The stunningly talented Vidya Balan is back on celluloid, and how we missed her. Vidya’s film ‘Begum Jaan’ hits the theatres soon. The period drama set in the times of the gruesome India-Pakistan Partition, has Balan playing the matriarch of a brothel, situated on the border. The brothel needs to be demolished to etch the new history of India and Pakistan as separate nation states. Will Balan and her platoon of sex workers the fight back for their rights, or will their little rebellion be overlooked in the nationalist uprising and the partition massacre that took the two countries in its tide in those times, would be interesting to see. The all-powerful female cast has already garnered many eyeballs. Vidya Balan especially with her command, posture and power-packed dialogues,has left her fans waiting. And we are not surprised. Vidya has impressed her critics and viewers alike everr since she step foot in the industry as a quintessential, curvaceous Indian beauty in Parineeta. She followed it up, with jaw-dropping performance in films like Bhool Bhullaiya, Paa, Ishqiya, Kahaani, and The Dirty Picture. What has also made her fans love her even more is her curvaceous avatar, and her unabashed confidence for the same, especially in an industry that is obsessed which is obsessed with skinny beauties. But there were times even Vidya to bowed down to the pressure and resorted to crash dieting and similar ways to slim down the body she is so proud of today. It took time, but as years passed Vidya realized she was healthy, and needs to work out only to be fit and not match up to the skinny beauty diktats of Bollywood. (Also read:The 5 Mantras Behind Katrina Kaif's Fitness: Her Secrets Revealed)
She fondly reflects back on her journey, how she used to be a plump but a beautiful child, but met the harsh scrutiny for her weight in her college, which pushed her to an ‘all water-diet’. She drank 10 litres of water everyday with bare minimum intake of food, on recommendation of a friend who told her, it is the quickest and easiest way to lose weight. It was only when her mother intervened did she stop the unhealthy practice.
Even in Bollywood, while Vidya was off to a spectacular start and her talent was acknowledged and applauded with every film of hers, the actress faced immense backlash for her weight. So much so that during the filming of Paa, re consulted professional help and was almost duped into taking pills to reduce her weight. Balan was revealed that the dietician had fabricated a completely false story of her having a medical condition, which prevented her from loosing weight, and convinced her to take the weight loss pills to up her metabolic rate, on consulting with other doctors later she discovered she was absolutely healthy. The actress also admitted how even though she did manage to loose the extra pounds, her health deteriorated, she was constantly exhausted and when she stopped taking the pills she gained almost double the weight she lost. The actress was lauded by everyone for being so vocal about the crippling body shaming she underwent and her desperate measures to come out of the negativity that hounded her.
But as it is not easy to keep good talent off the hook for long, the actor bounced back, and she gave it back to her detractors, with what she excels at – acting. She delivered a series of hits, and was on the top of the marquee. Known for her quest of perfection she didn’t shy away from altering her body type to suit her roles. For Dirty Picture Balan gained a whopping 12 kgs. And lost them all for her role in Ishqiya. For her training in Ishqiya, she sought help from trainer Vilayat Hussein, with whom she worked out 4 to 5 times a week. He put her on a special form of exercise called calisthenics . The exercise form involves using one’s own body to strengthen the body core. It packs rhythmic exercises like bending, jumping, kicking and twisting. Vidya worked out at home and didn’t go to gym to work out. Apart from the calisthenic routine, she also did cardio and light weights and got the desired results. (Also Read: Deepika Padukone: Giving Us Serious Fitness Goals Even at 31)
Vidya has plenty of other good habits we can try to imbibe. She makes a point to sleep 8 hours everyday, and work out for at least 4-5 times a week. She even goes for run, in the late hours, if she is pressed for time. Her goal is to cut down on fat without compromising on her curves.
She drinks a lot of water to keep herself hydrated, she also drinks a lot of vegetable juices. She is a vegetarian, her typical lunch consist of roti, dal and vegetables. Vidya was awarded the Hottest Vegetarian title by PETA in the year 2010. She eats every two hours whether it is a biscuit or an apple which keeps her metabolic rates high. She has a sweet tooth and loves binging on sweets whenever allowed. Vidya has been an emblem of embracing and loving your body-type, and has promoted healthy living over desperate measures to conform to beauty standards. Here’s wishing her all the best for her new movie Begum Jaan.
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