TLI Staff
New Delhi: Vidya Balan walked her own path and carved out her own identity in the cinematic world which is primarily ruled by glamour and glitz. The actress who started her career with Parineeta made it clear from the beginning itself that she’s not here to dance around trees.
She did get swayed by people’s perceptions about her in the beginning and did films like Kismet Konnection and Hello Baby where she played the typical Bollywood female lead and the films spelt disaster at the box office.
Vidya, however, soon got back to doing what she’s best at and worked in many critically acclaimed and award winning films. From Kahaani, The Dirty Picture, Isqiya, No One Killed Jessica to Begum Jaan, Vidya has an enviable body of work.
Despite proving her mettle in these strong performances, media at times was harsh to her while covering her red carpet appearances. From commenting on her weight to dressing sense, Vidya was subjected to various kinds of criticism.
On Look Who’s Talking with Niranjan, Vidya Balan talked about the unsavoury reports by media that hurt actors.
“When someone says you’re not beautiful, especially to a girl, it can be very damaging towards their self-confidence,” said the actress.
Vidya opened up about how celebrities are easily exploited by media persons simply because they are accomplished actors or actresses. She called them out by saying, “Every day, I would pick up the paper hoping for something good. Sometimes I would find stories about my weight, at times about the way I dressed and most absurd was when I came across a headline that mentioned it rained heavily today, must be Vidya Balan’s fault.”
“I am not one of those skinny girls, I am a well-endowed South-Indian girl with my curves in place.”
Vidya Balan is also amused with people’s perception about married women. “It’s ridiculous to think that a married woman is only seen as able to get pregnant and have children.”
Vidya Balan also spoke about the fallout with Sujoy Ghosh back in 2014 after she rejected one of his biggest projects. “For me to be able to commit myself completely on screen, I have to be able to live a full life off screen. That could be reading, watching plays or maybe even enjoy the scenic beauty.”
On her upbringing
“I was brought up with the feeling that I was the most important person in my life and I think that’s what makes all the difference.”
Vidya’s sister on her
Priya, Vidya’s sister has mentioned time and again that they as soul sisters have each other’s back. She supported that statement by saying, “Anytime, I didn’t know how to manoeuvre through a particular situation, I would turn to Vidya. Exceptional fact about her is that she won’t point you in a particular direction but rather talks you through it where you end up owning the solution.”