By Jilawatan

She is a powerhouse of talent who stormed onto the Bollywood scene with Parineeta. She later followed it up with some brilliant performances in films such as Lage Raho Munnabhai, Guru, Heyy Babyy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Paa and Ishqiya. She is none other than Vidya Balan.

Vidya is all excited about her forthcoming film No One Killed Jessica where she plays the role of Jessica Lal’s sister Sabrina. As the film readies itself for a gala release this week, we give you a chance to have a live video chat with Vidya Balan on Thursday, Jan 6, at 1500 hrs IST. Don’t miss!

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan’s plans of performing a complex Mohiniyattam dance for Santosh Sivan’s Malayalam film Urumi have been postponed due to her shoulder condition. The actress says she can’t dance until she is fully recovered otherwise she may have a life-long shoulder problem. “This has happened all because of my own stubbornness,” said Vidya whose gym trainer had warned her against rigorous exercises.
“But I didn’t listen to him. Now I can’t dance until I am fully recovered. I still haven’t forgotten the impact of my classical number in Bhool Bhulaiyaa. The one in Santosh’s film would be far more sensuous and intricate.”

Vidya has a chronic shoulder condition which got aggravated after she insisted on going to the gym before it had healed completely. She has now had a relapse, leading to this excruciating pain.

“Now I’ve to wait out, I’ve no option. Otherwise I’ll have a life-long shoulder problem. I can’t wait to start rehearsing for Santosh Sivan’s dance number.”

Though Vidya is a trained classical dancer, a Mohiniyattam guru has been specially hired by Sivan to teach her nuances of the dance form before she performs it for filming.

Vidya’s training was to start this week. Her spirit and her feet are willing — but the body is too weak to take the vigorous dancing.

“I was in so much pain I couldn’t do any of the normal things, let alone dance,” she said.

Speaking on the much talked-about item song, she said: “It’s more talked-about than actually performed. I was supposed to start preparing for it this week. Unfortunately I’ve been down with a painful shoulder condition for some time. And completely forbidden from doing anything strenuous.”

Vidya describes it as a fusion dance.

“Since I was born in Kerala my family is so looking forward to my foray into Malayalam films. I thought a song is a very good place to start. Moreover, I totally admire Santosh Sivan’s work… who doesn’t?”

By Jilawatan

Having created a niche for herself in the tinsel town, Vidya Balan has now attracted a prestigious honour.
The charming actress is reported to be given the Smita Patil Memorial Award by the Priyadarshini Academy. She said to have been chosen for her outstanding contribution to the film industry. She said to have been chosen for her outstanding contribution to the film industry. Balan garnered much acclaims with her debut movie Parineeta and later went on to create success with her roles in films like Lage Raho Munnabhai, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Paa and Ishqiya.
Incepted in 1984, the academy is an NGO which is engaged in socio-cultural and educational activities. Earlier the award has been won by several personalities namely Preity Zinta, Yash Chopra, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor.
Talking on why they chose Balan, chairman of the academy Nanik Rupani explained to sources, Vidya Balan is an excellent actress. She is modern yet contemporary and has done decent and powerful roles. Her performance in ‘Paa’ was outstanding.
The award function is reported to be held in Oberoi Hotel (Mumbai) on 19th Sep.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan will be conferred with the Smita Patil Memorial Award for her “outstanding” contribution to the film industry.
“Vidya Balan is an excellent actress. She is modern yet contemporary and has done decent and powerful roles. Her performance in ‘Paa’ was outstanding. Our jury has chosen her for the Smita Patil Award for her outstanding contribution to the film industry,” Priyadarshini Academy chairman Nanik Rupani told IANS.

Priyadarshini Academy is an NGO which is engaged in socio-cultural and educational activities and has been holding the biennial award function since its inception in 1984.

In 2008, Preity Zinta was felicitated with the award. Other celebrities like Yash Chopra, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor have also been bestowed with this award.

Vidya Balan made her debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s “Parineeta” in 2005 and later on went to give some outstanding performances in “Lage Raho Munnabhai”, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa”, “Paa” and “Ishqiya”.

The ceremony will be held Sep 19 in Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan will be conferred with the Smita Patil Memorial Award for her “outstanding” contribution to the film industry.
“Vidya Balan is an excellent actress. She is modern yet contemporary and has done decent and powerful roles. Her performance in ‘Paa’ was outstanding. Our jury has chosen her for the Smita Patil Award for her outstanding contribution to the film industry,” Priyadarshini Academy chairman Nanik Rupani told IANS.
Priyadarshini Academy is an NGO which is engaged in socio-cultural and educational activities and has been holding the biennial award function since its inception in 1984.
In 2008, Preity Zinta was felicitated with the award. Other celebrities like Yash Chopra, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor have also been bestowed with this award.
Vidya Balan made her debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s “Parineeta” in 2005 and later on went to give some outstanding performances in “Lage Raho Munnabhai”, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa”, “Paa” and “Ishqiya”.
The ceremony will be held Sep 19 in Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.

