‘I didn’t know about Hetal Dave’

Shriyam Bhagnani on body shaming, Sumo Didi & more

Noorulain Sayed :

Shriyam Bhagnani is winning hearts thanks to her gritty portrayal of India’s first female sumo wrestler Hetal Dave in Sumo Didi. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, she talks about the film, late co-star Nitesh Pandey and more. 

When asked how she got the role of Hetal Dave, Shriyam shared, “I auditioned for it. Basically, I got a call from a casting company for an audition.” Prior to this, she wasn’t aware of Hetal’s existence. “The day I got the audition, I didn’t know about the production house or Hetal at that time. But I started researching about her and learned that such a person actually exists in our country,” she added.

The actress put on weight for the role and was subjected to body shaming. “Because I gained weight in real life (for the role), I was getting this kind of treatment by people who didn’t know about it. In our country, this thing is very prevalent where it’s not just about the weight, it’s about your height, it’s about your complexion, it’s about your gender, age… all kinds of shaming happens.” 

The late Nitesh Pandey plays her father in Sumo Didi. “We all really miss Nitesh sir. I have watched his films since forever and my favourite work of his was Om Shanti Om. Every day he would tell us new stories about different sets. He never got a chance to watch the film,” she concluded.