By Jilawatan

VIDYA BALAN’S PORTRAYAL of Jessica Lall’s older sister, Sabrina, in No One Killed Jessica has been appreciated by one and all.

But it’s the producer of the film that Vidya is singing praises about. She has apparently found a very ‘close friend’ in Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures.

“They met during the film and hit it off instantly. During the making of the film, they realised that there were feelings which couldn’t be justified as ‘just friendship’. They started spending time with each other and now they are together,” says a source from UTV. But they are making every attempt to keep the relationship under wraps. “They wanted to be quiet about it as it would look like a publicity gimmick to promote the film. Now that the movie is out, they are a bit more open about each other. But not so much that they would want to announce it to the world yet,” concludes the source.

Explains Vidya’s ally, “She has burnt her fingers in the past. She actually thought that she had something special with Shahid Kapoor, only to realise that she was one of his rebound flings. And besides, Siddharth was married before – he is divorced now. So until there is something concrete, she wants to keep it discreet.”

If Vidya has fallen head over heels for the producer, the director of No One Killed Jessica is smitten by Rani Mukherji. Rajkumar Gupta has fallen for Rani so badly that he made a cameo in one of the scenes just to shout, ‘Marry me’ in the film. Apparently, he’s also thinking of casting Rani in his next film.

By Jilawatan

Sabrina Lall saw herself on 70mm for the first time on Tuesday evening, albeit through Vidya Balan, who plays Sabrina in ” No One Killed Jessica”.

The occasion was the premier of the movie for Sabrina’s family and close friends, and the main cast of the film especially flew from Mumbai to be a part of the screening, including the reel Sabrina (Vidya) and Rani Mukerji, as well as director Raj Kumar Gupta. The Delhi cast of the movie too was invited, and we spotted familiar faces Bubbles Sabharwal and Vidushi Mehra among those in the hall. While Bubbles plays the owner of the restaurant where Jessica was shot dead, Vidushi plays Sabrina’s best friend in the movie.

Among Delhi’s social regulars, we spotted Baba Anand, Aruna Bal and Vikrum Baidyanath during the screening. After the show got over, we met Liza Varma, who said, “We are very close to Sabrina’s family, and wanted to see the portrayal of her struggle for justice.” When we caught up with Sabrina after the movie, she was on her way to a friend’s bash, but in between a quick photoshoot, she told us, “Both Rani and Vidya have done a very good job.”

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan will be soon seen with a baby bump in a forthcoming film, ‘Kahaani’. The film directed by Sujoy Ghosh has Vidya Balan playing the role of a pregnant woman. The most interesting part is that Vidya will be seen with the bump not just in a scene or two but throughout the film. The film is about a journey of a lady who is six months pregnant and who reaches Kolkata searching for her husband. Known to be a perfectionist, Vidya is known to live the character she plays on screen. So sporting a baby bump and being comfortable with the look is all a part of the professional regime that the actress follows. She has earlier played mother to a baby in Sajid Khan’s ‘Heyy Baby’.

Director Sujoy Ghosh, is full of praises for the gifted actress for carrying off the role so effortlessly. He said that he had written the script with Vidya in mind and none other than Vidya could have portrayed the character so well. “It’s the story of a woman who’s six months pregnant and her journey. I had written the script keeping Vidya in mind. I wouldn’t have made the film without her. For me she’s a perfectionist who has beautifully brought the character alive,” said the director.

Vidya Balan has another interesting film coming up, ‘No one Killed Jessica’, based on the real life killing of Jessica Lal, where she plays a lawyer and co-stars with Rani Mukerji. The beautiful actress made her debut in Bollywood with the film ‘Parineeta’ by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She shot into limelight with her maiden performance and made everyone take note of her. There has been no looking back ever since.

By Jilawatan

‘Ishqiya’ seductress Vidya Balan have managed to keep controversies at bay, but recently when her ‘kiss’ photos with Rani Mukerji were splashed in tabloids, she couldn’t hide her shyness.

During the promotion of ‘No One Killed Jessica’, when Rani Mukerji ‘mock-kissed’ Vidya Balan, heads turned.

