She smiles on camera. She dances like fire on screen. But behind the glam filters and flashing lights, actor Ayesha Khan says the reality has not always been kind.
At a recent session at the We The Women event, Ayesha opened up in a way that left the room silent. From being body-shamed as a teenager to facing rape threats almost every day, the actor did not hold back.
Dropped overnight for being “fat”
Long before the fame, long before the red carpets, Ayesha was just a Class XII student with a big dream. She revealed that she had been selected as the second lead in a T-Series music video. Everything was ready. Costumes, excitement, family pride.
And then one night before the shoot, she was dropped.
Also Read: ‘Sab ghar chalane ki koshish kar rahe hai’: Janhvi Kapoor slams trolls & clicbaits targeting half-brother Arjun
The reason? She was told she looked “fat.”
That sudden rejection hurt deeply. When asked if she ever felt pressure to look a certain way, Ayesha admitted it took her years to feel comfortable in her own skin. The industry’s beauty standards shook her confidence early on.
“I am sexualised almost every day”
Social media brought a different battle.
Ayesha said she is sexualised almost daily on Instagram. According to her, it does not matter what she wears. A normal top becomes a problem. A skirt becomes a problem. Every post comes with judgement.
She said she now has to think before posting anything. And that thought itself makes her sad.
Sometimes she feels like posting whatever she wants. But on other days, she simply does not have the emotional strength to read comments describing what strangers say they would do to her “if they had a chance.”
The fear behind the comments
Ayesha revealed she receives rape threats almost every day. She said these are not just random words on a screen. They are written by real people.
In her own words, she feels that anyone who writes such things is a “potential rapist,” because if they had the power or strength, they might act on it. That thought scares her.
She also admitted that some days these threats trigger old wounds. They make her wonder what could have happened if she were not famous or powerful today. She expressed her wish that stricter action could be taken against such online abuse.
About Ayesha Khan
Ayesha did not enter the industry with a silver spoon. She started as a junior artist and made her television debut with Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’. She later appeared in ‘Baalveer Returns’.
In 2022, she stepped into Telugu cinema with a supporting role in ‘Mukhachitram’.
Her major turning point came in 2023 when she appeared on Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan.
After that, she connected with fans through her YouTube show Dil Ko Rafu Karr Lei.
Ayesha later appeared in a supporting role in ‘Jaat’. She also grabbed attention with the special song “Shararat” in Dhurandhar, where she shared screen space with Krystle D’Souza. The song received immense praise.
Most recently, she was seen in ‘Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2’, starring Kapil Sharma.