Transformations are celebrated in Bollywood. The after-effects rarely are. On the 'Chapter 2 with Rhea Chakraborty' podcast, Fatima Sana Shaikh spoke with striking honesty about what happened after her physical transformation for 'Dangal', and how discipline quietly slipped into disorder.
What followed wasn’t just weight fluctuation. It was binge eating, starvation cycles, bulimia, and a long journey towards rebuilding a healthy relationship with food.
The discipline that defined 'Dangal'
For 'Dangal', Fatima trained intensely, often three hours a day, alongside additional workouts. To gain weight for the role, she consumed between 2,500 and 3,000 calories daily. “When I am goal-oriented, I will do everything,” she said, describing the structured, athlete-like mindset she adopted during the film. But once the shoot wrapped, the structure disappeared. The appetite didn’t. She wasn’t training at the same intensity anymore, yet her eating habits remained. Slowly, the balance tipped.
‘I have two extremes’
What began as a change in routine turned into something deeper. Food became comfort. Control began to slip. “I could eat for two hours non-stop,” she admitted. “I have two extremes. If I am not holistic, I go towards extremes.” The cycle became painfully familiar: binge, guilt, restriction. She would obsess over calorie counts, mentally calculating how many hours were left in the day and how to “undo” what she had eaten. It wasn’t hunger. It was emotion. “The problem is not in the food,” she reflected. “It’s in you because you’re feeling insecure. You’re eating your feelings.”
The year she battled bulimia in silence
In one of the most vulnerable moments of the conversation, Fatima revealed she had been bulimic for a year. After episodes of overeating, she would induce vomiting to avoid “taking the calories”. It became a secret ritual fuelled by shame and self-criticism. “I felt I had absolutely no control,” she said. “My understanding of diet was so rigid.” The physical damage was real, acid reflux, internal strain, but the psychological toll was heavier. Outwardly, she appeared fit, disciplined, even enviably strong. Inwardly, she felt weak. “When anyone has a mental health disorder, everything seems fine on the outside. But all the demons are in the mind.” It’s a striking reminder that eating disorders don’t always match stereotypes. They can hide behind toned arms, workout selfies and red-carpet glamour.
Instagram perfection and the trap of image
Fatima described having a “love-hate relationship” with herself, and being addicted to a certain image she believed she had to maintain. In an industry where bodies are scrutinised and social media filters smooth every perceived flaw, that pressure intensifies. The expectation isn’t just to be fit, it’s to be flawlessly fit. Even today, she admits she thinks about food constantly. The difference now? Awareness. "There are days I binge eat. But I chose it. I’m not punishing myself the same way,” said Fatima. That shift, from compulsion to consciousness, has been transformative.
Rebuilding balance, one smoothie at a time
Her turning point didn’t come from a dramatic intervention. It came from friends who gently held up a mirror. One close friend confronted her behaviour without accusation. Another introduced her to a more holistic way of eating, smoothies, balanced meals, and nourishment without guilt. “You can eat. You can be full,” she was reminded. It sounds simple. For someone trapped in extremes, it’s revolutionary. Today, she still works out, still prioritises fitness, but the goal is no longer punishment or image. It’s sustainability.
Why Fatima's story matters
Her journey underscores an uncomfortable truth: you can be one of the “fittest” people in the room and still be struggling. Fitness is visible. Healing is not. And perhaps that’s the real takeaway from her story. Strength isn’t just lifting heavier weights or transforming for a film. It’s confronting shame, rigidity, and giving yourself grace. Fatima may have trained like a wrestler for Dangal, but her toughest fight will have been far quieter, far more personal.
We have a culture that links thinness with discipline and excess with failure. Fatima’s story is a refreshingly honest one from extreme positions of understanding. It’s a message that health is not about being perfect; it’s about being balanced and understanding. The body can be trained. The mind must be healed.
