Agents of change 101

Writer-director Sachin Kundalkar’s recent Marathi release 'Vazandar' (Heavyweight) won over viewers beyond the Marathi audience. The story of two girlfriends (played by Sai Tamhankar and Priya Bapat) who struggle with weight loss to fit into socially accepted beauty standards; its light treatment drove the message home without compromising on the gravity of the subject.
The film emerged from Sachin’s personal struggle with body shaming and weight loss.“Many experiences came from taunts I endured for being fat. I identify most with fat shaming, but people who wear specs, have protruding teeth, are dark or even bald, face similar struggles. The discourse is to look beyond standards of physical beauty set by society,” says the National Film Award-winner.
Colleges, workplaces and even communities are hotbeds for brazen body shaming attacks, of which youngsters are often at the receiving end. While Vazandar was a means of closure and catharsis for Sachin, youngsters across cities have channelled their body issues to raise awareness, create safe spaces for dialogue and ultimately, come to love and accept themselves…

“No offense, but we don’t want fat people to be seen in our clothes. That wouldn’t go well with our core audience,” is how brutally honest one brand manager was with Mumbai-based fashion blogger Amena Azeez, during her early days of blogging. “My enthusiasm to try new collections previews would turn to discomfort when brands had nothing that’d fit me,” says Amena, a plus size fashion blogger. Pune-based radio jockey, Apurva faced similar shaming. She was once poked in the tummy by a random colleague. Also, a suitor stopped talking to her because his parents didn’t like how she looked.

Amena spent years not taking chances for fear of rejection, and Apruva struggled with depression; but they soon chose resilience. Amena broke up with shame, reading about body positivity and unlearning the conditioning imbibed from society. She blogs extensively about fat acceptance, body positivity and plus size fashion. “There’s no place for plus-size people in the Indian fashion scene and media, and truth be told, fat shaming is a form of bullying. Normalising fat shaming means normalising bullying” says Amena, admitting that personalities like Adele and Tess Holliday inspired her to be comfortable being fat. Today, she’ll refuse being part of promotions with nothing to offer in plus-size. Apurva too, encourages interactions about body shaming on air, making sure she reminds listeners to love and accept themselves. “I’ve had many women tell me that they’ve felt better,” Apurva admits.
Clinical psychologist Vanessa Pinto Anthony notes, “Body shaming can have severe psychological effects. Depression, demotivation and more weight gain constitute a vicious cycle. The impact is graver when one is shamed by a close relative.”

Mumbai-based, 21-year-old poet Harnidh Kaur can’t stress enough on how insidious fat shaming can be. “While shaming, people think, ‘Oh, I’m not shaming, I’m just giving advice’. Fat people are acutely aware that they are larger than other people. So, this ends up putting a person down when they know they already are,” says Harnidh.
When someone is shamed for colour or disability, people rise up in defence, because it is about shaming ‘something that can’t be changed’. “Fat shaming is however so normalised; equated to laziness and lack of discipline. No one considers other causes, like medication, or PCOS in women,” she adds.
Early this month, Harnidh started a thread on Twitter, asking people to share instances of being body shamed. “My family didn’t treat me any different. My confidence came from the fact that I wasn’t told I was less because I’m fat. Realising that not many get to hear this, the idea of a safe space, where people could open up, came to me,” she says.

Creating a platform on a space open to trolls, Harnidh’s initiative garnered an overwhelming response. “16-year-olds as well as 60-year-olds shared their stories. Opening up to empathetic strangers can be healing, especially when you realise that there are others who go through the same situations you go through,” says Harnidh.


NID Ahmedabad design student Sarah Naqvi’s artwork has created waves online. They aptly highlight the need to question body shaming. Sarah says, “I was tired of being a mere spectator. There was a need to raise awareness. Ignorance about a problem breeds the fear to question.”
Picking the female body in relation to body image and shaming, Sarah has been able to make lots of women open up and question the problem. She then went beyond regular media, to forms like embroidery, something no one would think of in their wildest dreams. “Embroidery has been around for the longest time. It is accessible to even the most common woman,” she says. Through it, Sarah depicts daily struggles and taboos faced by women.

Instagram took down two of her works, leaving Sarah more determined to create such artwork. “Our brains feed on the physical standards set by advertising and media. Also, the lesser the female body is normalised, the more sexualised it will be,” says Sarah, who admits to feeling better about herself with each artwork she creates.


The fact that Kaveri (Sai) and Pooja (Priya) face immense body shaming via a viral video, in the film, makes one question the safety of the online space. Priya Bapat says, “It is but a tool. One can use it, or misuse it.” She recently uploaded a video on valuing one’s self. “I only did this online because of its wide reach. The online space can be put to good use. We mustn’t misuse it to destroy someone.” Harnidh adds, “Safe spaces are created through solidarity. Stand up for someone you see being shamed online. This will encourage others too.”


While auditioning for Bollywood, Sai Tamhankar confessed to being wary of her weight. "Our industry rides high on physical attractiveness. So, though the film was Sachin's story, the choice of women protagonists makes sense, considering women struggle with objectification and shaming," says Sai. However Sachin does not downplay the fact that men face shaming too. "Lots of young men came forward saying that they didn't even realise they were being shamed. In India, men have to be powerful and non-emotional. When one's body type does not conform to that, shaming almost always happens."


Alok, Pooja's love interest in the film, essayed by Siddharth Chandekar, plays a crucial role in making her look at her worth beyond her body weight. City-based internationally certified image consultant Nancy Katyal says, "Having such a support system is vital. He or she must encourage with emphasis on a paradigm shift, the importance of respecting oneself and looking for bigger pursuits, like health and personality, not just physical appearance."
Watch the trailer of Vazandar: