Though she had had a hard day shooting and traveling, Vidya Balan made it a point to attend good friend and designer Shabinaa Khan’s birthday. Vidya was dressed in a simple salwaar kameez and had kept a natural look. She was flooded with compliments. Her skin was glowing and friends Akshay began teasing her saying, “Love was certainly the reason for the glow on her face.” Who was that someone special, they all wanted to know! Vidya played around for a while insisting that there wasn’t anyone and that she was happy to be single. But her friends insisted on knowing that someone special’s name. Vidya finally let the secret out. “The guy’s name is—a relaxed good night’s sleep,” Vidya said laughing

Vidya Balan had a tough time matching up with Shahid Kapoor while shooting a dance number for the promotional video of Kismet Konnection. It took more than 25 takes before one single dance step could be finalised.

The sensuous number, choreographed by Ahmed Khan, required Vidya to pirouette in high heels, and she was clearly ill at ease. A source who was present on the sets said, “Vidya took more than 25 takes to get her moves right. She had never done such a dance number before. To top it all, she had to wear high heels.”

Now it can be told. The star Sanjay Leela Bhansali has zeroed in on to act with Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan in his film Chenab Gandhi is newcomer Harman Baweja.There were rumours that Bhansali wanted Ranbir Kapoor, who he launched last year with Saawariya, but Ranbir’s hands were full. However, Bhansali, at the time clarified that Ranbir had not been approached and that he wouldn’t cast someone who didn’t suit a particular role.Bhansali who has been getting terrific feedback about Harman felt he was perfect for the role. “I’m very impressed with him, he has great screen presence, and everyone who has dealt with Harman from the industry is very positive,” said Bhansali, who has turned producer for the first time with this film, to be directed by his assistant Vibhu Puri. “Harman’s talented, sincere and hard working and I’m looking forward to shooting with him.”

Yeah, we hit upon this interesting tidbit about Vidya Balan. The other day a unit member from one of Vidya’s movie gave us this rather interesting insight on her. “You should hear her mimic. She can imitate other actors with utmost ease! It’s a treat to watch her take-off on them. She’s the life of our night schedules.

She is in good spirits even in the wee hours of the night. She never gets and let other get bogged down by boredom and is always smiling, cracking jokes and imitating other people. The gruelling schedules don’t seem tough when she is around.” Hmmm, it will be interesting to watch who does she mimics well. How about hosting your own laughter show, huh?

King Khan will not be lighting the lamp at the 14th Kolkata Film Festival after all. According to sources Shah Rukh expressed his inability to stay overnight as he has already given dates for the last song of Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which is clashing with the KFF inauguration on November 10.

But according to the other sourse, the governing bodies of the Kolkata Film Festival disapproved of the choice of bringing SRK for the inauguration. (There is no logic in this stance because if Vidya Balan can inaugurate it, as she did a few years ago, what’s wrong with Shah Rukh Khan?)

Vidya Balan is quite relieved nowadays as she has been spared of a link-up with her co-star Arshad Warsi with whom she is shooting for Ishkiyan.

“Vidya is happy that this time the media will not be able to link her with her co-star. Arshad is her good friend and he is happily married with two kids. So she is glad that she will be spared any link-ups this time,” a source said.

The two are shooting in Wai for Vishal Bharadwaj’s Ishkiyan. In the past, Vidya has been linked to all her co-stars including Shahid Kapur, Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham. She was also linked to Sajid Khan, who directed her in Akshay Kumar- starrer Heyy Babby.

Vidya Balan is shooting with Arshad Warsi in Wai. Being with Arshad comes as a relief for Vidya. “Vidya is happy that this time the media will not be able to link her with her costar. Arshad is a friend! Also he is married with two kids. So she is glad that she will be spared link ups this time,” a source said. Vidya was earlier linked with Shahid Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and John Abraham. That’s practically every other co star she has worked with. No wonder, Vidya is fed up!

Gul Panag, whose Tata Sky TV ad with Aamir Khan is getting a fabulous response, talks to Nishi Tiwari about working with the actor and how she intends to have a long career in films

Not long ago, actors R Madhvan and Vidya Balan appeared on our television sets in a series of Airtel commercials and won our hearts as a much-in-love couple. The ads were well-scripted and their chemistry sizzled. Little surprise then that the commercials became hugely popular across the country. Now you have that Tata Sky commercial featuring Aamir Khan and Gul Panag as a married couple dying to get their hands on the TV remote. The earlier commercial with Aamir dressed in drag received mixed reactions but this particular one has already become the talk of the town.

Chalo Panjim. He’s shooting for a travel bag ad, and for once he’s bereft of companions. All there and smiling in the sunny, bebinca ambience, he hops into a car to speed along the seafront. So here’s Shahid Kapur in a feni-‘n’-games chatteroo with Nikhil Taneja who returns home from Goa with his teetotaller reputation intact.. hic?

Vidya Balan is a Tamilian from Kerala. She is from the Iyer community. She comes from a middleclass family from Palghat, on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Vidya did her schooling from St Antony’s School and later on joined St Xavier’s College from where she graduated in sociology.

When she was doing her MA from Mumbai University, she was offered a role in a Malayalam film titled Chakram with Mohanlal, one of Vidya’s favorite actors. However, the project was shelved mid-way and Vidya had to wait for few more years to make her movie debut.