Namita Thapar slams pitch on dieting for weight loss in new Shark Tank promo: ‘Log ye gimmicky cheezein kar rahe hain’

Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar criticised an idea shared on the show in the latest promo that was posted by Sony Entertainment Television. While listening to the pitch about a diet and nutrition company, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said she is unable to agree to the business idea on a fundamental level. This is not the first time Namita has spoken strongly about issues pertaining to weight loss and dieting. In an earlier episode Namita had shared that she too faced body shaming herself and was even teased as ‘moti (fat)’ in her early days. Also read: Netizens disagree as Shark Tank’s Namita Thapar claims ‘educated househelp’ posted hateful comment from her phone

In the Shark Tank India season 2 promo released on Thursday, Namita said to an entrepreneur pitching her business idea, “Ye jo apne word use kiya hain na ‘restart’, isi mein problem hein. Ye jo aap bata rahi he na usse mein fundamentally agree nahi kar rahi hoon, ki no exercise… humare saath aate he, restart karte he… Let’s spread the message ki weight loss ek lifestyle change se hota he… aur hum diabetes capital, blood pressure capital ban rahe hain because log ye sab gimmicky cheezein kar rahe hain aur apne health ke saath mess kar rahe hain. Toh mujhe ye sab sunke thoda sa, I am sorry but gussa jaise aa jata hain. I think we need to stop misguiding the country (The word you just used ‘restart’, is my main problem. Whatever you are saying here I am unable to agree on a fundamental level, that no exercise, we restart etc… Weight loss happens due to change in lifestyle, and if we are becoming diabetes capital and blood pressure capital as a country then it is because we are doing these gimmicky things and playing with our health. So after listening to this I feel a little angry, I am so sorry to say).”

While Namita spoke, the other two sharks Peyush Bansal and Anupam Mittal looked at her and seemed to agree with her statement. Some users appreciated Namita’s opinions on the show. One commented, “Hat’s off.’” Last year, Namita had revealed, while speaking to author Chetan Bhagat on his talk show on YouTube, that she used to feel ‘very ugly’ as a kid because of her weight and acne.

Shark Tank India Season 2 is hosted by Rahul Dua, and has Anupam Mittal (founder-CEO of Shaadi.com), Aman Gupta (co-founder-CMO of boAt), Namita Thapar (executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Vineeta Singh (co-founder-CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics), Peyush Bansal (founder-CEO of Lenskart.com) and Amit Jain (co-founder-CEO of CarDekho Group and InsuranceDekho.com) as the sharks.