By Jilawatan

Ever since she made her debut with Parineeta, Vidya Balan has worked with many a veteran filmmakers like Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Eklavya – The Royal Guard), Mani Ratnam (Guru), Priyadarshan (Bhool Bhulaiyaa), Raj Kumar Santoshi (Halla Bol) and Aziz Mirza (Kismat Konnection). Meanwhile, she has also worked with first time directors like Pradeep Sarkar (Parineeta) and Sajid Khan (Heyy Babyy) as well as one film old Raj Kumar Hirani (Lagey Raho Munnabhai) or Nikhil Advani (Salaam E Ishq).

Buzz up!
This is why, when she interacted with someone like Balki (who only has a Cheeni Kum behind him), what sort of change in approach did she see in them?

“The best part about him is that he is just fantastic when it comes to multitasking”, Vidya begins talking about the filmmaker, “Even during the making of the film, he would be managing his ad agency meetings. While having lunch with us, he would be having round table conversations. Meanwhile, he would interact with all of us quite normally on the sets.”

She is also impressed with the fact that in spite of a hectic schedule, Balki kept himself abreast with all that was being churned out in Bollywood. “He would always catch a Friday movie release without fail. That’s not all; he is someone who goes for all the concerts and plays. Can you believe that? He has time for everything and anything. He manages his time so well”, she gushes.

Time management is not the only factor that has impressed Vidya. She believes that Balki is also an ace when it comes to people management.

Vidya Balan “Temperamentally he is just so cool”, she smiles, “He is just so easy to work with. I have seen him interacting with his assistants. His people management is fantastic because whether it is Mr. Amitabh Bachchan or any junior most crew member on the sets, he knows how to get that comfort feel rolling. He gives and gets respects all around.”

However, the story goes that to begin with Vidya wasn’t too sure about working with Balki. “I have a personal anecdote to share”, she divulges, “My sister and brother-in-law, whom I hold in great regard, have worked with Balki for years on the ads that he has made. I used to interact with a lot of their mutual friends and they always used to speak about him. This set me wondering that what was so great about him.”

She got the answer when Cheeni Kum released and Balki’s cinematic sensibilities were on display for one and all. “I loved the film and didn’t forget the kind of wonderful experience that Balki had created. Now when I have worked with him, I know what makes some of his qualities so distinct. Both Cheeni Kum and Paa have been based on subjects hitherto unexplored and all of that has been possible due to one single factor – sheer conviction. Once Balki is sure about the story he wants to tell, there is no looking back”, she comments.

It is this conviction factor that attracted Vidya towards Paa. “I was having a constant pull and push internally before I decided to do Paa. However, Balki didn’t flinch even for a microsecond. This is what that set me on path to do Paa. I had certain doubts but they were quashed by this guy’s conviction. It is simply admirable and we all just followed the line”, she adds.

Vidya Balan While Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu and Paresh Rawal were senior heavyweights in Cheeni Kum, same wasn’t the case in Paa which featured her along with Abhishek Bachchan. “There is this mutual sense of respect that Balki encourages”, says Vidya, “Like, I really enjoyed the way he used to interact with Mr. Bachchan. Similarly with me and Abhishek, he had his own way of conveying a point. Of course all of us we used to make suggestions and he was open to them as well. He would never dismiss our suggestions.”

And how much did these suggestions actually get incorporated in the final filming?

“Hardly any”, Vidya comes up with a laugh here, “Invariably he would go with what he felt was right. He believed in the principal of listen to all and do what you feel strongest about. But yes, this entire exercise used to be quite helpful since I would ask him quite a few pertinent questions and I would always get the right answers.”

This is the reason why she was quite convinced when in the early days Balki explained to her the entire idea about the film, its background (Progeria) and how it was not meant to evoke sympathy or pity.

“I was wondering if Paa would turn out to be a serious film but Balki was quite clear that this was not going to be the case. He promised that it would be a heart warming film and that’s the way it has turned out to be. The entire disease thing is just the background of the film. The idea is to project the story with all the sensitivity but not make it a sympathetic affair”, she concludes.

After the release of her latest film, Kismat Konnection, actress Vidya Balan is believed to be taking it easy. The actress is believed to be on a vacation for the next couple of months.

But this is not a planned vacation. In fact, it is a vacation which has been forced on the actress. The actress’s next two films, Chenab Gandhi and Pa, do not begin their shooting schedules till another two months. She also has a Vishal Bharadwaj film, which too will begin shooting around September. Besides these few assignments, Vidya hasn’t signed any other project. So, till the shoot begins, she has no other option but to sit at home and chill. But she is believed to be putting her vacation to good use. Besides making burkha clad trips to cinema theatres to watch her won film, she is also sitting at home and reading scripts. The actress who is now nine films old in the industry, admits that she was quite nervous before the release of Kismat Konnection. It is for the first time that she rung up people asking them about how they liked the film. Maybe this anxiety has something to do with a certain Shahid Kapoor. Incidentally, the director of the film, Aziz Mirza is least bothered by reports on the film, good or bad. He is currently chilling at his farmhouse.

Vidya Balan while giving an interview said that Shahid Kapoor and she are good friends and “great co-stars”. She also said that she don’t meet any co-star outside the work.

