By Jilawatan

f she had her way, she would even get married in a cotton sari. If he had his way, every woman in the country would wear nothing but cotton saris. Nothing, it seems, can come between Vidya Balan and Sabyasachi Mukherjee and their shared passion for Indianness…

vidya balan at the opening of sabyasachi mukherjee’s first flagship store in delhi. Picture by Jagan negi

“Where are her tantrums? Is she a star?!”

After two hours with Vidya Balan in her seventh floor room in New Delhi’s Hotel Taj Palace, you can’t help but echo designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s words describing his first impression of the actress. With no make-up, she still shines in a grass green Juicy Couture tracksuit. But Vidya is not about brand names: her handbag, for instance, doesn’t feel the need to shout any logo.

If Vidya has finally managed to shrug off criticism regarding her fashion sense, it is largely due to her collaborations with Sabya. So she had to be there for the opening of “good friend” and her Paa stylist’s first flagship store in Delhi.

t2 spoke to the star (as she got ready for hair and make-up) and the star designer (who has transformed her image). Here’s Vidya and Sabya unplugged…

What were your first impressions of each other?

Vidya: (Long pause) I met him through a common friend at dinner and I immediately realised we share a sensibility and sense of aesthetics. But I have to say, his clothes made the first impression on me before I had ever seen him.

Sabya: My first impression was exactly this: Where are her tantrums? Is she a star?!

Vidya: I remember the wasabi at dinner hit me and I was drinking glass after glass of water, but when the conversation finally began it was very heartening to meet someone like him. He knew exactly where I was coming from. A comfortable rapport was built quickly. I knew I wanted to work with him. I attended a few of his shows.

Now he indulges me when I call him in the middle of the night to sing Bengali songs, not just one line but verse after verse!

Sabya: She sings Jete jete pathey holo deri!

A still from Paa starring Vidya Balan. Sabyasachi has styled her look for the film

How did Paa happen?

V: When I decided to do Paa I told (director) Balki that I would choose the designer. He happily agreed to Sabyasachi. And when I told Sabyasachi, he wanted to read the script!

S: Yes, after Baabul and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, I have decided to read scripts. No more “Hi-I-am-Natasha” [Rani Mukerji as the hooker in LCMD] for me!

V: I totally respect that. I mean, I deliberate on a script so I understood where he was coming from…. Paa was so smooth. We just discussed the look a couple of times on the phone and did only one photo shoot about 10 days before we began the film. Sabya, Balki and I were all on the same page. We really enjoyed creating the character. It was not about Vidya Balan doing a film. It was not about any actor doing the film. Sabya realised that the look is not just that of any mother. This mother has a strong personality. She’s a doctor but also enjoys dressing up. She has effortless style. There is hardly any make-up. Just some kajal, small bindi and a big grandfather wrist watch. Since I play a gynaecologist, there are no long nails! Even the shoes couldn’t go clonk-clonk so I am wearing wedges. In fact, P.C. Shriraman, the cameraman, loved Sabya’s colours. He used to say, “the boy who does clothes, tell him he is doing a good job”!

S: In Paa, Vidya’s look is very organic and quite boho-chic. When someone has a career and is confident, she is not insecure in Indian clothes. Hence Vidya wears only khadi in the film, all in earthy, saturated colours and that is what Abhishek Bachchan falls in love with. In Oxford and Cambridge, she wears khadi shirts and jeans and later in the film she wears khadi saris. Just because she becomes a mother, everything doesn’t need to change. Her colours and textures are all the same. She is wearing some maxis, some long shirts with slips and some contrasting kalamkari blouses with plain saris.

Everyone is fed up of plastic perfection. All actresses look like clones of each other — they look, feel and smell the same! Everyone is tired of the neo-preen man or woman. Some people like Vidya and Rani Mukerji are trying to do a different job.

Indianness is big on both your must-be lists…

V: Oh yes! It is all about celebrating who you are. It is being comfortable in your skin. It is the larger picture. It doesn’t matter if you are fat, thin, short, rich or poor, what is important is that we take pride in our Indian-ness.

S: To flaunt your Indianness you have to be secure. The French are very clever. They only want to be themselves and that is why the world wants to be like them. Where is the Indian charm of Waheeda Rehman and Smita Patil? My problem with Bollywood is that it is almost disrespectful to women. Everyone is more secure if the industry is full of dumb blondes instead of intelligent actresses.

