Anushka Sharma is one of India’s most loved actresses—not just for her hit films but also for her honesty and her approach to life, marriage, and motherhood. She married Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in a fairytale ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, in December 2017. Since then, the couple have welcomed two children: their daughter Vamika, born in January 2021, and their son Akaay, born in February 2024.The ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ actress has often kept her personal life private, she once opened up about a deeply personal struggle many women face—how their bodies change after pregnancy.The fear of hating her own bodyAfter giving birth to her daughter Vamika, Anushka shared that she had worried about not being able to accept her post-pregnancy body. In a past interview with Grazia, she said, “Only a week ago, I was telling a friend how afraid I was because of this pressure that’s thrust upon women to look a certain way, even before they become mothers, before they get pregnant, and definitely after they’ve had a baby. Despite being somebody who is fairly self-aware, I was worried. I kept thinking – am I going to hate my body?”Finding comfort in her own skinAs she continued to reflect on her journey, the ‘PK’ actress shared that she now feels more at ease with herself and her body. She said, “I’ve realised that it’s a state of mind, it has nothing to do with how you look.”She admitted that her body isn’t the same as it used to be, but that doesn’t bother her the way it once might have. “My body’s not as it used to be; it’s not as toned as it was. And I’m working towards it because I like to be fit. Having said that, I am so much more comfortable in my skin today than I was before, even when I had that perfect body.”Letting go of perfectionOne of the biggest changes Anushka noticed in herself was how she stopped constantly checking how she looked. She further added, “I don’t do that anymore. I click a picture and I post it without obsessively scrutinising how I look. You have to be accepting of the body that’s done something so profound and miraculous for you.”As a mother, she also wants to make sure her daughter Vamika grows up in a world where girls don’t feel the need to meet unrealistic standards. She said, “I’d never want my daughter to grow up with that sense of lacking that we’re always made to feel as women. Ultimately, it’s all about perspective. The girl who has the ‘perfect’ body can still not feel great while the girl who doesn’t have a body that aligns with societal beauty standards can still, be immensely confident.“Anushka was last seen on screen in a short cameo in the OTT film ‘Qala’. Since then, she has taken a step back from acting to focus on her growing family and enjoy motherhood.
