Borrowed Credibility, Broken Promises: How Meri Bhavya Life Used Sonakshi Sinha to Sell a Lie About Plus-Size Empowerment
When Meri Bhavya Life launched its promotional campaign, the producers made a smart but cynical choice: they brought in Sonakshi Sinha — a bold Bollywood actress celebrated for embracing her curves and openly challenging the industry’s unrealistic beauty standards. Sonakshi’s involvement gave the show instant credibility and a stamp of “body positivity.”
At first, many viewers took this as a promising sign. If Sonakshi, known for confidently owning her plus-size identity, supports the show, perhaps it would be a real step forward for representation.
But the reality on screen tells a very different story.
The Face of Real Empowerment, the Script of Shame
Sonakshi Sinha has long been praised for rejecting toxic body ideals and encouraging self-love among women of all sizes. Her public image is one of strength and confidence — someone who breaks stereotypes by simply being unapologetically herself.
Yet in Meri Bhavya Life, the character Bhavya is written as the exact opposite of that empowerment. Instead of being portrayed as confident, desirable, and multidimensional, Bhavya is often ridiculed, pitied, and treated like a joke. Her size is the punchline of almost every scene, and the narrative revolves around her needing to “fix” herself to be accepted.
This portrayal not only contradicts Sonakshi’s real-life message but actively works against it.
When Representation Becomes a Marketing Prop
Sonakshi’s name and image were used to sell a story that she herself would likely never want to be a part of — a story that undermines the very confidence and self-respect she champions.
This is not true representation. It’s a marketing strategy that leverages the credibility of a body-positive icon while pushing regressive and harmful stereotypes in the show’s script.
We Deserve Authentic Stories, Not Hollow Endorsements
South Asian media must stop using genuine advocates like Sonakshi Sinha as a mask to hide poorly written, humiliating portrayals of plus-size women. If the goal is to empower, then write stories that honor that goal. Show plus-size women as complex, romantic, strong, and worthy — not as punchlines.
Until then, borrowing empowerment for promotion while serving humiliation on screen is nothing more than performative hypocrisy.