You have previously faced flak for your style…

S: Let me say here that I liked Vidya in Heyy Babyy — because I was noticing her, not her clothes. It became national propaganda to talk about her look! People always need a scapegoat. They always want someone to pull up and someone to pull down.

V: I think I gave in to the pressure of doing something different. I was very comfortable in my own skin and was almost too stubborn to change. But when you are on a stage and you do anything to keep the audience engaged, you almost feel obliged to keep them charged, so I tried to change. But one thing that didn’t change was my passion for my work.

S: But today we have all realised that gimmicks don’t sell. People want real, be it food, fashion or films. What happened to Blue, despite semi-clad women and Kylie Minogue?

V: I came under too much pressure. For every photo shoot, people were like ‘let us show Vidya Balan like she’s never been seen before’. But never have I felt the need to toe the line. Having said that, I am glad I went through my experiences. There was confusion and now there is clarity. People have accepted me the way I am and despite whatever has been written about my sense of style, my fans still love me! I kept focusing on the wrong things. Having met Sabya reassures me. Things happen when the time is right.

Let us talk about your favourite garment — the sari…

V: It is the sexiest garment. You can do whatever you want with it — you can look like Meera or…

S: … or like a prostitute! But designers should stop tampering with the sari to show their creativity!

V: I love cotton saris with big borders and contrasting blouses. I also love the Kanjeevaram, that’s the south Indian in me! The Bong in me loves the Bengali way of draping a sari… all I need is big jhumkas, flowers in my hair and nothing is sexier than a nose pin.

Does Bollywood have a distorted body image?

V: Yes, Bollywood does. It almost likes the asexual body type! What it doesn’t realise is that Indian women should celebrate their bodies. Our structure is different. Last year, I had put on some weight and I lost it only to feel better. Everyone should be their correct weight depending on their height etc. I always worked out but recently I have been focused like never before. I used to starve but that just made me put on weight. Now I eat every two hours and enjoy my workouts with my trainer Vilayat Hussain. I told him I wanted to lose excess weight but not my curves. Indian women are blessed with the most beautiful bodies. I love my curves. I am a woman, I don’t want to look like a man! Look at Penelope Cruz…

S: Look at Zeenat Aman. She was sexiest because her body was toned and curvy.

V: And also Salma Hayek…

S: On a rate–metre Salma has the most imperfect body! And yes, Bollywood not only has a distorted body image, it also has a distorted eye and a distorted mind! It is neither here nor there. It has one foot in commercial cinema and the other in arty. It wants to show bhangra but in a branded mini-skirt…

What is wrong with brands?

V: I have a couple of LVs (Louis Vuitton) but I am very happy with my jute bags, jholas or even UK high street labels like Ted Baker. If I like something, I get it. I enter shops without seeing the brand.

S: Ignorance really is bliss. When you enter a branded store you already have a pre-conceived notion but when you are not brand-conscious, you buy what you like.

By Jilawatan

The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan. It was shot extensively in Wai near Pune.

Arshad Warsi plays Naseeruddin’s nephew. Both of them are criminals who intend to retire. On of their travels, they meet a femme fatale widow, played by Vidya Balan. She tricks both of them into falling in love with her. When the duo realizes that she is two-timing them, they want to kill her but they cannot.

Vidya and Arshad share a one-minute long lip-lock scene. The actress had to be convinced to do the scenes as she was a little hesitant.

Like all other Vishal Bhardwaj films, the dialogues (penned by him) are uncompromising, authentic and tongue-in-cheek. Arshad asks Naseeruddin, “Aapka ishq, ishq aur mera ishq sex?”

In another scene, Arshad asks Vidya, “Mein kaisa lag raha hu?” to which she replies, “C***-ium sulphate!”

The film is directed by Abhishek Chaubey, Vishal’s assistant director and co-writer on films like Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and The Blue Umbrella.

The guitar track in the promo is impressive and Ishqiya promises to be another stellar soundtrack by Gulzar has penned the lyrics.

Arshad Warsi had told StarBoxOffice in an earlier conversation, “Vidya Balan plays a very bitchy role in Ishqiya. She makes both Naseer Sir and I fall in love with her. It is a very different, dark film and I feel fortunate to share screen space with Naseeruddin Shah.”

Ishqiya, one of the most anticipated films this year hits theatres in December this year.

By Jilawatan

The graceful Vidya Balan who turned a year older on January 1, has turned a new leaf.

After her abortive attempts to revamp her wardrobe in Heyy Baby and Kismat Connection Vidya has decided to go easy on the glam ramp.