When she was asked about Shahrukh Khan, She said that Shahrukh Khan is a living legend and she doesn’t feel herself close to his level.

Interestingly when she was asked about Bollywood stars whom she feels are good looking, she didn’t mention Shahid Kapoor’s name. Shahrukh Khan was the first name when she was mentioning good looking Bollywood stars but John Abraham, Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan were also in the list.

Giving an indication about her marriage plans, she said that everyone is ready to mingle (get married) so does she.

Celebrity actress, Vidya Balan has given an exclusive interview on her kismat of working with Aziz Mirza and her connection with Shahid Kapoor.

Do you believe in kismat?

I’m a firm believer in kismat. The fact that you, and not someone else, has come to interview me is because we were destined to meet.

What has made you such a firm believer in kismat?

My first film, Parineeta. I had seen the work that Dada (director Pradeep Sarkar) had done — music videos like Euphoria’s Mairee, Shubha Mudgal’s Ab Ke Sawan and Piya Basanti — and I was keen to work with him. At a particular film festival, I met Dada’s assistant who told me that Dada too wanted to work with me. When I said that I would love to work with Dada whenever he made his next music video, he regretfully informed me that Dada had stopped making videos. However, two-and-a-half years later, Dada was making a video, and he called me for an audition. I got selected; and I worked with him which led to us collaborating on Parineeta. Similarly I wanted to work with Aziz uncle but he had stopped making films after his wife’s demise. I thought I wouldn’t be able to work with Aziz uncle but when he decided to make a film, he called me for the film! Paulo Coelho has said, ‘When you truly want something, the world conspires to make it happen’.

Why were you so keen on working with Aziz Mirza?

Aziz Uncle is one of the few filmmakers who makes positive films even today (Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Yes Boss, Chalte Chalte). When I went to meet Aziz uncle, he told me that his script was not ready but he had called me only because he wanted to meet me. I told Aziz uncle, ‘If after the script is completed, you feel that I don’t suit the role, I will still assist you. I want to work with you’.

Once the script was ready, what was the first thing that appealed to you?

The simplicity. The film is about you and me, it is about people whom we know. It’s about real emotions of real people.

What is the basic premise of Kismat Konnection?

You can do what you want — even stand on your head — but if two people are destined to meet, you cannot stop them from meeting. A connection happens only because kismat intended it.

What is your role?

I play Priya, an extrovert who believes in life and lives it to the hilt. She believes that whomsoever she meets should have a smile on his/her face.

How much do you identify with your character?

Priya and I both think from our hearts.

This was your first film with Shahid Kapur. You clearly got along well…

Shahid is a very unselfish actor. He does not try to overshadow the other actor in the frame. If he tells you ‘let’s do a better take’, it is not always about ‘him’, which I think is a very good quality for an actor and a person. He is disciplined yet he is warm.

How do you react to being linked with Shahid?

Earlier, when I was linked with other actors, I would get upset. But with Shahid, I was never upset. Ever since we have come back from the Toronto shoot, something new is being written about us, but I laugh at these stories. Yes, we are very good friends, we get along very well as co-actors but that doesn’t mean that we are carrying on. If there would have been something then why would I hide it? He is not a married man, he is single.

You are sporting a modern look in the film; but you have received a lot of flak for your dress sense (think Heyy Babyy). Are you confused about what to wear?

Not really. There have been times when I feel that I’m looking bad but people compliment me. At other times, I feel I am looking good and people don’t agree. I wear things that I like wearing, I feel if I am feeling confident and good, I will look good.

After six releases in 2007, you seem to be going slow now. Do you feel the heat of the competition from other heroines?

I’m not competing with anyone. I want to do something different in each film. I have signed Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production Chenab Gandhi with Mr Bachchan and Harman Baweja. I also have Vishal Bharadwaj’s next production, Isskiya, which is going to be directed by his assistant Abhishek Choubey and will co-star Naseeruddin Shah.

Finally, as a South Indian, how is your Hindi enunciation so good?

If you listen to my Papa and my Mom talking in Hindi, you will be shocked. My dad pronounces Khoon Bhari Maang as Khun Beri Mang. But I loved Hindi from the very beginning. I would frequent my teacher Usha Tandon’s house to read passages from my Hindi textbook, aloud. I wanted to fine-tune my diction because I wanted to become an actress. There have been times where it is difficult to pronounce a word but I have improved a lot. However, even today, I do mix up the genders a lot.

Which is your favourite Vidya Balan film? And how much do you like her character in Kismat Konnection with Shahid Kapoor?

Imagine the embarrassment relishing scrumptious hotdogs and realising that you do not have any money on you to pay them?

That too in a foreign country! This embarrassing but funny incident occurred when Vidya Balan and Aziz Mirza were shooting for the movie in Canada.

Hotdogs happen to be one of Vidya’s and Aziz’s favourite delicacies and the duo just decided to have them from one of the vendors on the street.

Vidya ordered her favourite flavour, while Aziz ordered his! The two even initiated a casual conversation with the vendor. The vendor seemed pretty impressed by what Vidya and Aziz had to say about each other.

The duo then reached out for their wallets to pay the vendor. But, hey! There was no moolah to pay the hotdog seller. Vidya did not know where to look, while Aziz smiled in embarrassment. Being a Bollywood fan, he said that it was on the house. Some kismat connection this is!