Actor Patralekhaa has spoken out after a video of her drew comments about her appearance online, opening up a wider conversation about how women’s bodies are viewed after childbirth.

The clip, shared by a paparazzi page with the caption “What’s happened to her?”, showed the 36-year-old stepping out of a car and walking into her building. Her husband, Rajkummar Rao, followed behind.

Though many netizens came forward and commented in her favour, saying she recently became a mother and this is the reason for her weight gain.

But the City Lights actress herself responded in a direct and emotional story on Instagram, and addressed those remarks.

“What's happened to me!? is that I have just give birth! Yes I have gained the weight, which seems like an unnatural phenomenon to you all,” she wrote.

She went on to explain that changes in her body are natural after pregnancy, and not something to be mocked.

“I have not sat and eaten a mountain… I just delivered a baby and produced two films simultaneously,” she added.

“For God's sake please learn to be a little kind,” she schooled people for harsh comments.

The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in November last year, naming her Parvati Paul Rao.

Her comments echo concerns raised earlier by actors like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, who have also criticised intrusive or insensitive coverage.