“It’s not as though I’m disowning my efforts to do glamorous roles. I’m proud of Heyy Baby and Kismat Connection. But this year I’m doing films that don’t need me to stretch my personality. I’m very happy doing roles that come naturally to me. That’s what I decided about my career this year.”

Vidya has just given the nod to Nikhil (Chandni Chowk To China) Advani’s next film which would surprise many.

Advani’s Chand Bhai is a raw realistic songless film on juvenile delinquency.

Says Vidya, “It’s nothing like the high-flying glam-wham stuff that one expects from Nikhil after Chandni Chowk. Chand Bhai is a stark very real kind of drama. And I get to co-star with a very talented actor Akshaye Khanna with whom I was in Nikhil’s Salaam-e-Ishq though we had just one passing shot together.”

Vidya gladly admits Chand Bhai doesn’t feature her in the central role.

“The film revolves around the delinquent boy’s character. But I’m very happy to be part of a film that addresses itself an important social issue. This year I think I’m done with searching for various bylanes to my screen identity.

All my forthcoming films have a sharp sense of social purpose, and that definitely includes Vibhu Puri’s Chenab Gandhi which I’m enormously excited about because it’s produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.”

Vidya has been attending costume and reading sessions for Chenab Gandhi and is spellbound by the script. “But I haven’t really interacted that much with my co-star Hurman as yet. With Mr Bachchan who plays the title role, I share a lifelong bonding.

Right from Eklavya we’ve been paired in so many films right up to Chenab Gandhi and now Balki’s Pa. If I did all the films last year that I was offered with Mr Bachchan I wouldn’t be working with anyone else, ” says Vidya, adding she’s excited to work with Abhishek Bachchan for the first time in Pa.

“We’ve never been paired together.It would be interesting to have another interesting co-star to work with, ” says Vidya who went to Panchgani for her birthday this year, with her parents, sister and brother-in-law.

“It’s very rare for all five of us in the family to be together. My birthday falls on a very unforgettable day, the New Year. It’s preceded by Christmas, so we all take time off to be together.

Another advantage of being born on the first day of the year is, no one can claim to forget your birthday, ” she says with loud laughter.

Vidya recently saw Ghajini and was bowled over by Aamir Khan. “I’m dying to work with Aamir. And Shah Rukh of course is my favourite. I said on Sajid Khan’s chat show I want to kill Shah Rukh’s wife. No one took me seriously. There was no enhancement in the security around her. Sad.”

Vidya Balan, in an exclusive interview talked about her journey so far, her upcoming flick ‘Kismat Konnection’, her connection with Shahid and more.

Q: You come from a non-filmi background. How have you achieved so much success in such a short period?

Vidya: Yes, I do come from a non films background. But my parents always knew about my Bollywood dreams. I always had the passion in me to make it big on the silver screen and I have been fortunate to have a very supportive family.

Q: You say you have passion. What is the difference between passion and desperation in the Hindi film industry for an actress?

Vidya: Passion is a must for all those who want to succeed in our industry. But desperation comes to people, who have no goals in their lives. I would say that I was always ready to work and work hard, but not at any cost.

Q: Filmi background means protection. So what’s the kind of struggle that one goes through when the backing is not there?

Vidya: I have always had the luxury of choice. I have done films and ad films that I have wanted too. There was a time when though I was not a great hit. I had turned down interesting offers as my studies were taking a backseat. I always had the option of saying no. It was not like I was working empty stomach or anything.

Q: Your transition from TV to films is somewhat similar to that of Shah Rukh Khan. Do you consider yourself as the female SRK?

Vidya: No, not at all. Shah Rukh is a living legend and I am nowhere near him.

Q: Your role in Parineeta has been widely appreciated. If Parineeta had not happened would you still have continued on TV?

Vidya: That is something really difficult to say. The point is that I was not satisfied with TV. To tell you the truth I was not happy doing TV. The medium is very taxing and one needs to have the tenacity and strength to do the same thing day after day and still make it look good. It’s difficult to be so physically tired and still perform to your best day and day out. I believe that for creativity to flow, be it any profession, one needs to have mind space which I wasn’t getting and I was scared to get too comfortable with the medium.

Then again I did not want to be typecast and get used to doing the same expressions repeatedly. In Television one gets too used to giving the same kind of expressions every time and I have always wanted to experiment.

Q: In terms of your acting, looks and your much talked about dressing sense , how important are the critics to you?

Vidya: (Laughs) It’s not just the critics that matters, it’s having an opinion that counts. When someone says something good, we take it as a compliment and when someone says something harsh, it’s something that we need to work upon.

