EXCLUSIVE: Vidya Balan opens up on being judged for her looks: I feared going out because of the nasty comments

In an industry that reeks of insecurity, Vidya Balan is like a breath of fresh air. The actress who’s undoubtedly one of the finest performers of this generation, always surprises with her stellar choices and Sherni, her next film that hits digital platforms today, is no different. While we caught up with VB just before the film released, we spoke to her about how Sherni is a metaphor to her and every other woman’s journey.

From battling misogyny and patriarchy, fighting sexism to trying to fit in and be equals, women go through a lot everyday. Vidya shares her experiences of battling the lows in her life – whether it’s the time when she was judged for the way she looked, shamed for her body weight and made to feel terrible about herself.

During her initial days in the film industry, Vidya was constantly judged for her appearance. We asked the actress how her perception of that judgement has changed over the years, and she responded, “I remember at one particular point. I would be so scared to step out for appearance because I thought I would be judged. And those days used to be very nasty. I don’t know if it’s still nasty because I don’t read anything anymore but I remember I used to be so nervous, that the nervousness itself would not bring out the best in me. Doesn’t matter what I was wearing.”

You can check out the entire conversation below:

Sharing how she has reached a stage now that she has realised its impossible to please everyone, Vidya said, “After a while, I reached the stage where I said I am not going to be able to be perfect. Sometimes I would do the “fashion perfect” thing like the stylist would give me something and say I am looking absolutely bang on. And still, people would say there’s something wrong. I realised it’s difficult to satisfy everyone or get everyone to like you. As long as you like yourself nothing else matters. So I started actually working on being myself. Accepting myself. I have been working with a healer for many years now. And that has really helped. Because acceptance of self gives me purpose in life.”

Also Read: Sherni REVIEW: In this Man Vs Wild world, Vidya Balan starrer is a riveting story with smart metaphors