Talking about the incident to a daily, Vidya said, “Rani and I were fed up of answering questions about whether we had catfights. The truth is that we didn’t have any. Someone asked us if we had kissed and made up, so in the heat of the moment we did a mock kiss. I don’t need that kind of publicity, and neither does the film.”

Vidya plays model Jessica Lal’s younger sister Sabrina in ‘No One Killed Jessica’. In the film, she teams up with Rani, who essays the role of a reporter, to fight for her sister Jessica’s justice.

Balan was pleased about the fact that the Jessica case verdict came out while the film was still being shot. According to her, hearing that news was reassuring.

Vidya maintains that even though the film borrows a lot from the actual case, it is not a docudrama. Vidya said, “It’s a dramatised version of the actual event.”

In fact, she met two people who called the ‘No One Killed Jessica’ thappad (slap) help line to offer solutions to their problems.

“We had an astounding response. Five thousand people called up on an average every day — to complain about eve teasing, harassment and other issues,” she said.

By Jilawatan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is all set to play lead in Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming venture ‘Ragini MMS’, which is based on the infamous MMS scandal in a prestigious Delhi based school, Zee News reported. According to a report on spicezee.com, apparently, Kangna Ranaut had been approached by Ekta Kapoor to play the lead role. “When the former showed uneasiness on hearing the explicit content of the film, Kangna Ranaut chickened out at the last minute. However, Ekta Kapoor was quick to find Kangna’s replacement in Vidya Balan,” the website reported. The report further revealed that while talking to a daily, a source confirmed the news and said, “Kangna walked out of the film, perhaps because she had developed cold feet about the movie. This is a bold movie and it needs an actress who can do justice to a strong portrayal. Vidya can deliver such intense roles with confidence. She is anyway doing ‘Dirty Picture’, based on the life of Silk Smitha, with Ekta, and her company felt that she`s appropriate for the role. So, they`ve approached her.” When contacted, the CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, said, “I don`t want to say anything at this stage. But the film is definitely on.” After playing the power-packed role of Sabrina Lal, sister of Jessica in ‘No One Killed Jessica’ and sex-siren Silk Smitha in ‘Dirty Picture’, it seems Vidya is keen on a serious image makeover and has become a hot favourite of Bollywood filmmakers, the website reported. daily times monitor

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan has discovered a new side to Delhi. During her extensive shoot in the capital for ”No One Killed Jessica”, the Bollywood star walked through crowded streets and markets, even in old Delhi, and was quite surprised to find that people did not stop to watch the shooting. Delhiwallahs are as busy as Mumbaikars, the actress said.

“I always thought Delhi was a bit more relaxed than Mumbai where nobody walks aaram se (in a relaxed way). But through my walks in Delhi during the shoot of ‘No One Killed Jessica’, I realised that people don’t have time to look at you. Life is as fast-paced here as in Mumbai,” Vidya told IANS.

The 32-year-old essays the role of Sabrina Lall in the film, based on the murder case of model Jessica Lall, who was shot dead by Manu Sharma in 1999. For many scenes, Vidya had to shoot in perennially crowded areas like Connaught Place and Bhikaji Cama Place in the capital, but says she was surprised that no one waited to see the shooting, unlike earlier times.

“I give complete leeway to the fact that I was dressed differently – very plain and simply. I saw a mad rush of people in CP and Bhikaji Cama, but people didn’t have time to stop and look at us. I had always heard that Mumbai is more used to stars and Delhi isn’t used to stars, but even here, no one cared! This is one new side of Delhi that I got to explore,” she added.

Vidya spent a-month-and-a-half shooting in Delhi for the Rajkumar Gupta film, and says the experience was heart-warming. The film releases Friday.

“I actually walked through the streets of Delhi for the film. It’s been a different and heart-warming experience because it wasn’t like just shooting in one location. I had to walk through streets wearing absolutely plain clothes and shoot with hidden cameras to look like one of the people in the crowd.

“I won’t be able to specify the streets I traversed, but I know I have been through both – Puraani Dilli and New Delhi. I have really explored Delhi like I could never have done alone and I don’t think any Delhiite has explored Delhi the way I did during this shoot,” she said, sounding overwhelmed.

