Parineeti Chopra spoke about the rumours that her weight gain for Amar Singh Chamkila started, and said that people have no idea about the truth when they speculated about her being pregnant or having had Botox procedure done.

Actor Parineeti Chopra opened up about the difficulties that she experienced in gaining weight to play the slain singer Amarjot Kaur in director Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, and the difficulties that she continues to experience in losing that weight. Parineeti gained 16 kgs for the role, and said that she sacrificed looking her best at her wedding because of her commitment to the part. Parineeti married politician Raghav Chadha in 2023.

In an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Parineeti said that the process of gaining weight affected her psychologically, as well as her sleep. It also cost her work opportunities and attracted negative theories about her appearance. “I lost brands, I didn’t do events because I was looking so terrible. People started saying, ‘She’s pregnant, she’s had liposuction, she’s done Botox on her face’. I used to look at all this and think, ‘You will never understand what I’m going through’.”

The actor said that she decided to look like Amarjot after the director told her she doesn’t resemble the late singer. “It’s not healthy at all. In fact, when I signed Chamkila, I was at my peak fitness; I had been working out for two years, and I almost had abs. When I signed the film, Imtiaz told me I don’t really look like Amarjot, and I resolved to change that. In one minute, I forgot all the hard work I’d done for the previous two years. I gained 16 kgs, I used to eat heavy meals and go to sleep so that I look puffy the next morning. I wanted a double chin, I wanted my eyes to look small. I used to eat rice and rotis in numbers. It wasn’t just fun and games, eating pizza all day.”

But the change in appearance came with its set of disadvantages. She continued, “It was six months of very heavy eating. My sleep got affected, my mood got affected. My stamina was zero. No workouts. I don’t drink milkshakes and all but I was drinking beverages like that. I was wearing Indian clothes, which were very complimenting, and I would look like myself. But I didn’t want to look like myself. I wanted to look like Amarjot ji, I had to. This was the project I’d been waiting for.” Parineeti said that a ‘senior actor’ warned her not to put herself through this. “Tu apna career khatam kar degi (This will put an end to your career),” they told her.

Parineeti said that she hasn’t lost the weight ’till today’. “It’s been a struggle, and everywhere, people are attacking me and saying she looks bad… I feel bad that people judge so quickly. I got married in the middle of all of this. On the biggest day of my life, I looked like this. I have done many personal sacrifices,” she said. Starring Diljit Dosanjh, Amar Singh Chamkila was released on Netflix on April 12. The movie received critical acclaim for Diljit’s lead performance and for Imtiaz’s direction.