I didn’t over think about putting on weight: Aishwarya

Given that Bollywood is known to put a lot of pressure on an actress over her body image, it was natural for media to scrutinize ex-Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after she gained a considerable amount of weight post-pregnancy. And while media failed to cut her any slack, especially when she made an appearance at Cannes with her fuller body, the actress has come out saying that it didn’t bother her much; it was a reality that she accepted and took it in a stride.

“I didn’t over think the fact that I had put on weight. I didn’t do anything as expected of someone who came with all the adages as me. Model, beauty, titleholder, glamorous, Cannes, brands… There’s a lot of glamour and a lot of visual that is attached to me. But I chose to stay committed to my reality,” she told Filmfare. “If my body did go through this change, so be it. I didn’t play into the stereotype of what is possible. It’s an individual choice if people decide to go under the knife. I had access to that but I chose not to. I was genuinely comfortable in my skin and I got recognition along the way.”

The actress also added that the fact that she was comfortable in her own skin helped a lot of other women feel confident as well. “Women who met me publicly, thanked me for the fact that I was giving them strength to be comfortable with the natural change. Hormonally anything can happen to a woman, your body can go through change and it’s important to remain comfortable and not let it affect you psychologically. My comfort and my conviction to just stay true, in turn, gave strength to so many women,” she said.

Not that she ever looked any less gorgeous, but since Cannes, Aishwarya has worked hard to get back in shape and was recently seen making a comeback into films with Sanjay Gupta’s Jazbaa.