#NewsBytesExplainer: Understanding evolution of fatphobia in films through relevant examples
What's the story
Body shaming is a profound issue plaguing Indian society and has found representation in Bollywood films repeatedly. For a long time, female actors were asked to conform to a certain body type and stay a certain size, and being extremely slim was the only acceptable norm. However, thankfully, things are now changing for the better. Here's how this issue has progressed over the years.
Earliest movies
Early Hindi movies propagated the stereotype a lot
If one checks out the earliest Hindi films, one will find that they check this criterion: the leading lady will always be slim, and she'll likely have a fat friend who would be made the butt of endless jokes, with everyone mocking her for being "addicted to food." For instance, actor Uma Devi Khatri was cast to fill this stereotype in numerous '70-'80s movies.
Body shaming in movies
Movies that fat-shamed people: 'Judwaa 2,' 'KHNH,' 'K3G'
As if things weren't distressing enough, numerous mainstream movies have contributed to unapologetic body shaming. For example, Shah Rukh Khan-Priety Zinta's Kal Ho Na Ho, Varun Dhawan-Jacqueline Fernandez's Judwaa 2, Shahid Kapoor-Kiara Advani's Kabir Singh, Amitabh Bachchan-SRK's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, among others. Off the camera, too, Vidya Balan, Parineeti Chopra, and Sonakshi Sinha have faced ruthless trolling due to their weight.
Size zero craze
Then came the dangerous size zero mania
The dangerous size zero craze was ushered by Kareena Kapoor Khan's character Pooja in Yash Raj Films's Tashan. While Kapoor Khan willingly shed a lot of weight for this role, it set a troubling precedent for young girls across the nation, and suddenly, everyone wanted to look like her—something that's neither possible nor desirable. When asked about size zero recently, Bebo said, "Never again."
Improvement
Things now seem to be on the right path
This scene is now under heavy transformation, thanks to the actors voicing their concern on the matter. Movies such as Ayushmann Khurrana-Bhumi Pednekar's Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Sanah Kapur's Saroj Ka Rishta, Maanvi Gagroo-Sunny Singh's Ujda Chaman, Anil Kapoor-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Fanney Khan, Sonam Nair's Gippi, and to, an extent, Sinha-Huma Qureshi starrer Double XL are films that have strongly challenged this norm.