Neha Bhasin was only 20 when she tried to take her own life. The reason? People wouldn’t stop judging her body. Even at 50 kilos, she was called “fat.” And one day, it broke her.
She shared the painful memory in a recent podcast with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa. At the time, Neha was part of the all-girls pop group Viva, alongside Seema Ramchandani, Pratichee Mohapatra, Mahua Kamat, and Anushka Manchanda. The group had signed with a major TV channel. That’s where things took a dark turn.
“They circled my stomach on a TV screen”
Neha recalls sitting in a conference room. A man from the channel played a music video on the big screen. Then, in front of everyone, he circled her stomach and said they wouldn’t release the video—because she looked too fat. She was stunned. “I was only 50 kilos,” she said.
That night, she went home in a rage. Without thinking, she downed more than half a bottle of fat burners. “It was a suicide attempt,” she admitted. For two days, she kept throwing up. No one from the band noticed what had happened.
The poison started early
Back in 2002, when Neha first entered the industry, fat burners were handed to her without any warning. She was just a teenager, and no one told her how dangerous they could be. She said she had no idea what those pills could do. The pressure to fit in, to look a certain way, was overwhelming.
More than just music
Known for hits like “Jag Ghoomeya,” “Aslam-e-Ishqam,” and “Kuch Khaas,” Neha has always been open about her personal battles. But this story—about shame, silence, and survival—hits hard.
Her fans saw the confident performer. But behind the scenes, she was fighting to stay afloat in a space that judged her body more than her voice.
Speaking up, finally
Neha’s voice trembled as she told this story, but she didn’t hold back. She also revealed how an argument with the channel escalated when another man joined in just to humiliate her further. It wasn’t just about one incident—it was about a pattern of bullying that followed her around in the early days.
She never got an apology. She never expected one. But now, years later, she’s telling the truth.
And it matters.