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!

Aishwarya Rai was seen with a baby bump in ‘Guru’; Preity Zinta shot an entire song with her baby bump in ‘Salaam Namaste’ but in both the cases their pregnancy bump lasted only a few scenes.
However, actress Vidya Balan shall be portraying the character of a woman who is 6 months pregnant in her next Sujoy Ghosh film ‘Kahaani’. And she won’t be carrying her baby bump merely for a scene or two but she shall be pregnant throughout the length of the movie.

In the movie Vidya plays a married woman whose hubby leaves London and comes to India for a job. However, after he goes missing, Vidya comes to Kolkata to hunt her husband down. And Vidya shall be doing her husband-hunt in her pregnancy period.
As the director Sujoy Ghosh puts it, a pregnant woman isn’t a Batman or a Superman and Vidya’s character shall be exploring the vulnerability of the feminine side. Sujoy has confirmed the news and has hailed Vidya as a perfectionist. He also cites that he had penned the role keeping Vidya in mind and wouldn’t have made the film if Vidya had rejected his offer.
But this is not the first time that Vidya shall be showing the nascent side of her motherhood. She played a mother in ‘Heyy Baby’ and was the Maa of Amitabh Bachchan in Paa.

An online search on R Madhavan and Vidya Balan will throw up results like ‘Run’, ‘Suryamukhi’, ‘Stella’, ‘Once More’ and ‘Oru Naal Podhuma’ – films that were reported to cast the two actors together but were never officially announced or made.

Despite the audience falling in love with their chemistry in ‘Guru’ and Airtel ads, no movie starring the two actors has materialized. One wonders how no filmmaker tried to tap the potential of a ‘jodi’ like theirs but Maddy satisfies our inquisitiveness. The actor tells us, “There have been a lot of offers but none of them appealed to either of us and that’s why perhaps you heard rumours but nothing concrete.”

Maddy also says that though reports of him doing a movie with Vidya were aplenty, none of it had authenticity as neither him nor Vidya spoke about the films to the press. “After the Airtel ads and ‘Guru’ people assumed that we will go ahead and do a romantic film. So though none of us went public about the offers we got, speculations never stopped,” says the actor further explaining, “We just can’t do a film thinking that people liked us before so they will like us in whatever we do. We need a good script and story to get us going.”

Maddy says that he is great friends with Vidya and would love to work with her. He assures that audience will get to witness their chemistry as soon as a good script comes by.

She was hailed as the next big thing when she made her debut two years ago in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta. But now everyone is questioning Vidya Balan’s career decisions. Critisised for her itsy-bitsy role in Eklavya, her unflattering wardrobe in Heyy Babyy and her refusal to promote Mani Ratnam’s Guru, Vidya Balan seems to be courting controversy with every step she takes.
Rajeev Masand: You are just back from a long two-month outdoor in Toronto shooting for Aziz Mirza’s Lucky Charm . What was the experience like, being away for so long?
Vidya Balan: Yes, this has been my longest outdoor. Toronto is a beautiful place and it was my first trip there. We were at a very pretty location downtown. We were actually on Lake Ontario so it was beautiful. I love Aziz Mirza. He spreads so much positivity and cheer that rubs off on everyone. Otherwise what can happen on such a long shoot is that you just get on each other’s nerves. But I don’t think any of that happened. We really had a nice time.
Rajeev Masand: With you being away for two months, you didn’t really get to savour the success of you film Heyy Babyy.
Vidya Balan: Yes, I have just come in though I know it has done really well because I have been in touch with Sajid (Khan) and a couple of other people from the team. I have not been here to enjoy the success but that has also saved me a lot of flak. So maybe there’s a reason for everything.
Rajeev Masand: The flak was not really directed towards your performance as much as it was directed towards your wardrobe.
Vidya Balan: That’s some respite at least. For the wardrobe, I would like to take as much responsibility as Manish (Malhotra) because I think I was a little blasé about the clothes and the look. I tried to be different but I have learnt that you don’t have to look different for the sake of being different. Manish and I should have been more careful because it is the first time I have sported a western look. It would unfair to say that Manish gave me bad clothes because I can also look into the mirror and see what works and what doesn’t. But I didn’t bother too much so both of us should be splitting the flak.
Rajeev Masand: Your film Bhool Bhulaiyya is releasing on the same day as Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. You were offered a role in Laaga … first but you could not do it for whatever reasons. So do you that find it ironic or poetic?
Vidya Balan: Poetic, yes. Like I have said before, I never imagined not being part of Dada’s (Pradeep Sarkar) film. I just got to know a week ago that it’s releasing on the same day. I was amazed. It’s great.
Rajeev Masand: You must feel tricky because you can’t want the other film to not do well.
Vidya Balan: I don’t want anyone’s film to not do well. I’m not trying to sound holier-than-thou but I know what goes into making a film and I think there are enough people to be watching all kinds of films.
Rajeev Masand: You must have heard that your film Eklavya has a bit of a controversy surrounding it regarding it being sent for the Oscars. What’s you view on this?
Vidya Balan: I wouldn’t like to say much about it because at the moment the matter is sub judice. As an actor, it just feels good that one of my films was selected. Last year, Lage Raho Munnabhai was sent as an independent entry. I enjoyed working on Eklavya. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is someone who I had wanted to work with ever since I had seen Parinda. I remember in a little black book I had a list of directors I wanted to work with and his name was in one of the first pages.
Rajeev Masand: Tell us a little more about this little black book. So how many names have you struck off it already?
Vidya Balan: I’m a very greedy person. I have worked with Mani Ratnam but I want to work with him on a full-fledged role. There’s Vidhu Vinod Chopra who I again want to work with. Strangely, I had watched Dada’s music videos and I had told myself I want to work with him. He stopped doing music videos. Finally when he did one after two and a half years I was actually in it. So divine intervention, I guess. There’s Rajkumar Santoshi and Nikhil Advani who I have worked with also.
Rajeev Masand: So that’s a good record.
Vidya Balan: Yes, but there’s a long, long, long way to go.
Rajeev Masand: Best of luck. Let’s hope we see a lot of different roles and films from you. Thank you for talking to us.

