Exclusive! Govinda Naam Mera actress Trupti Khamkar: I was rejected due to my body image 20 years ago

Actress Trupti Khamkar, a prominent name in Marathi theatre and films, has now become a part of successful Bollywood films and series too. She is gearing up for the release of her next multi-starrer film Govinda Naam Mera, alongside Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar. While in a candid chat with OTTplay, the actress opens up on her initial days and reveals that once, she was rejected due to her body image. Thankfully, times changed and thus, she never had to face such an incident again.

Recalling one of her early days Trupti told OTTplay, "I think things have changed, improved, progressed in the present time and I am happy about it. I remember how it was 10-15 years ago when I was a student and was starting off. I have done my higher study in the acting and performing arts and was doing theatre since school. When I wanted to try my luck on TV and started giving auditions, I remember one day, I was rejected by a prominent production house and that made me angry and heartbroken at the same time."

The actress shared that being a student of acting, even though she was not overconfident about her skill, she always had a self-assurance. Trupti also openly admits that she was not good with putting on makeup and dressing up like a celebrity when younger because she was more focused on sharpening her skill as a performer.

"I went to the Balaji Telefilms office - it was around 2003 - when I did an audition. I was wearing tee and jeans like the way we all used to in college. I was told that the way I look, especially the fact that I don't wear makeup and dress up, is a huge drawback for me. I argued that give me a role to play, a makeup artist can put makeup on me but as an actor, I know acting and judge me on that," Trupti recalled.

However, the reply she got from the argument made her angry back then. "I was told to my face, 'Arre acting toh koi bhi kar sakte hai, tum dikhti kaisi ho ye matter karta hai!' The sentence 'acting to koi bhi kar sakte hai' just broke my heart. Since then, I promised myself not to act in TV serials."

"Look, I do not blame them now when I look back. They are making shows based on what the audience is watching. The good thing is, now, the audience has evolved and they are ready to watch people in all shapes and sizes," said the actress. She is known for acting in Tumhari Sulu, Saand Ki Aankh, Girgit and The White Tiger, among others. 

While fitting into an ‘ideal’ body shape is one of the pressures that actresses go through, correcting facial and body features through surgery is another common practice to submit to a certain body image. Asked if she faced any such situation as well and Trupti said that fortunately no one made such a comment about her but she is well-versed with the existing practice. Therefore, she gave an analogy to make the budding actresses understand why it is important to embrace the body the way it is to shine as a performer.

"Look, there are admiration for Barbie dolls and Rajasthani kathputli. Both are bringing smiles to our faces, right? Both are beautiful. That co-existence is important. There is nothing wrong with going under the knife, but it should be your choice and not a decision under peer pressure or to impress others. Embrace your body, the way it makes you confident. Ask yourself, do you feel fat? Do you feel underconfident in the way you look? Working on one's craft and confidence is more important," smiled Trupti.

Govinda Naam Mera is a direct-to-OTT film. It releases on Disney Plus Hotstar on December 16.