After a 15 kg role gain, Radhikka Madan chose health over size

Gaining for a role, shrinking for approval

Radhikka Madan has opened up about the body-shaming she faced in the film industry, saying she was told she was “too fat” to become a heroine. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she connected her experience to the recent scrutiny of Katrina Kaif’s postpartum weight gain.

The weight story started with a role. Radhikka gained 15 kg for Pataakha, then began losing it while shooting Shiddat and Angrezi Medium. The demand was simple in theory and damaging in practice: shrink to fit the idea of a leading lady.

“I am chasing health,” she said.

The result, she explained, was a body pushed too far. She kept losing weight while working on back-to-back projects until she said she was “like bones”, and the toll on her health forced her to take a break.

A moving standard

Radhikka’s larger point is that the target keeps shifting. She was labelled too fat at one stage and too thin at another, which made it clear there was no final size that would satisfy everyone.

Instead of competing with an impossible standard, she says she now focuses on health. That framing matters, she noted, because the harshest judgement often comes from people broadcasting their own insecurities.

Why this matters for fans

The pressure Radhikka describes is not limited to actors. She said young girls often seek validation on social media, and that society still pushes a narrow idea of the “perfect woman” from an early age.

For Hindi film fans, it is also a reminder that the glamour on screen can hide a physical cost off screen. Weight changes, intense schedules and body scrutiny are part of the job’s less visible side.

• Radhikka gained 15 kg for Pataakha and was called “too fat” to be a heroine.
• She lost the weight through Shiddat and Angrezi Medium until her health suffered.
• She now says she is chasing health, not a changing body size.

The work front

Radhikka was last seen in the Netflix anthology Lust Stories 3, in a segment directed by Shakun Batra, where she featured alongside Ali Fazal.

Source: India Today