“My book Fat Chance is a sarcastic take on body shaming” – Rachita Chauhan

There are some people who like to do just one thing in life. Then, there are those who pursue a variety of things in their professional journey. Rachita Chauhan started her journey in the film industry as an assistant director and then, went on to act in Bengali films like ‘Chaplin’, ‘Bedroom’ and ‘Maach Mishti’. She also featured in ‘Yeh Faasley’, a Hindi film in which Anupam Kher was her co-actor. Her strong sense of observation and empathetic nature led her towards becoming a life designer. Now, Rachita is all set to step into the world of publishing with her debut novel ‘Fat Chance’.

In this interview, Rachita talks about making her debut as an author, love for writing, acting career, being a life designer and more.

‘Fat Chance’, your debut novel, is set in Kolkata. What can you tell us about it?

My book ‘Fat Chance’ is a sarcastic take on body shaming. It has been designed to be a page turner. It is not just for women. It is for everybody who has suffered from body shaming or has been deeply affected by it. In today’s world, people deal with so many different point of views regarding their body. Social media has played a role in making people set unrealistic fitness goals and given them ideas on how they should be looking. I believe that laughter can lighten the burden people are dealing with today. It is my way of looking and laughing at it. After reading this book, people will go back and ponder over their ideas on their body. Accepting the body means a lot of lightness. This book is my attempt at lightness.

When is the book releasing?

The book is scheduled to release this year. Harper Collins, which is publishing the book, has not finalized a date as yet. We are expecting the book to be out by the middle of this year. Harper Collins has been very supportive throughout the process. They were the only people I approached and they found the material interesting enough to publish it. I have written another book. I have shared the draft with Harper Collins and they are going through it at the moment. 

Your journey as a writer started when you worked as a cub reporter for your school supplement ‘Voices’.

Yes! After that, I wrote for many publications including North East Times and North East Daily. I never stopped writing. Even when I was working as an assistant director, I would observe people around me and that would help me flesh out several stories.

You have worked as an actor in Hindi and Bengali films. How do you plan to take your journey as an actor forward?

I have never put myself in a box. In today’s day and age, it is very important to reinvent yourself at regular intervals. All of us are really getting stuck behind images. As an actor, you get to express yourself in 50 different ways. I find that part very exciting. At that moment, I do not have any projects at hand. If I get an interesting character to play in the near future, I will take it up. 

You also work as a life designer. What prompted you towards getting into this space?

It comes from my motto that life does not have to be so hard. We are constantly stuck in our own stories. There are traumas people deal with. There are things that have not worked for us. Most people who come to me are usually in the middle of a storm. Sometimes, the situation is not as bad. Sometimes, it is. All we need is that one person who can show us a way out of this. I try to share possibilities with people. Sometimes, I share a lot of humourous instances with my clients. This book came from the same space. I often tell people that one should enjoy life and not get stuck in thinking about outcome and results.