Exclusive! Remember Chikki From ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’? Here’s What She Looks Like

Child actress Navika Kotia who was last seen in ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ as Chikki is all grown up and has set the bar high for her new look. The actress made sure she went from cute to hot over the years!

Navika Kotia made her onscreen debut in the Vidya Balan and Akshay Kumar starrer Bhool Bhulaiya where she played the young Avni. She also starred in soap operas like Kasamh Se, Saath Phere and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and the most notable movie English Vinglish along with her younger brother Shivansh Kotia. She also went on to star in various regional films in the South industry.

The young actress made sure to get on a journey to stay fit and made sure she kept her fans updated about it on her Instagram. Here take a look!

When we asked Navika when did she realize she had to get on a fitness journey she said, “Fitness has always been a part of my life. I have always been a chubby kid, I started acting at the age of 8 so all my life I’ve had to be on screen, eventually it was very important that I stayed fit even as a kid. I remember having a tummy was a hindrance for me because I wouldn’t get the roles that I wanted. I had to be diet conscious since I was a child and unlike other kids, I couldn’t consume any sugar or junk.”

Navika knew she had to make changes in her lifestyle, “I did loose weight during my school days, at one point I lost 12 kgs but I gained the same back drastically. Then I had a medical issue because of which I gained back more weight no matter how much I tried to control it. Literally during the lockdown I kept gaining and loosing weight back and forth. After the lockdown lifted, I told myself this is it, I had to work on myself so I went on a calorie deficit diet, I did not cheat on my meals for 5 months, I did HIIT workouts at home. I was just consistent with my diet, I kept count of my calorie intake, I measured my food with a kitchen scale. I was very determined to loose weight because I have done it before. I’m happy with the results, currently I am the thinnest that I’ve ever been in my life and luckily my BMI is perfect for my height and age.”

You can checkout Navika Kotia’s weight loss journey here.

When asked if she faced any body shaming in her life she shared, “I grew up getting used to a fact that if I enter in a room full of people who haven’t met me for a long time the first thing that they’re going to talk to me about is my weight. Although I know it myself that I’m chubby, they would leave no chance to ‘remind me’ about my weight. By the time I became a teen I grew many insecurities in regards to my body. I would think thrice before wearing a cloth item and became conscious every time I left the house. But yes I tried not letting people’s comments get in my head and I made sure I still wore whatever I’m comfortable with and stayed confident.”

She also made sure to leave some tips for those who are struggling with body issues, “Its understandable that staying fit can be challenging. But as long as your motivated and determined you will reach your target. People also need to understand that you are not just changing your diet but you are also going to change your lifestyle, consistency is the key. But yes that does not mean you won’t achieve it. Everyone’s bodies are built differently so you need to see what works for you and make sure that you don’t face any side effects to it.”

She also added how she feels after her entire transformation, “It took me 10 years to reach my ideal weight and I’m nothing but proud of myself. But I still feel insecure about my body at times. I felt my insecurities would go away after loosing weight but they still remained in me. Either I’m not happy with how a certain body part is shaped or someone would point it out to me. But I make sure I enter a zone where I tell myself that I’m happy with whatever I am. The irony is that people who made fun of me for being chubby actually tell me that I was better before or that I’ve lost too much weight, it is frustrating but I guess people have the need to comment on you no matter what. Either way I’m happy with the outcome and I’ve closed my ears to unsolicited comments on my body. But that does not end here, I have to make sure that I maintain my figure and be careful with my diet throughout my life and I hope that I stay consistent as always.”

Well we couldn’t be more happier for Navika and we wish nothing but happiness and health for her. At the moment, the young actress is pretty active on Instagram. She and her brother Shivansh have a YouTube channel with 100k+ subscribers called ‘Navika and Shivansh’ where they share daily updates and create fun videos together.