By Jilawatan

With her enchanting beauty, captivating smile and seductive ways, Vidya Balan became the fantasy woman for many with her very first Bollywood film, ‘Parineeta’. Vidya went on an award winning spree when she started her career and there was no looking back since then for this Indian beauty.

With amazing performances like ‘Paa’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ and ‘Ishqiya’, in 7 years, Vidya has succeeded in achieving superstardom. But there is something that sends jitters down her spine. Recently at an event Vidya divulged that she loves acting but she cannot ever think doing theatre. “I will never do theatre because I am extremely petrified of the live audience,” said Vidya.

While theatre artists are hooked on to the medium for the ‘live audience’ aspect, here we have Vidya, who’s a brilliant actor on screen but is scared of performing live. Perhaps that’s the reason why we haven’t seen Vidya Balan perform at any of the various award functions held in the country. But we are sure her fans would want her to get rid of her fear and rock the stage with her gorgeous presence soon.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan is happy. She is enjoying yet another success in the form of PAA, hence adding one more feather in her cap when it comes to performance oriented roles. No wonder she believes that she is fortunate to have worked in the kind of films that have not just challenged her as an actor but also time and again validated her decision making abilities.

“The nicest part about the success of PAA is that it has given me courage to stick to my conviction”, says Vidya Balan who has one of the best success rates than any other contemporary actor is enjoying today, “At least I am able to do that I truly believe in. Whether it is PAA or any of my last few films, the fact is that all these decisions have paid off.”

She is indeed backed by solid claims when she says so. Other than PAA, her last few films like KISMAT KONNECTION, BHOOL BHULAIYAA and HEYY BABYY have been successful as well with HALLA BOL being her solitary box office failure in a long time.

“Yes, a couple of my films didn’t work, whether it was HALLA BOL or SALAAM E ISHQ, but then this is how life is”, says Vidya sans any hint of disappointment, “I don’t regret working in these films because it’s important that you go through those ups and downs.”

She does think quite highly of her fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan though. “It is very nice to be working with such actors because your guards are always down”, says Vidya who has earlier shared screen space with Abhishek in GURU, “Believe me when I say this, in Abhishek we have just seen the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more to be explored.”

By Jilawatan

After playing an ideal mother in “Paa”, Vidya Balan says she is ready to surprise audiences with a completely different avatar in forthcoming movie “Ishqiya”. She will be seen as a conniving, scheming woman in Vishal Bharadwaj’s dark drama.

“For the first time I’ll be playing a woman who is conniving, scheming and in whom there is a sexual aggression,” Vidya told IANS in an interview.

“She is an aggressive person. She is someone who is unapologetic about her own choices. Bold is the word I’ll use for the lack of a better word. In the Indian context, she would be Rambha, Durga or Kali. She is someone who is dressed from top to toe but oozes sensuality,” the actress said.

Set in eastern Uttar Pradesh, “Ishqiya” is a tale of romance between individuals caught in a web of crime, suspense, passion and deceit. Made by first time director Abhishek Chaubey and produced by Bharadwaj, the film also stars Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah in pivotal roles.

In the film, Vidya sports a deglamourised look and mouths expletives.

Asked if Bharadwaj was the reason she signed “Ishqiya”, she said: “It’s always very reassuring when the producer is an established guy because when you take a film, you want to know that no compromises will be made while making the film and even after it gets released.

“Of course Vishal comes with a certain brand and credibility…but more importantly I loved the role offered to me. I wouldn’t have given it up. Along with that I loved Abhishek’s passion and sensibility. So it was a combination of all these things when I made my decision.”

The 31-year-old is also looking forward to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Chenaab Gandhi” in which she plays Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter.

After receiving flak for doing glamorous roles, Vidya has moved to author-backed characters in “Paa”, “Chenaab Gandhi” and “Ishqiya”. But she says her choice of roles is not a conscious effort to change her image.

“It’s not a conscious decision to try and stay away from a particular kind of roles. There is no effort for an image change. It’s just that I’m just being offered a lot of exciting work and I’ve tried to pick and choose different things to keep it very exciting for me,” she said.

“Of course, candyfloss is still welcome if it comes with substance, but the very fact that it’s candyfloss takes away the substance. So I don’t do that much candyfloss because it compromises on substance,” added the actress.

Vidya has earlier been seen in films like “Parineeta”, “Heyy Babyy”, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” and “Kismat Konnection”.

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.

By Jilawatan

Dabur has appointed actress Vidya Balan as its brand ambassador for the skin care product called Dabur Vveda. Balan started her career as a model in Surf Excel advertisement and has appeared in more than 25 ad films like Ponds, Bajaj, Surf, Toshiba, Airtel etc.

Before getting a break in Bollywood, she also acted in a few music videos with Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, Pankaj Udhas etc. as well as TV serials such as Hanste Khelte and Hum Paanch. Balan has come a long way and has done some of the much talked about films like Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Guru, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, Heyy Babyy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Halla Bol and Kismat Konnection.

Her forthcoming films are Mukti, Ishkiyan, Pa, Chand Bhai, Chenab Gandhi and Bihaad.