Actor Ayesha Khan, who recently featured in the special number Shararat in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar last year, recently spoke about being dropped from a song because of her body size and opened up about being sexualised daily on Instagram and receiving rape threats.
Ayesha Khan opens up on trolls and rape threats
Speaking at the We The Women event, Ayesha revealed that she was supposed to appear as the second lead in a T-Series song when she was in Class XII, but was replaced just a night before the shoot because she was considered “fat”. When asked whether she had ever felt pressured to fit in and look a certain way, she admitted that it had taken her time to feel confident about her appearance.
She further said, “I am almost every day sexualised for my body on Instagram. I wear a normal top; people have a problem, I wear skirts, people have a problem. I have to think before posting. If I have to think before wearing something or wanting to post something, just because someone else is going to sexualise me, it’s, of course, a very sad space to be in. I don’t know, there’s a very thin line I keep struggling, sometimes I think I’ll post whatever I want, but other times I am not in the mood to see any comments telling me whatever they would have done to me if they had a chance.”
She added, “Because you are a potential rapist if you had the strength or you could do what you are saying, you would do it. So it’s very scary that these are actual human beings around us. These are not just comments. I have had rape threats every day. I so wish something strict could be done about it. There are days when it triggers my wounds, scares me that if I were not this famous or powerful like I am today, it could have happened.”
About Ayesha Khan
Ayesha began her journey as a junior artist, making her television debut in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, produced by Ekta Kapoor. She also featured in Baalveer Returns. In 2022, she made her Telugu debut in a supporting role in the film Mukhachitram.
In 2023, Ayesha gained significant recognition after appearing on Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan. Post Bigg Boss, she became a household name with her show Dil Ko Rafu Karr Lei, which aired on YouTube.
She later appeared in a supporting role in Jaat and drew attention for her performance in the special song Shararat in Dhurandhar alongside Krystle D’Souza, which received immense praise. Most recently, Ayesha was seen in Kapil Sharma’s film Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2. The film underperformed at the box office, collecting ₹16.23 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹35 crore.
