MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, who has had his share of struggle with obesity, wants to use this snowballing chatter around him to start an initiative that provides a platform for the youth of the country to vocalise the health issues that they are facing.
Arjun said: "I'm really grateful to everyone for being so supportive after I spoke about my fight with obesity. I didn't expect people to be so appreciative of my journey and motivate me to be a constant work in progress. Life is about cherishing your struggles and owning them.
"So, here I'm owning every bit of my life without the fear of being judged. People have told me that I should keep on speaking openly about my struggle because many in India are going through the same thing, especially the youth of the country."
The actor added that he has been told that he showed many how health is not just about how you physically look, it is also about what you are going through deep inside your mind too.
He added: "I felt liberated when I spoke about how I went about tackling it. I felt courageous after I spoke out because I had to take on trolls who are ignorant about this serious issue plaguing the youth of today and demoralise them further. We need a more compassionate world and we need to vocalise our issues openly without being judged or shamed."
"I'm thinking of starting some kind of an initiative that gives a platform to people to openly talk about such issues and their mental health."
Arjun said that she is going to work on this in the months to come and hopefully see if he has an action plan that can benefit many.
"For most people, it's a constant struggle. It's normal to go through such issues whether you are a celebrity or not. Everybody has to keep working on themselves. Not everybody is blessed with perfect genetics and metabolism."
"What I spoke about has resonated with many more people than what I had imagined and I hope it brings the necessary attention to such an important issue."
On the work front, Arjun currently has three films lined up -- 'Ek Villain Returns', 'Kuttey' and 'The Lady Killer'.