The actress who hails from Tamil Nadu loves Delhi’s winter.
“It always feels so good to be back in Delhi, especially at this time of the year. It’s so charming… we don’t have this kind of weather in Mumbai. The streets are so much calmer during these days than the rest of the year. So I really like it.”

By Jilawatan

All’s well
Who did what in Bollywood…we have it all captured right here…Putting aside all the rumours about their apparent fall-out, Rani Mukherji and Vidya Balan are all out to promote their new film ‘No One Killed Jessica’ in the city. Looks like Vidya’s glasses are here to stay and Rani looks stunning in her gorgeous avatar.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan will shed a few more kilos for her role as South siren Silk Smitha in Balaji’s Dirty Pictures. After the release of No One Killed Jessica, the actress will devote all her time to get in shape for the role. A source reveals Balan’s preparation for the role. “She will work out and lose more weight for the role. The brief is not to look lean and skinny, but curvy.

Silk Smitha was famous for her curves and Vidya wants to ape that look. However, she feels that it’s necessary for her to lose some more weight before getting into the skin of the character.

Her portrayal of Smitha won’t be through daring outfits but the body language and dance numbers.”

In fact, Dirty Pictures director Milan Luthria has asked his leading lady to take three weeks off to rehearse for the songs. “She will be working with two choreographers one from the south who will teach her the steps Smitha for famous for. Another will be from Mumbai. The songs won’t be cheap or vulgar but choreographed in an aesthetic way.”

Neither producer Ekta Kapoor nor her director want to sensationalise Smitha’s story. “They are keen to portray her story with lot of respect and dignity.

By Jilawatan

Actor Vidya Balan brought in her birthday and the New Year with parents and close friends at her new Khar home. Though Balan had bought her Khar house a year ago, she never had the opportunity to spend time there for a long duration due to hectic shooting schedules. First, she was busy shooting
for Sujoy Ghosh’s film Kahani in Kolkata, and once she got back, she was tied up with the promotions of Rajkumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, which releases on January 7 and also stars Rani Mukherji.
No One Killed Jessica sees Mukherji playing a crime reporter, while Vidya Balan essays the role of Jessica’s sister Sabrina and focuses on the high-profile Jessica Lal case and its aftermath.

So to make up for all the time lost, Balan has took December 31 and January 1 off and spent some quiet time with her folks and friends in her new abode.

By Jilawatan

The actor and the band have come together for a two-minute TV slot.

Beauty with brains is the deadliest of all combinations. And perhaps in sync with this thought, director Abhijit Choudhury of ” Patalghar” fame has shot Vidya Balan, known for her ethereal beauty, and the voice of contemporary Bengal, Chandrabindoo, in a two-minute slot on television.

The shoot that happened at the Filmistan Studios in Mumbai recently, had band members of Chandrabindoo wearing dhuti-panjabi for the video — outfits that travelled with the band to the tinseltown. The song too is being composed by the band that rose up to the occasion. However, it’s not clear whether the song would be included in the band’s forthcoming album or would remain a single that the occasion called for. So, what does the television slot has in store? Says a source close to the unit, “In the video, Vidya would be seen teased by members of Chandrabindoo. Vidya, who has a strong Bong connection and is considered an archetype of Bangaliana, plays a Bengali home-maker. Her varied avatars as a Bangali bou are tapped in the video. But the chroma shooting didn’t call for a face-to-face encounter of the band and the actor. Here, it can be recalled that Vidya, on her recent trip to Kolkata for the promotion of ” No One Killed Jessica”, said how she would love to marry a Bengali with a long surname.” Here’s some more trivia. The day Chandrabindoo was gearing up for its teasing act, guess who was shooting in the same studio? It’s none other than SRK! Adds the source, “But because of a packed schedule, it wasn’t possible for the band of boys to take a peek at what was happening next doors.”

When TOI got in touch with members of Chandrabindoo, they refused to comment on the video. But if sources are to be believed, the eve-teasing act has pleased the band to quite an extent.