Earlier this month, actor Richa Chadha stunned everyone with her weight loss transformation. Taking to social media, she shared a series of photos where she is seen donning a black shimmer gown and flaunting her toned body. Quiz her about what made her want to take on this journey of physical transformation and she says, “I was quite happy with the size I was at. I wanted to become healthier overall. I wanted the quality of my sleep, movement, exercise and mobility to improve.” 

Calling herself “a victim of trying to work out too much”, Chadha realised that it had far-reaching consequences on her body. “Too much exercise can damage your insides and be counter-productive to your effort. Rest is very important but underrated,” she says, adding, “To deal with the things that aren’t in our control, we’ve got to follow a few basic rules for our health so that we can be prepared for those times when you’ve got to push it in high-stress work environments.” 

The Candy actor, who spoke about not succumbing to the unrealistic standards of beauty and how filmmakers asked her to lose weight in the past, asserts that her weight loss isn’t in conflict with her previous statements. 

“If I continue to remain 15-20 kg heavier in order to justify what I had once said, then that’s wrong. If you feel you need to get healthier and live better but someone misconstrues it as you finally giving in to societal pressure, it’s not done!” she sighs. 

But the 36-year-old lauds the shift in the narrative about body positivity. “Hats off to influencers who’re consistently talking about body image issues like Toshada (Uma)! I really feel that the youth of today has better people to look up to. People have to go through their own journeys till they arrive at their own place of balance,” Chadha ends.