By Jilawatan

Director Rajkumar Gupta, who earlier made the intense thriller, Aamir, has been planning a film on the Jessica Lal murder titled No One Killed Jessica. The crucial casting of Sabrina Lal was keeping the project from taking off. He has zeroed in on Vidya Balan for the powerful role. Vidya’s earlier stint as a strong, assertive woman in Parineeta and Halla Bol, (which incidentally had shades of Jessica’s life) and Paa has helped her land the critical role of Sabrina. Sabrina fought a relentless battle to get her sister’s killers nabbed after Jessica was gunned down in a crowded bar on April 29, 1999, in front of several eyewitnesses. Recently, the sensational case was in the news again when Jessica’s convicted killer, Manu Sharma, was out on parole, making merry in the nightspots of Delhi.

Vidya confirmed the news. She says. “Yes, I am playing Sabrina Lal in Rajkumar Gupta’s film. The minute I heard the role, I wanted to do it. It’s my first biographical role and a big challenge. I’ll be meeting Sabrina shortly. After Paa and Ishqiya, I need to move forward.”

Commenting on the film, Rajkumar says, “I start the film in February 2010. Vidya Balan seemed like the right choice from the start. Now that I have got her for the role, the rest of the casting will be easy.”

By Jilawatan

Jessica Lal refuses to die even after her brutal murder in full public glare. This time she is back in a film, which will see the talented Vidya Balan play her sister – Sabrina Lal. According to latest news, director Rajkumar Gupta, who earlier made the critically-acclaimed film, ‘Aamir’, has been planning a film on the Jessica Lal murder case titled ‘No One Killed Jessica’.

The director decided to cast Vidya after watching her powerful performance in ‘Paa’. Vidya has earlier played women centric roles in ‘Parineeta’ and ‘Halla Bol’.

Jessica’s sister Sabrina was the one who fought a terrible legal battle to get justice for her sister. Vidya confirmed the news and said, “Yes, I am playing Sabrina Lal in Rajkumar Gupta’s film. The minute I heard the role, I wanted to do it. It’s my first biographical role and a big challenge. I’ll be meeting Sabrina shortly. After ‘Paa’ and’ Ishqiya’, I need to move forward.”

Talking about the film, Rajkumar said, “I start the film in February 2010. Vidya Balan seemed like the right choice from the start. Now that I have got her for the role, the rest of the casting will be easy.”

We hope ‘No One Killed Jessica’ helps in getting justice for Jessica!

By Jilawatan

Vidya has won rave reviews for her splendid performance in Paa and people are excited about her bold and wicked turn in Ishqiya. She has signed on to play Sabrina Lal, Jessica Lal’s sister in the film, No One Killed Jessica.

The film is directed by Aamir director Rajkumar Gupta. He saw her in Paa and zeroed in on her for the role. The casting of Sabrina Lal was preventing the movie from taking off. It is a very substantial and intense role as the character of Sabrina Lal fights against the system to avenge her sister’s murder which happened in 1999. She was shot by Manu Sharma, a politician’s son.

Director Rajkumar Gupta said that he chose Vidya after he saw Paa. He felt she was the right choice and will now cast the rest of the actors as she was the main character. The film will go on the floors in February next year.

Vidya Balan said that the minute she heard the narration for the role, she knew she had to do it. She will be meeting Sabrina Lal shortly to prepare for her first inspired-from-real-life role. She said she was happy to do something completely different from Paa and Ishqiya.

Kareena Kapoor was approached to play Jessica Lal but she refused to do the film.

Vidya has portrayed strong characters in Parineeta, her debut film where she played Lolita and in Halla Bol, where she fought against injustice. Halla Bol had a sequence inspired from the Jessica Lal murder case.

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

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

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

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.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan Halla Bol Movie Stills. She is looking quite happy with Ajay Devgan.

Jilawatan

Vidya Balan Halla Bol Movie Stills. She is looking quite happy with Ajay Devgan.

By Jilawatan

She asks too many questions, has been christened Giggles by co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi and is finally settling in comfortably with her Indian good looks, thank you. Vidya Balan unplugged.

