Chaitali Kohli: Acting Healed the Hurt Fat Girl in Me

Mumbai: Actor Chaitali Kohli, known for her roles in Khauff and Crew, has shared a deeply personal and inspiring account of her journey into acting, revealing how the craft helped heal long-held insecurities about her body and appearance.

Born and raised in Dadar, Chaitali initially studied advertising and public relations and even taught belly dancing for 12 years. Yet, acting remained her true passion from a very young age. “I went for one workshop of Vidya Patwardhan, and since then I have never thought of anything else but acting. I was six back then,” she recalled.

Family expectations, however, delayed her pursuit. Her parents encouraged her to get married and have children first, after which she could follow her dreams. Chaitali honoured that wish. It was only in 2017, when she joined Adishakti to study Natyashastra physically, that her professional acting journey truly began.

In the early days, Chaitali grappled with hesitation about her looks, body, and voice. Over the past few years, however, she has experienced a profound transformation. “As compared to the initial days of acting, my hesitation about my looks, my body, and my voice went away,” she said with quiet confidence. “I enjoy being me in my body, and your body is all you have when you are an actor. My acting has healed the hurt fat girl in me.”

She added that while she was always confident at heart, working on sets taught her valuable life lessons. “I understand the life on set — to respect the crew and be extremely patient because everyone else is working hard to make me look good on screen.”

Chaitali’s first major break came with a PhonePe advertisement featuring the popular character Seema Aunty, complete with a voiceover by Aamir Khan. She has also been part of the Marathi play Vishamrut, directed by Vijay Kenkare, and her last Hindi project was Single Papa.

When asked how she balances projects between Hindi and Marathi cinema, Chaitali credited her linguistic skills. “I know both the languages well. And since I am trained I know how both languages sound without accent. I have a knack to speak the language as it is. Just a quirk I learnt!”

Though she loves the energy of public relations and artist management, Chaitali feels fortunate to be living her true passion. She entered the industry at the age of 35 and holds no regrets. “We all crib. But the brighter side is that it has accepted me at the age of 35. And if that can happen, I don’t know what more to say,” she said gratefully. “A huge amount of patience and choosing any project that comes your way” have been key to her progress.

Looking ahead, Chaitali’s career goal is clear: “To be so busy in my work that I am able to build a great body of work and make an impact on the audience so that they remember me as one of the fine actors from India.”

To aspiring actors, she offered practical and heartfelt advice: “Huge amount of patience and be ready to do any kind of acting work whether it is paid or not. Every chance is an opportunity to be seen. If you can digest these two things, nothing can stop you. Keep your ego at the door. Hold your craft close to you, train as much as you can, and become the person that you need to be to become a great actor. And work each day. Actors are never on holiday.”

Chaitali Kohli’s story is a powerful testament to self-acceptance, perseverance, and the transformative power of following one’s calling — no matter when it arrives. Her journey from advertising professional and belly dance instructor to a respected face in both Hindi and Marathi entertainment continues to inspire many who dare to embrace their dreams later in life. Through her performances and personal growth, she proves that true acting begins with healing oneself first.