Actor-producer Patralekhaa on Friday called out paparazzi for body-shaming her postpartum appearance after a video of her circulated online with an insensitive caption. The backlash began when a paparazzi page shared a clip of the actor stepping out of her car, captioned, “What’s happened to her?”, as her husband Rajkummar Rao followed behind. (Also read: Patralekhaa backs husband Rajkummar Rao after his weight gain sparks buzz: ‘The world does not see the hard work’ )
Patralekhaa calls out paparazzi for body-shaming
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Patralekhaa strongly criticised the remark, addressing the realities of a woman’s body after childbirth. She clarified that her physical changes are a natural part of the postpartum phase and urged people to be more empathetic.
“What’s happened to me!? is that I have just given birth! Yes I have gained the weight, which seems like an unnatural phenomenon to you all,” she wrote. She further added that the weight gain was not due to overeating but a natural response to pregnancy, even as she continues to come to terms with it.
‘For God’s sake please learn to be a little kind’
In a longer note, she emphasised the physical and emotional demands she has been navigating. “I have not sat and eaten a mountain, I just delivered a baby and produced two films simultaneously which are not easy jobs. If I could I would not be this way. But that’s how my body has reacted to pregnancy. For God’s sake please learn to be a little kind,” she added.
The incident has once again sparked conversations around body-shaming and unrealistic expectations placed on women, especially during the postpartum period. Several celebrities, including Neha Dhupia, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor, have previously spoken out against intrusive or insensitive behaviour by paparazzi.
About Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa
Patralekhaa and Rajkumar Rao welcomed their first child, a daughter, on November 15, 2025. They named her Parvati Paul Rao after Rao’s late mother.
Rajkummar has earlier recalled first noticing Patralekhaa in an advertisement, admitting he was instantly drawn to her and hoped their paths would cross someday. They eventually met while working on CityLights (2014), directed by Hansal Mehta, where their professional collaboration gradually blossomed into a relationship.
After being together for several years, Rajkummar proposed to Patralekhaa in October 2021. The couple tied the knot the following month, in November 2021, in an intimate ceremony attended by close friends and family.