In the cruel heat of April, as the sun steadily beats down on the premises of Whistling Woods, Film City, actress Vidya Balan turned out in an off-white saree with a narrow border and moss-green Sabyasachi blouse is a sight for sore eyes. Balan in demure attire complete with Rapunzel locks, reminds one of the elegant simplicity of Hindi cinema best symbolised by Jaya Bachchan in Hrishikesh Mukherjee films. Days of trying to fit into the Western construct considered almost necessary for Bollywood actresses are happily behind her. A change of look for her movies is not ruled out but personally, she is all for Indian elegance. “I love wearing sarees. In fact, I have decided to wear them more often,” she says making herself comfortable in the vanity van. She is currently shooting for Balki’s Pa with Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan.

Balan came into movies after a stint in Ekta Kapoor’s serial Hum Paanch and a few regional language films before her impressive debut in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta. “I was born to be an actor,” she asserts. Quite like her pick of roles, Balan is not glamour-struck in her choice of matinee idols either. “Among actresses who made a lasting impression on me were Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Jaya Bachchan was fantastic at what she did but was also a commercial success and that is the position one would strive for. I have tried to do films where I am an integral part of the script,” avers Balan. During her school days, Balan was convinced that she would be the next Madhuri Dixit. But soon aftershe was impressed by the power-packed performances of Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. It was during a break for her class XII exam that she watched Arth and was spellbound by Azmi’s performance. “Instead of studying, I kept wondering how they must have done the scenes. I had heard that Shabana did not use glycerine for her crying scenes and I tried all possible tricks to perform the same feat!” Balan reminisces with a laugh.

After a not-too-remarkable 2008—Halla Bol and Kismat Connection did not impress— the actress is looking at newer challenges.

This year she has been busy at work with Ishqiya opposite Naseeruddin Shah and Pa with Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan. About working with legendary actors such as Shah and Bachchan, she says, “It is not easy to describe the experience – but when you see them, you realise that these greats are great because their passion, focus and dedication is unshakable. This is the first time I have acted with Mr Bachchan, with who I had barely one scene during the making of Eklavya. Watching him, I have learnt to be more patient. The humility of that man in his approach to work is incredible. He doesn’t take anything for granted even today after 40 years that I think is marvellous. It is very, very humbling.”

Of her stint with Naseeruddin Shah, she recalls, “I have loved Naseeruddin Shah’s work all my life. His daughter was my senior in college and we actually did television together. In fact, xI called up for Hiba once and he picked up…I got so nervous that I put the phone down!”

“Working with Naseer was fantastic. Initially, I was a little shy of him — we did our scenes together and then I went and sat in the corner. I think he realised it and after some time he warmed up to me. They would tease me about my laughing fits -Arshad and he named me Giggles because of it! Even through my laughing fits he was very patient,” laughs Vidya.

The conversation meanwhile has meandered to Pa, the film for which she is currently shooting, though Balan remains tightlipped about it except that “It’s a special film. The script is fabulous and there’s Balki — I loved Cheeni Kum!”

The script is something that Balan is particular about, especially after her mainstream experiments Salaam-e-Ishq and Kismat Connection met with lukewarm response. “It’s nice to do different things to know what you want to do and what you don’t. I wanted to do a purely commercial cinema and the films met the criteria. What a lot of people said after Heyy Babyy and Kismat Connection was that I was wasted in the films, so maybe I need to do roles that are more fleshed-out. The challenge then is greater and I am able to give it my best.”

She is also an actor who likes to prepare – read the script before the shoot and by her own admission, ask a lot of questions. “I would say that I preferred myself in Kismat Connection to Heyy Babyy. They are two films whose script I hadn’t read before I went to shoot. For Kismat Connection, I had thought of reading the script once I reached Canada, but I couldn’t. I went to sleep and woke up the next morning just in time for the shoot! I panicked and started crying,” she recalls. “It was almost a forewarning.”

The competition may be growing but Vidya, who in a short span has landed prestigious projects with top- league directors, is uncompromising in her quest for good films and unhurried as there are enough interesting roles going around. “ I hope that all good directors such as Pradeep Sarkar, Balki and Rajkumar Hirani repeat me in their films but I would love to work with Vishal Bhardwaj, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, Imtiaz Ali, Vinan Matthew and Rituparna Ghosh, Majid Majidi and Woody Allen perhaps?” she says, once again erupting into her infectious laughter.

With her unerring instinct and what is turning out to be an interesting body of work, the list looks very achievable.