VIDYA BALAN – Her trials and tribulations in Bollywood
In this day and age when actresses don’t think twice before going under the knife to tuck a flab here, or another there – Vidya Balan has led a handful of actresses who insist on always being themselves. Her success has thus been far removed from anything other actresses have achieved and Shakuntala Devi is all set to reassure us that talent sells more than a hot body.
Today’s actresses are more of Instagram influencers than actual acting talents, their looks more important than their craft; so, when someone like Vidya Balan has a film release, you know it will be different, content-heavy and definitely worth every penny you put in that movie ticket. Given her film,
coming on an OTT platform, will save your buck, it automatically becomes much more enriching for the regular movie-goer. But do you think it is easy to stick to your principles, embrace who you are –especially on such a public platform? Vidya Balan will tell you – NO, IT IS NOT! Read on as she
reveals to Bollywood Insider exactly how difficult it is to be Vidya Balan.
What is the one thing that attracted you to a role like Shakuntala Devi?
You know when someone says mathematics or science, there is automatically a picture of someone harried and absent-minded that comes to mind. And yet, everyone who has followed Shakuntala Devi has only awesome anecdotes to share about her. She was called the human computer, but she is also known for her sense of humor. Have you ever heard of a computer that can make you laugh? Well, I hadn’t, so I just had to make sure I was a part of something like this…
Is it now a must for filmmakers to come to you only and only if they have something completely different and thought-provoking?
I’m so glad you asked me this question; I am pretty sure that many filmmakers think like that while casting me. Half of them come to me telling me, this will definitely get you the national award. It is such a turn- off. I don’t want to align myself with a film for an ulterior motive. I have done a lot of work where I wasn’t even the central character, all this doesn’t matter to me. I just want to align myself with a film that I believe in. I was really thrilled about doing Ghanchakkar, because it was a mad, mad film. For that matter, a film like The Dirty Picture or even now, Shakuntala Devi are charming for me because I really get a kick out of these ladies’ sense of humor and their perceptions of life.
But then, actors have limitations; we cannot predict which filmmakers will come to us and who wouldn’t, so we just have to make the most of what is offered. If the filmmaker thinks that I will fit into only a certain kind of roles, I can only hope that I change that impression soon.
You turned to production with a short film, Natkhat… is that an answer to those filmmakers who have a stunted perspective of you?
May be, may be not. Perhaps, somewhere in my subconscious, I don’t want to wait any longer for someone to produce something that I so strongly believe in. It is a waste of time, also with Siddharth (Roy Kapoor), I think I am in good hands when it comes to guidance.
Guidance is something you have never had, when it comes to this industry. Having Siddharth to guide you must be a welcome change…
It is a huge change from my initial days. I won’t forget how I dressed up in my best ‘wedding/reception’ outfits and went to my local photographer to get my portfolio snaps which I sent off for my auditions. I was so clueless. My sister who has no connections to the film industry was my only guide; she herself might not have known what to do, but she believed in me and helped me more than anyone else. She would draft my resume or bio-data whatever you want to call it, wait with me during auditions and so on. She helped me get my footing in the business, but then I had to hold on to that foothold which got very tough. Today I have reached a place where my mistakes and trials might be overlooked by others, but I remember each and every one of them, and use them as stepping stones to get ahead. With
Siddharth, I know I have a sounding board who thankfully has his ears to the ground when it comes to the industry. I guess I got lucky there…
Lucky only in work or also in lockdowns…. How good was it staying home with Siddharth through the lockdown?
Oh, he is my perfect mate. We are very different in many things, but we are very much alike where it matters. Like for instance, he is not one of those men who thinks running a household is a woman’s prerogative. He was very hands-on with chores, it was nice. Since we are both in a profession that has us traveling literally to opposite ends of the world, it was nice having all this time alone together.
But the lockdown affected Bollywood very adversely. For instance, it did put your shooting of Sherni on hold. Weren’t you in Bhopal when it all started?
Yes, very much all shoots were put on hold. It will be a while till things get back to normal where the film industry is concerned. Yes, I was shooting in Bhopal, but we had a week’s break, so we got back to our homes. We didn’t know that the week would extend to months. But these are unpredictable times.
Are you disappointed that Shakuntala Devi wouldn’t get a theatrical release?
I don’t see why an actor would be disappointed about such things. For an actor, the thirst is to be seen by as many people as possible. So how does it matter if your audience has seen your film on a 70mm screen or on an OTT platform?
What would you be if you weren’t an actress?
A failed actress? I don’t know, I was very young when I saw Tezaab and I completely fell in love with Madhuri Dixit. Just everything that she was doing, Ek Do Teen… was like an anthem; I heard it over and over again. I have interests in terms of literature and poetry, but I just always wanted to be an actress. Even as a kid, even in college. It was not easy to take a bus from Chembur in Central Mumbai and travel every day to Juhu (western Mumbai) for drama classes at Prithvi Theatre, but I was that driven. And
thankfully, I come from a family who saw and understood that passion in me. They supported me in every way. So, I really don’t know what I would have done, had I failed to make it as an actress.
Wasn’t it scary that you almost didn’t make it as an actress…
I have been called ‘bad luck’; many of my so-called debuts got shelved till finally Parineeta happened. Even post that, things almost didn’t work out for me. But I was meant to happen to Bollywood.
