Rajinikanth’s daughter, Soundarya Rajinikanth, has spoken out against body-shaming Katrina Kaif after coming out publicly for the first time since becoming a mother, calling the criticism “unfair” and “not kind”. The filmmaker and mother of two said women deserve more understanding and respect for the physical changes they undergo during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Katrina faced online trolling in September when she stepped out to attend a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. Pictures and videos of the event soon made their way online, with some social media users commenting on the post-pregnancy look. The criticism drew support from several celebrities, who called out the actor’s unnecessary scrutiny of his body.

Now, Soundarya has also addressed the backlash. Speaking to Nayandeep Rakshit on her YouTube channel, she opened up about her experiences of pregnancy and motherhood and explained why she was particularly affected by the criticism directed at Katrina.

Soundarya said, “I have two children and it’s not easy. When you go through this process, your body changes and after a certain age it becomes more difficult to have a child. I had my second child when I was 35. It’s not easy. You have to give the woman that respect. Because what a woman can do physically, you can’t blame men because they can’t. It’s not biology.”

She emphasized that the physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth should be accepted rather than used as a reason to judge women.

“But you need to acknowledge and accept that a woman does. We’re not asking the guy, ‘Why aren’t you pregnant?’ But when we go through that, my heart just went out when it all happened. It wasn’t fair. It was not kind. Women go through a lot but being a woman is special,” she added.

Soundarya’s comments come after several celebrities publicly stood by Katrina amid trolling. Salman Khan, Parineeti Chopra and Khushboo Sundar were among those who spoke out against the criticism and defended the actress’ comments about her appearance.

Katrina and Vicky Kaushal welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in November last year. The couple named their son Vihaan. After becoming parents, both the actors have kept their son away from the public eye while gradually returning to their professional commitments.

Also Read: Vicky Kaushal Says Katrina Kaif’s Happiness With Son Vihaan Made Her “Stop” Time