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New Delhi: The Metro… In Dino actress Fatima Sana Shaikh has opened up about her long-term struggles with epilepsy and an eating disorder, both of which began after her physical transformation for the film Dangal.
“I have had a love-hate relationship with myself, and I’ve been addicted to a certain image of myself. I’ve had a toxic relationship with food. I put on weight in Dangal because I had to. When I’m goal-oriented, I’d do everything. I was training for three hours, so I had to consume 2,500–3,000 calories every day to gain weight. When the movie got over, I wasn’t training as much, but I was still having 3,000 calories because I was used to it,” she said on actor Rhea Chakraborty’s podcast Chapter 2.
She spoke about the changes in her routine that made her “unfit” and “unhealthy.” “Food became my comfort space. I could eat nonstop for hours. I hate myself because I have no control. I operate in extremes. Just a couple of days ago, I kept eating for two hours. Then I’d go into starve mode. It was so disabling that I wasn’t stepping out of the house,” Fatima added.
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The actress revealed she battled bulimia for two years. “My understanding of diet was so rigid , that I have to consume only these many calories in a day. Even now, I think about food all the time. I’m always hungry. But I’ve gained awareness because that unhealthy relationship has been changing for years,” she said.
Also Read: ‘Shehar Tere’ Song Out: Vijay Varma And Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Chemistry Shines In Manish Malhotra’s ‘Gustaakh Ishq’
Fatima also recalled how her friend and Dangal co-star Sanya Malhotra confronted her about her habits and called her out on her unhealthy relationship with food. She thanked another friend, screenwriter Rahul Mody, for helping her adopt healthier habits.
She further criticised Instagram and social media for pushing the idea of starvation-based beauty standards. “Overeating isn’t the issue. The issue is within you because you’re insecure and eating your feelings. You just want to be numb. It’s like doomscrolling — you feel nauseous by the end of it,” she said, adding, “Whenever someone has a mental health disorder, everything seems fine on the outside. All the demons and dark thoughts are within you, and you’re dealing with them by yourself.”
Alongside her eating disorder, Fatima revealed that she has also been managing epilepsy. She recounted an incident where exposure to bright lights triggered symptoms. The 33-year-old said, “I didn’t know epilepsy was such a challenge in daily life. I thought you just get some episodes and can’t work for a few days.”
She now takes medication regularly, though she initially resisted it. “I thought nothing is wrong with me. Why are you giving me pagalon wali dawai? Because the association is that if someone has an epilepsy episode, they’re possessed or consumed drugs or are attention-seeking. I don’t feel bad for myself, but for people who lack empathy to understand that it’s a condition.”
Fatima added that while her colleagues have been supportive, the anxiety remains: “This is my life now. People who work with me know about it and they don’t have any problem. My world has been very accepting. But it gives me a lot of anxiety, especially earlier, because I’d think what if an episode occurs in front of the paparazzi?”
On the work front, the actress will next be seen in Gustaakh Ishq alongside Vijay Varma. The Manish Malhotra–produced film also stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi, and is slated for release on November 21.
