Nimrat Kaur opens up about body shaming 'license' society believes it has

Bollywood actress Nimrat Kaur just delivered a stellar performance in the social comedy film 'Dasvi'. She plays the meek wife of an arrogant Chief Minister who appoints her as interim CM while he is in jail. However, a lot of people have chosen to focus on Kaur's weight gain for the role. She recently took to Instagram to talk about her experience during the physical transformation for the role.

Kaur notes that the requirement to size up initially "petrified" her but the steady, loving encouragement and support of her loved ones helped her. She began to "relish the process" of becoming Bimla (the character) by having the right conversations with herself.

There was no target weight for the movie because the goal was to achieve the desired visual impact. Nimrat decided to aim for 15 kilos higher than her usual body weight. Halfway through her Instagram post, the actress states that this note is not about how she began to love the journey of indulgences but about the reaction of strangers.

People often felt that they had the right to comment on my eating habits, says Kaur. "After watching me eat a high-calorie meal while already being a few sizes bigger, people will throw a snide remark, an uncalled-for joke, or unsolicited piece of advice my way." Kaur shared that people seem to have a "voyeuristic license and entitled permission."

The actress wrote that people did not hesitate to tell her what she should eat instead of a dessert she was evidently enjoying. These people did not consider that she may be unwell, under medication, experiencing a hormone imbalance, or simply do not mind being the size she is. "I did not always declare why I was looking like that or consuming high-calorie food. But I always did observe the ease with which people commented."

She said the experience showed her how non-negotiable it is for people to mind their own business and be more mindful, sensitive, and empathetic. Kaur also called for everyone to move away from the "myopic, pigeonhole prototype" and "lens of conditioning". She also stated that what norm-obsessed people say is a reflection of their mindset, not whom they are seeing.