Radhika Madan says she was told to get surgeries but felt she was already 'bahut sahi'

Actor Radhika Madan has spoken about her journey as an actor and the body image issues that were imposed on her by others.

Actor Radhika Madan is among the few who have made a successful transition from television to movies. She was seen on the daily soap Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi and later made her Bollywood debut with Vishal Bhardwaj's Pataakha.

Radhika Madan has worked in television and movies as well.

However, the journey was not always easy. Speaking to Humans of Bombay, Radhika mentioned how she had to start working out to make sure she doesn't lose her part on the show.

"When I was 17, I was spotted by an agency for a TV show audition. Within 3 days I was in Bombay shooting for the show. But working on that show was tough. The working hours barely gave me the time to sleep, which led to me gaining a few extra kilos. Then, I started hearing rumours about me getting replaced from the show. I think that pushed me to explore my limits, so I began waking up early, working out and focusing even more on my work. I started to lose myself to my character. And I realised, this is my high…this is what I want to do," she told the popular social media page.

Radhika also spoke about how she finally decided to leave television behind to pursue a career in movies. "I was told I needed to have a particular shape, size and height. I was also told I need to get surgery or get some body parts corrected. And I always questioned that because mujhe toh main bahut sahi lagti hun (I find myself great). Who are these people to tell me I’m not pretty? But for the next 1.5 years I didn’t get work. And it's very easy to doubt yourself at such a time, but I knew that the journey is more important than the destination. In fact, I made a conscious effort to have a blast at my auditions. And before long, I signed my first film as other projects followed," she said.

"I remember I had gained 12 kgs for a role to look older, and at the same time I had to audition for a 17-year-old character, both in a month! But again, I had only one motto– just have fun! That audition turned out to be one of my best and I got the part," she added.

Since making her debut, Radhika has starred in movies such as Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, Angrezi Medium, and most recently in Vasan Bala's Spotlight from the Netflix anthology Ray.