared by Zareen Khan (@zareenkhan) on Apr 4, 2016 at 3:05am PDT

Speaking to IANS, Zarine Khan said that perception about Bollywood actresses are changing. "It's a known fact that I have been criticised for my weight in the past. But things are changing, people are now increasingly getting comfortable with talking about body-shaming. We are beginning to speak more and more about body-positivity. While being an actor requires you to look a certain way, your performance and acting abilities are qualities that should matter the most. However, I still feel we have a long way to go in embracing this concept in its most real sense," she said.

Zarine Khan debuted in Bollywood in 2010 film Veer opposite Salman Khan. She went on to star in films like Housefull 2, Hate Story 3, Wajah Tum Ho and Aksar 2 in Bollywood and she also featured in Tamil film Naan Rajavaga Pogiren.

Zarine Khan told IANS that she picks films from an audience point of view. She explained: "Every role is a learning experience. I am extremely choosy about the scripts that I accept. I choose movies from an audience point of view - keeping in mind what they would like to watch. You pass or fail, but every single choice you make is an experience."

Zarine Khan was last seen in 1921.

(With inputs from IANS)