It was reported that filmmaker Mani Ratnam is planning to cast actor R. Madhavan and Vidya Balan for his next movie. He clarified in his latest saying that he is unfortunately not the part of the love story that Mani Ratnam is making with Vidya Balan.

Madhavan and Vidya chemistry was liked by one and all in the film Guru and so he too was keen to do a film soon with her. Earlier Sanjay Gupta was also looking to pair them again but the film never took off and now when the reports of Mani bringing them together it is also not true. There was also a recent report of filmmaker Sanjay Gupta trying to sign the pair for his next project, which did not take off. Earlier in an interview, Madhavan expressed his interest to work with Vidya again provided some really big project comes on their way.

After Guru they could only appear together in one of the TV-ads.

Vidya Balan, who made an award-winning debut in ‘Parineeta’, a movie that premiered at the IIFA weekend a few years ago, continued her magical journey with the event by landing the Best Actress award for ‘Paa’. Though she shared the award with Kareena Kapoor, Balan was overjoyed, but noticeably absent from the celebrations in Sri Lanka. Shlandra Bunseelall spoke to the powerhouse performer.

How does it feel to have won the Best Actress Award?

It feels fantastic as this is the ultimate destination as an actor, I have received a couple of nominations before but it feels gratifying knowing that I have been appreciated for this movie. Everyone poured their hearts into it and God has been kind by giving me so much love and appreciation.

You must have special memories of IIFA considering your debut movie, Parineeta, premiered at the IIFA Awards in Amsterdam.

IIFA is very special to me and I am excited to be at the event again this year. My journey with IIFA goes back to Parineeta and the following year I won the Best Newcomer Award in Dubai. So, I am happy.

How has life been since Parineeta?

It has been unbelievable. You know, I did my very best from my debut movie and I felt fantastic that I was accepted in the industry. I remember entering a cinema when Parineeta was being screened and I was pleasantly surprised about the positive reaction from the audience. At that stage, I really had no clue what life had in store for me.

How did you land the award-winning role in Paa, consider- ing securing your debut was tougher?

You know the director, Balki, wrote the role with me in mind. When he initially approached me, I was sceptical and had a few doubts. I had to play the role of a mother – that, too, mother to Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.

However, when Balki refused to make the movie without the complete cast, I knew I had to accept the role. I really liked the character and put my trust in the entire team.

What was it like working with the Bachchans? That must have been an experience?

Well, I worked with Abhishek in Guru and he is one of the best co-stars ever. Just sharing screen space with an actor of his calibre is an unforgettable experience.

After working on , what was it like working on an off-beat movie like Ishqiya?

This was another fantastic experience as I broke every rule in Vidya Balan’s rule book. The movie was fun and extremely challenging with a different character to portray. Despite all this, I shed all my inhibitions and it was most exciting.

Are there any directors you still want to work with?

Yes, loads of them – including Imtiyaaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj and Yash Chopra.

Any forthcoming projects?

I have just completed the schedule of No One Killed Jessicain Delhi. The movie will be released in December and Rani Mukerjee is my co-star.

One would surely wonder that what forces actress Vidya Balan to make back on back fashion disaster in the public events. In the past too, Vidya has been lashed out for her bad dressing sense post her ‘Kismat Connection’ release.

Vidya was left totally in tears when at an awards night Shah Rukh and Saif awarded the actress for being the worst dressed women of the industry. But even such incidents failed to improve her dressing style a bit.

At an award night held recently, Vidya landed at the event wearing this flourescent green saree with an electric pink color blouse leaving every one wonder that she has come straight from the sets of ‘Ishqiya’.

