Actor Radhikka Madan has spoken about the pressure women face to meet changing beauty standards, expressing support for Katrina Kaif amid scrutiny over her postpartum weight gain. Recalling her own experience in the film industry, Radhikka said she was told she was “too fat” to become a heroine after gaining 15 kg for ‘Pataakha’. The actor revealed that repeated attempts to lose weight while shooting back-to-back films began affecting her health, prompting her to prioritise well-being over other people’s expectations.
Radhikka Madan recalls being called ‘too fat’ to become a heroine
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Radhikka opened up about how expectations surrounding a leading lady’s appearance affected her relationship with her body. After gaining 15 kg for ‘Pataakha’, she began losing weight while working on ‘Shiddat’ and ‘Angrezi Medium’. Despite her efforts, she recalled being criticised for her appearance.“I had gained 15 kgs for ‘Pataakha’, and I was losing that weight through ‘Shiddat’ and ‘Angrezi Medium’. I was told that I was ‘too fat. Heroine kaise banegi ye’. (How will she become an actor?) I kept losing weight and shooting back-to-back, and fully became like bones. It started affecting my health, so I took a break,” she said.The experience made Radhikka question why she was trying so hard to meet expectations that seemed to change constantly. She said she was first considered too heavy and later too thin, leaving her feeling that there was no way to please everyone.“Earlier, I was too fat, now I was too thin, and in between, I was neither here nor there. I asked myself why am I trying to please people when they will never be happy? So, I started focusing on feeling healthy rather than chasing a particular body size. Once you do that, others’ opinions don’t affect you as you become wiser. You don’t know what insecurity they [critics] are coming from. But I have that security of knowing that now, I am chasing health,” Madan said.
Radhikka Madan says society’s idea of a ‘perfect woman’ puts pressure on girls
Radhikka also spoke about how difficult it can be to ignore comments about one’s appearance, particularly for young girls who may look to social media and popular culture for validation. She said society often promotes a narrow idea of what a woman should look like, creating pressure to conform to specific beauty standards from childhood.“Us time pe aisa hota nahi hai because we have this manicured idea and this burden, especially on girls, about how to look and what’s a perfect size. And if you aren’t fitting in that, you are going wrong. That conditioning comes from childhood as you see such women only on magazine covers. So, if I am sitting in a classroom with a unibrow and some facial hair, I will never feel enough as I am not that ideal woman. We have to realise that the idea of a perfect woman is fed to us,” Madan stated.The actor’s comments highlight how repeated exposure to a limited representation of beauty can influence self-image. She pointed out that girls who do not see themselves reflected in these ideals may grow up feeling that something about their appearance needs to change.
‘You have to accept yourself’: Radhikka Madan on embracing her individuality
Radhikka said that while the idea of self-love can sound clichéd, accepting oneself and finding confidence in individual traits are important. She also credited her upbringing for helping her feel comfortable with her appearance when she was younger.“I find the idea of loving yourself a bit too cliche, but you have to accept yourself and have fun. Find your own quirks. In school, I even had a unibrow and was really hairy, but because my parenting was quite positive, I was hyped so much that I felt people don’t realise but I am beautiful. I had friends but I never felt the need for their validation to be seen. So, even when my unibrow went away, and people started noticing me, I judged them because I felt the same as before,” she said.Madan added, “But be on this journey of finding yourself, your ground, and start by accepting yourself because you are like a snowflake.”Her remarks come amid criticism of Katrina Kaif’s postpartum appearance. By expressing solidarity with Katrina, Radhikka has drawn attention to the scrutiny women can face over changes in their bodies, including those associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
Radhikka Madan’s work front
Radhikka Madan stars as Sailee opposite Ali Fazal, playing Varun in Shakun Batra’s segment of Netflix’s anthology ‘Lust Stories 3’. The segment explores the emotional and physical friction within a married couple who find it difficult to communicate their desires directly, using intimacy as a key language for their unexpressed feelings. The film premiered on September 18, 2026.
