Known for her glam look, actor Shreya Chaudhry recently surprised her fans with a throwback picture from her teenage years, recalling how she used to be overweight. But she found her inspiration in actor Hrithik Roshan and embarked on her fitness journey. “It’s been almost a decade-long journey. I used to weigh my highest at the age of 16, around 86 kg, when the picture I shared was taken. Since then, I have lost 25 kg,” she shares.

The 29-year-old was surprised when Roshan replied to her post, saying, “You are a champion. Look at you! Thanks for inspiring me in return.”

Overjoyed with the response, she says, “It means the world to me. He’s much more to me than just an actor. He just kept working hard and made things possible when others doubted him. He made me believe in the value of hope, that with hard work, you can make the impossible possible.”

As for her fitness journey, Chaudhry insists that it has been a tough one, but she never doubted herself. “I was in college when I had a phase of being obese. I never spoke about it, as I felt a little vulnerable to put it out as I didn’t know how people would react. But sharing my story was empowering,” she says.

The actor adds that she was often mocked for her looks, but that never made her underconfident or conscious. “I have been called ‘moti’ and ‘Shrek’ [the eponymous overweight character in the movie]. When you are 17-18, and somebody says these things to you, it can hurt you,” she says, adding, “I will always be that girl from within. So, when today somebody appreciates me for my looks, it does nothing to me.”

It was actually due to health issues that Chaudhry embarked on her fitness journey. “I went to a doctor because I had a bad backache. He said, ‘Shreya, your back is fine, you just need to lose weight’. Up until then, nobody had told me that I need to lose weight. That’s when I came across an article of Hrithik Roshan and my respect and love for him motivated me. I felt if he could do it, I could do it, too,” says the actor.

She adds, “I found the right people, who guided me to it, and then I adopted a sport — boxing. I fell in love with it and now, my two hours in boxing class, are mine. It’s like self love.”

She first met Anand Tiwari by chance - having bumped into him during the shoot of a commercial, she told him how she deeply admired his works. In a happy coincidence, a month later, Shreya Chaudhry got an audition call for Tiwari’s directorial venture, Bandish Bandits. “During the auditions itself, I knew it would be a big deal if I bagged the part,” recounts the actor, who has now become a familiar face, thanks to the success of the Amazon Prime Video series. Her performance as pop singer Tamanna has earned her a Best Actor (Series) nomination at the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards.

“Bandish Bandits has opened doors for me. I am still going for auditions, but now, people have seen my work; that’s an added advantage. People recognise me as Tamanna from the show. I have started getting better offers,” says Chaudhry, who shared screen space with powerhouse performers Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni and Sheeba Chaddha in the musical romance that studies the clash and confluence of classical sangeet and modern music.

According to the actor, it was a blessing in disguise that the series dropped online during the pandemic. “Everybody was at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so they were all watching OTT offerings. That, in turn, resulted in the creation and consumption of some fantastic shows. In the digital world, there is no room for mediocrity anymore.” Ask her if a second season is on the anvil, and she says, “Nothing has been decided yet, but I hope there is a second [instalment]. Everybody wants to know what will happen to Radhe and Tamanna.”

- Shreya Chaudhry has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female): Series category for Bandish Bandits. 

The other nominees are: 

- Kirti Kulhari: Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (Disney+Hotstar)

- Masaba Gupta: Masaba Masaba (Netflix)

- Prajakta Koli: Mismatched (Netflix)

- Shreya Dhanwanthary: Scam 1992 (SonyLiv)

- Sushmita Sen: Aarya (Disney+Hotstar)

- Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

- You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

- Voting lines close on February 9