Q: How did you deal with the famous ‘Nareal’ Award for the worst dressed celebrity?

Vidya: Frankly speaking, it did not bother me much. I took it in my stride and I feel that one needs to have a sporting sense of humour to be able to take such things.

Q: Do you pride yourself on your dressing sense?

Vidya: Yes I do.

Swati: How did you feel when a designer of Manish Malhotra’s stature made sarcastic comments about your dressing sense?

Vidya: What matters is that still when I look into the mirror I smile. As long as I am happy with the way I look and feel it does not bother me much then, who says what. I just feel loved and cared for and I am thankful for that.

Q: Being loved by whom?

Vidya: Fans and of course my family. No matter what the world says about me, once I go home I feel special. I am blessed to have friends who are supportive of whatever I do. I feel that opinions do matter, but they don’t alter my way of living.

Q: After Parineeta you went to don the glam doll look. Was that a deliberate decision?

Vidya: I could not have carried a Parineeta look in all my movies. I have always attempted to do different kinds of roles and they required me to change my look. So, the glam doll image came naturally as the role required.

Q: Did all the criticism about your dressing sense hurt?

Vidya: Initially it did. May be more because I had gotten so used to compliments that when I was criticised it came as a shock. I wondered why people were being so harsh to me. But now I have come to terms with such comments.

Vidya: I hope that with my films like Kismat Konnection, people will forget about my dressing sense.

Q: Why is your name being linked with actors? Is it because not many people in the film industry make their relationship public?

Vidya: I think I get linked because I am single. Also because I share great rapport with all my co- stars. I believe in having fun on work and if I get along with someone and have a good time, then I don’t hesitate for the fear of being linked with them.

Q: So are you single and ready to mingle?

Vidya: Most definitely ready to mingle.

Q: With each of your movies you are linked with your co-stars. Saif in Parineeta… (Vidya corrects, no it was Sanju) John Abraham- Saalam-e-Ishq, you have been portrayed as a femme fatale and now you have been linked with Shahid in Kismat Konnection. What do you have to say?

Vidya: Well I think that because I am single and I share great equation with everyone that people are putting two and two together.

Q: Even Shahid is single, so what is so strange?

Vidya: It’s strange because it is untrue. It’s not only link ups, but the fact that people write all kinds of stuff and when your family reads it sometimes. They write such illicit stuff that disturbs my family deeply and when they get hurt it feels bad as they are the most important people in my life.

Q: Do all the rumours affect your rapport with co-star Shahid?

Vidya: I think when we work, it doesn’t matter. We take it as professional hazards and there are of course times when we joke about them.

Q: So what is your relation with Shahid?

Vidya: That of good friends.

Q: ‘We are good friends’, well that sounds like an old Hindi film cliché.

Vidya: If we are just good friends, then what more can I say? The truth is that we are indeed good friends and great co-stars.

Swati: You have had John, Sanju and Shahid as your co-stars. You are a normal girl, so aren’t you attracted to them?

Vidya: (Laughs) You know when we are working you can’t get attracted to them, as you have to focus. There is no denying that they are good-looking men, but I will have to meet them outside work to know how I feel about them.

Q: Do you meet them outside work?

Vidya: No, I don’t. I don’t even get time to meet my friends, and the little time that I have I want to spend it with the people, who are already there in my life than make new relations.

Q: Who all in the list of Vidya’s top good-looking men?

Vidya: There is no order of preference, but the actors that I find good-looking are: Shah Rukh Khan, because of his looks and attitude (purely the look of his eyes), John Abraham for his absolute good looks, Salman because he looks like a Greek god, Abhishek for his cool attitude and Hrithik of course.

Q: Are you interested in politics?

Vidya: I think there is politics in every industry, so I don’t think there is a need for me to join politics.

Swati: Do you think that there is an inherent sexism in the film industry, where the hero goes on forever and a female actress has a limited professional life?

Vidya: Yes, of course there is an inherent sexism existing here. That is because once you know that an actress is married the desirability of the actress dies down. It is basically the mentality of the Indian society. Once married, the actress has to be shown as a mother or a married woman on screen. But I feel Kajol is an exception of sorts, she is an actress who has shown that her sensuality doesn’t lie in the clothes that she wears or in her body language but in her sheer performance, which is so marvelous.

Q: After Kismat Konnection and seeing yourself on the big screen, what is the next big thing on your list?

Vidya: Actually, I couldn’t have asked for more, I think I am just grateful to God.

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?