Weight and watch

[1]

While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was making her 11th appearance at the French Riviera in an Elie Saab gown and an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla sari, back home Shilpa Shetty was taking her baby boy home. Two pictures of complete contrast! Aishwarya still in her post-maternity shape and Shilpa, not much different from how she looked nine months ago, may be just a fuller face. Many started comparing the two as with Ash’s appearance at Cannes, there ensued, yet again, discussions about her willingness or unwillingness to shed the weight she gained after giving birth to daughter Aaradhya in November last year.
The net was abuzz with mixed responses — some begging to let the former Miss World be, and some writing to give her a wake-up call. Some unkind words stated she looked older and fat.
But is it right to keep a constant tab on Aishwarya’s weight and compare her with other new mothers on the block, who seem to have shed that weight faster — Lara Dutta, Tara Sharma, Konkona Sen Sharma, Mandira Bedi and possibly now Shilpa Shetty.
“Aishwarya should not at all be compared with anyone,” says Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, a mother herself. Defending the actress, the Delhi socialite says, “She looked beautiful and looks very happy in this phase of life. It looks like her life is totally woven around her baby and the idea of dieting is thrown out of the window. I totally support Aishwarya with what she is doing because it is her personal choice. It does not matter how big a person you are professionally, but a baby comes first. So people should rather hold their horses.”
To this Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta, who had a second child last year, and returned to the sets three months later, says, “It’s ridiculous to compare Aishwarya with Shilpa or someone else for that matter. Every person has a different anatomy and constitution that changes with the arrival of a baby.”
Former actress and mother of two Raveena Tondon recently tweeted: “Everyones body type is different,if she’s taking time is OK..its her space,its her obligation to her child first!instead of some portions”.
While the debate may continue till Aishwarya returns to the screen, the actress who spoke to mediapersons at Cannes said that she is happy being “healthy”.