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Ishqbaaaz's Surbhi Chandna recounts her struggling days, says had to hit gym as only thin girls get to play leads on TV
Surbhi Chandna recounts the time when she was struggling with her weight and TV's obsession with thin leading ladies.
Ishqbaaaz's Surbhi Chandna left a glorious career in the corporate world to try her luck in acting. The actor who featured in shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and Meri Bhabhi got noticed as Haya in Gul Khan's show Qubool Hai where she played the second lead.
Surbhi then bagged the lead role in Star Plus' Ishqbaaaz and since then there has been no looking back. While it is an established fact that no one can do justice to Annika's role more than her, the actor in an interview to a leading daily recounts her struggles to be able to play the lead character.
Crediting he mom for being the driving force behind her success today, Surbhi said, "It was my mother who told me to audition for roles on television, though after completing MBA, I was content with my career in the corporate world. I obeyed her and did small roles in many shows. I was also chosen to play the lead in Jamai Raja, but that never happened. Then 'Qubool Hai' happened and my character got noticed. After the show, Gul, the producer, told me that she wanted me to be part of another show that she was planning."
She further hinted at Television's obsession with thin leading ladies and said, "After Qubool Hai I wanted to focus on lead roles and if you want to play the lead you have to look thin because only thin girls can get to play leads. So, I hit the gym and lost a lot of weight. But when Gul offered me Ishqbaaz, she wanted me to 'eat' because she preferred her actress to be pleasantly plump. However, that did not work. So, I again went on a weight-losing spree because this was my big-ticket show and I didn't want to lose it."
Earlier in an interview with Pinkvilla, Surbhi had revealed that many in the industry had written her off because she looked 'fat' in front of Nakuul [Mehta, who plays Shivaay Singh Oberoi in the show] and that she was subjected to a lot of negativity owing to this.
To Surbhi's credit, the actor has managed to win hearts sheerly based on her talent. Even as the actor has now managed to lose oodles of weight, we bet her fans would continue to shower love on her irrespective of her body size.
However, this pressure of looking a certain way on leading women both in Bollywood and TV is disturbing.
