Mumbai: Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar has spoken out in support of Katrina Kaif after the actor faced online criticism over her appearance following motherhood. Calling for greater introspection among men, Zafar said women should not be judged according to narrow beauty standards or reduced to their physical appearance.
Zafar, who shared screen space with Katrina in the 2011 romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, addressed the issue in a video after social media users commented on the actor’s post-pregnancy appearance.
His comments come amid renewed discussion around Katrina’s appearance after she attended public events with husband Vicky Kaushal. The actor became the subject of body-shaming comments following her appearance at filmmaker Kuku Kohli’s prayer meet in August. More recently, criticism resurfaced after Katrina and Vicky attended the Ambani family’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai.
Ali Zafar asks men to look inward
Reacting to the comments directed at Katrina, Zafar said men should examine the standards they impose on women.
“A man was talking about my colleague—with whom I previously worked in Bollywood — expressing immense discomfort over how she used to look versus how she looks now,” Zafar said in the video.
He argued that the way women are perceived should not be determined solely by whether their appearance conforms to socially created standards.
Zafar added that people often have no idea what another person may be experiencing privately and called for greater compassion and understanding.
His remarks came after social media users criticised Katrina’s appearance following her return to more visible public appearances after becoming a mother.
The actor and Vicky Kaushal welcomed their first child, a son, in November 2025. Katrina subsequently kept a relatively low public profile, making her occasional appearances particularly noticeable to fans and photographers.
‘Let her live, why do you care?’
Zafar continued his criticism of unsolicited commentary about women’s bodies, saying that every woman has her own life, experiences and struggles.
He urged people to be “nice”, “compassionate”, “understanding”, “accepting”, “appreciative” and “positive”, rather than passing judgment on another person’s appearance.
“Whatever search or struggle she is going through, whatever her past was, whatever her present and future are — that is her life. Let her live, why do you care? It is her life,” he said.
The remarks have added to a wider conversation around the expectations placed on women, particularly actresses, to quickly return to their pre-pregnancy appearance.
Katrina’s recent public appearances have prompted both criticism and support online. Fans and other actors have pointed out that physical changes after pregnancy and childbirth are normal and that postpartum recovery does not follow one fixed timeline.
Shivaleeka Oberoi also backs Katrina
Zafar is not the only actor to speak in Katrina’s defence.
Actor Shivaleeka Oberoi previously criticised the social media reaction to Katrina’s appearance following her attendance at Kuku Kohli’s prayer meet with Vicky Kaushal.
Sharing a picture of Katrina, Oberoi wrote, “Kya ho gaya hai (What happened) means?! This is Motherhood!”
She also highlighted the physical realities associated with postpartum recovery, including bloating, exhaustion and other changes that can accompany motherhood.
Oberoi questioned the expectation that motherhood should conform to an idealised image, describing the online reaction as a reflection of an unrealistic mindset.
Her comments came after Katrina was subjected to harsh remarks about her appearance following the August public appearance. Reports noted that some social media users compared her current appearance with earlier phases of her career.
Katrina’s recent public appearances draw attention
Katrina’s appearance with Vicky at Kuku Kohli’s prayer meet on August 26 was one of her first notable public appearances after becoming a mother. The couple attended the event without engaging with the paparazzi before leaving the venue.
The discussion resurfaced in September after the couple attended the Ambani family’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai.
Katrina’s appearance at the event attracted widespread attention online, with some users commenting on her body and comparing her current appearance with how she looked before motherhood. Other users pushed back against those comments and defended the actor.
The conversation has also highlighted the scrutiny faced by female celebrities over physical appearance, particularly after pregnancy.
Katrina has largely stayed away from films
Katrina has largely stayed away from acting projects since the release of Merry Christmas in 2024, in which she starred opposite Vijay Sethupathi.
Since then, she has also continued to be associated with her beauty brand, Kay Beauty, while maintaining a relatively private personal life.
Her reduced screen presence has made her occasional public appearances a subject of increased attention. However, recent coverage has also shifted towards discussions about the pressures placed on women to meet appearance-based expectations after pregnancy.
The response from Zafar and Oberoi has brought that issue into sharper focus, with both actors questioning the tendency to evaluate women primarily through their physical appearance.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan connection
Zafar and Katrina previously worked together in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, the 2011 romantic comedy directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The film also starred Imran Khan and Ali Zafar and became one of the notable Hindi releases of that period.
More than a decade later, Zafar’s public support for his former co-star has drawn attention because it comes in response to a debate about Katrina’s appearance rather than her professional work.
His comments also shift the focus from Katrina’s appearance to the broader question of why women are subjected to such scrutiny in the first place.
A wider conversation about postpartum expectations
Katrina’s experience has become part of a larger discussion about postpartum body image and the expectation that women should quickly return to their pre-pregnancy appearance.
Recent coverage has noted that changes in weight and body composition following pregnancy can vary significantly between individuals, with no universal timetable for recovery.
For celebrities, the pressure can be amplified by constant public visibility and comparisons with photographs from earlier stages of their careers.
Zafar’s message therefore goes beyond defending an individual actor. His comments call for people to reconsider the practice of judging women primarily on appearance and to recognise that motherhood and personal circumstances can bring physical changes.
As Katrina continues to balance her personal life, brand commitments and future professional plans, the recent reactions from Zafar and Oberoi have placed the focus back on an issue that extends beyond Bollywood: allowing women to experience motherhood without having their worth measured by how closely they match an earlier version of themselves.