However, Vidya has of course, proved herself whenever it comes to play a character who is clad in saree, like she did in ‘Parineeta’, Bhul Bhulaiyaa’, ‘Guru’ and latest in ‘Paa’. Meanwhile, the actress is ready with her another saree waali movie ‘Ishqiya’, to be released soon.

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.”

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.

She’s had a steady run, though she’s not made the superstar grade. Beginning with “Parineeta” (2005), she’s made an impact with both “Lage Raho Munnabhai” (2006) and “Bhool Bhulaiya” (2007) and has in her bag films as assorted as “Eklavya,” “Salaam-e-Ishq,” “Halla Bol,” “Guru,” “Heyy Babyy” and “Kismat Konnection.” Today, Vidya Balan has what can be considered “twin towers” on hand in terms of meaty roles — “Paa,” releasing Dec. 4, and “Ishqiya” in the following week.

The South Indian, Mumbai-born-and-raised damsel has not changed a whit since her first film and flush of success — a sure sign of impeccable values and innate confidence that only true talents demonstrate, in contrast to the merely successful or media-hyped Johnnies and Joannas. As cordial and warm on the phone as she was when we first met at her parents’ apartment in suburban Chembur over three years ago, Vidya Balan tells India-West that she is all set for a very fruitful phase in her career.

E xcerpts from an interview:

Q: How was the whole process of getting “Paa,” your reaction to playing Abhishek Bachchan’s wife after a non-romantic pairing in “Guru,” and playing Amitabh Bachchan’s mother after having a just a few scenes with him in “Eklavya”?

A: All I can say is that it is truly an honor, and that in my wildest dreams I could never have imagined getting a role where I would be in such a close relationship on-screen with both of them simultaneously.

To be honest, I deliberated a bit, not because I had to play Amit-ji’s mother — since he plays a 13-year-old — but because of the mother aspect itself at my age. I have not developed a maternal instinct, and so it took me a while. It’s another story that my gut feeling as an actor was to take up the challenge, and I realized that it was the opportunity of a lifetime, a beautiful, heartwarming story with a fantastic, unique role for me.

Q: And so you finally signed on?

A: Yes, but I must say that the final clincher was Balki’s [director R. Balakrishnan] complete conviction. He never had the slightest doubt or hesitation that he wanted me, and he had complete confidence in his story and casting. All I asked for was some joint readings of the script with Mr. Bachchan, so that I do not have any inhibitions while playing his mother. I kept getting apprehensive since it did not happen all the way till two days before the shoot was to begin.

Then Balki called and asked me to come for Mr. Bachchan’s look test with the prostheses and make-up, and said that we would do the reading right after that. To my utter and incredible surprise, when Mr. Bachchan came out with his make-up on, all my fears were quelled. His look and his voice, mannerisms and body language were so amazing that I could easily imagine playing mother to this boy!

When working with Mr. Mohanlal from the South, we had once discussed acting, and he had told me that even if an actor had read the script many times, when the director shouts “Action!” he invokes divine energy from above just for two seconds. For me, that moment when Mr. Bachchan entered was like that divine moment.

Q: We sidetracked the Abhishek experience.

A: I think that the nicest thing about Abhishek Bachchan is that he is an honest actor. I think that gives him the massive advantage of suiting any kind of role or genre, and two, he also becomes a very exciting co-actor.

Q: Explain the co-actor part, please.

A: Abhishek is spontaneous, he does not plan his moves or prepare on his character. He is not into rehearsals, so you don’t know what he going to do when the camera rolls. And that not only keeps you sharp but also results in a very satisfying give-and-take.

Q: What about working with Balki?

A: That man spells conviction and confidence all the way! And I have never seen anyone better at multi-tasking! He would be chatting away on the phone and I would deliberately go and interrupt him to ask something about a scene just to irritate. But he would answer my question completely and return to the phone without losing his cool — or thread of conversation! And for a man who is the chairman of one of the biggest firms in advertising, he’s so simple and incredibly humble!

Q: After doing an issue-based film like “Paa,” will your parameters for doing films change?

A: Firstly, “Paa” isn’t issue-based, it is relationship-based. Progeria is just the backdrop. The film is touching and I am sure you will come out of the film smiling but with your eyes moist. And to answer your question, my choice of films has remained pretty much the same all the while, but now I think that there is better writing happening for the women. We have films written with specific actresses in mind, and Balki told me that he had written “Paa” too with specifically me in mind.

Q: And “Ishqiya” follows just a week after “Paa,” so it’s the lull before the Vidya Balan storm; your last, “Kismat Konnection,” was in mid-2008.

A: Film releases cannot really be planned — “Paa” was one of the fastest-shot films, while “Ishqiya” was delayed. “Paa” and “Ishqiya,” if I may say so, are among the kind of films that I always wanted to do. I am out of my comfort zone again in “Ishqiya,” playing the bad girl. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi are my co-stars.

Q: Today, there is a lot of experimentation happening in cinema. But ideas dominate rather than scripts and there is a very low average of both good films and successful ones.

A: True. We are in a state of flux. But ultimately, only good will come out of this process