Bollywood actress Elli AvrRam graced the Women’s Health & Book Launch event celebrating the national bestseller Heal Your Gut, Mind & Emotions by Dimple Jangda. She was one of the panelists, joined by Dr. Madhu Chopra, Vinti Lodha, Dr. R Chenraj Jain, and Ayraah Lodha. With The Free Press Journal in attendance, Elli discussed ageism in the film industry, highlighting the pressure on actresses to maintain a youthful appearance.
The actress said, "It's been such a journey to actually understand this when it comes to health—the importance of it, the importance of working on yourself, and keeping your balance. Sometimes we just learn something and then completely follow it, not realising the side effects that can happen. I'm always someone who's been trying my best to follow whatever is natural because that's the way my parents have brought me up. Even when it comes to makeup, it should be the best option possible for the skin."
Elli added, "My family has also studied as much as possible regarding food. We don't tend to think about that—how important it is to actually understand what we put in our bodies and how that reflects on the outside. I didn't know that there was something called Ayurveda. I got to know about Ayurveda, and I was like, 'Wow, this is like so interesting. And I truly believe in it, and I want to know more about it.' In modern times, we tend to forget about ancient knowledge, which is actually extremely rich. And there's a reason why it has existed, why it was there. It's also because I think that they were so important, kind of like fundamental things in what we are today, to be honest."
She further shared,"I literally understand this: whatever you put inside, it will show on your face, on your skin. It's actually that simple. Everything is just correlated. The thing with me is, like, I completely try to avoid medicines as much as I can. When I'm sick for three days, people are like, 'Oh, you must go to the doctor.' I'm like, no, 'My body is fighting it. I know. I'm recovering.'"
"And there may be a struggle with that. It's so easy to fall into this whole thing like, I should be 20 years old forever. That's just ridiculous. We need to evolve it, which is so toxic to the body, which is so bad. I've just been trying to find ways to learn how to maintain myself in a healthier way. There are so many natural things you can do. There are so many things in terms of diet that you can do that actually give a change," Elli added.
"One has to actually work very much internally, I would say, and with the ego to knock the ego down. When it comes to your words, the way you talk to yourself, your affirmations, and meditation. The kind of glow you get from meditation—it's amazing. Yoga calms you down. It gives you a calm, peaceful phase. There is so much power behind this knowledge. If everyone just applied it, they would see a huge change in their life: how they would be feeling, and how they would also be looking and just shining, literally, literally. And we need to change a lot of the typical standards which people have created as our standard," she said
Elli shared that after her first film (Mickey Virus), she gained eight kilos and was stressed, going to the gym twice a day. She said that previously, eating pizza or chocolate would show up on her body the next day, but when she started yoga, it helped calm her mind, and early meditation eased the stress in her head.
"Now, I have over-conflicted. So today, if I eat your pizza, a burger, and chocolate, nothing happens. And I truly believe in this wisdom, and it is so, because I'm not stressed about it. And I hear my friends say that, 'I can't eat, I can't do yoga, I can't do anything'. And, like, 'Hum itna calories kha rahe hai...' And I'm like, you keep on saying that, it won't happen. I stopped saying that. And essentially, it happens. The weight—nothing affects me. It doesn't happen," she said.
The actress said she realised that it’s all in the mind and that stress can cause many problems, including diseases, heart issues, and more. "You're just calling it. You're telling the universe, I'm going to become sick," AvrRam concluded.
