4 min readNew DelhiJul 30, 2026 11:00 PM IST
For an actor celebrated today for her bold choices and self-assured screen presence, Vidya Balan’s early years in the film industry were filled with doubt, criticism, and deep insecurity.
In an interview, Vidya once opened up about how external pressure and internal conflict affected her emotionally and physically. She shared:
“What people don’t understand about weight—but what I’ve understood through my work with my healer over the years—is weight is also protection. When you feel insecure, a lot of times you put on weight.”
The Emmy-nominated actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Parineeta at age 26, revealed that being told she wasn’t “young enough” for certain roles had a lasting impact on her self-esteem.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
“With Parineeta, which was a period film where I was playing a woman… everyone then told me, ‘No, but you should be able to do the younger roles if you want a longer career.’ I was already a woman—I was 26—I at least felt like one,” she said on the Something Bigger Show by Rodrigo Canelas.
Trying to conform to what the industry expected from “younger actresses” didn’t come naturally to her. “Now, for me to make myself into a girl, behave younger, dress younger, it didn’t feel natural. It didn’t work for me.”
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The public and media began to pick apart everything about her: how she looked, dressed, and carried herself. “Actually, people started criticising everything about me then, and now I feel like, oh my god, maybe my success is short-lived. So I think all of that made me very insecure and unhappy. And I was also gaining weight.”
Eventually, Vidya had a breakthrough: “That’s when I said, ‘You know what am I trying to do? You have to do what is right for you.’”
What psychology says about body image, insecurity, and self-worth
Priyamvada Tendulkar, a counselling psychologist, explains that negative self-talk around body image is rarely just about appearance; it’s rooted in much deeper beliefs.
“Negative self-talk about physical appearance is deeply ingrained in societal conditioning, past experiences, and personal insecurities,” she says. “It can erode self-worth, leading to feelings of shame, avoidance behaviors, or excessive preoccupation with perceived flaws.”
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Tendulkar emphasises that self-worth should never be conditional: “Your worth is inherent and not tied to external validation or aesthetic ideals. Pretty is not the rent you need to pay to exist in this world as a female.”
Tendulkar outlines several tools that can help anyone who struggles with their appearance or self-image. Instead of asking “How do I look?”—ask “How do I feel in my body today?”
“Allow yourself to be,” Tendulkar adds, “just as you extend that right to others.”
Balan’s decision to stop chasing approval and start honouring her truth reshaped her career and her inner life. Instead of shrinking herself to fit industry expectations, she began to take up space as she was.
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From Kahaani to Tumhari Sulu and Sherni, her characters are now emblematic of empowered womanhood. But her journey to that point was filled with inner battles, ones she chose to face instead of suppress.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
