By Jilawatan

These days Vidya Balan is looking far prettier than she has ever looked. Her intense eyes sparkle with mirth, and her wide smile tells the story of a gratifying existence. Vidya, in her own words, is “herself” these days and has quit being someone else. May be that’s making the difference!

In a candid interview with Spicezee’s Swati Chaturvedi in her celebrity chat show ‘Kahiye Janab’, Vidya Balan opened up about her upcoming film ‘Ishqiya’, romance with Shahid Kapur and love for SRK.

Swati: Vidya, you are doing a film called ‘Ishqiya’, which is about ‘Ishq’(love) but what about real-life love?

Vidya: What do I say; I have always been in search for that special someone but that has not happened. (Laughs) Maybe after ‘Ishqiya’, love will enter my life.

Swati: It is being said that you have used indecent language in the film, which doesn’t go with your image. You have a girl-next-door kind of image and even your endorsements portray you as a simple girl, then what made you go for such a character?

Vidya: I play a character whose social background and upbringing is such that she uses indecent language. I am afraid I can’t divulge too much. I took up ‘Ishqiya’ because as an actor I don’t set limitations. Luckily, I balance meaningful cinema with commercial fairly well. I got an opportunity to explore a new horizon with this film. My character in the film is completely different from what you have seen me playing onscreen so far. Joy and satisfaction lies in this. If you set limitations for yourself in work, then your job becomes mundane. But if you go uninhibited, you enjoy it. I have moved out of my comfort zone for the film, which has been very fulfilling.

Swati: How did the film happen? How did Vishal Bhardwaj convince you to play the lead role in the film?

Vidya: Well, he didn’t convince me, I agreed to the role immediately after listening to the script. Vishal called me up and said that there is a script and Abhishek Chaubey will narrate it. Normally, I listen to a script twice but in this case, I had made up my mind during the first session itself. It is a very challenging role for any actor, especially for me because the ten films that I have done, I had mostly played the girl-next-door kind of roles. In this I had to shed all inhibitions, which I had gathered doing similar kind of roles. I worked on my dialect and the whole process was very exciting.

Swati: You are an outsider in the industry and may be that’s why you faced a lot of bad press. You were criticised for looking older than your co-stars, bad dress sense and all that. How did you bear it all? Vidya: I felt one thing – people care about me. My existence matters – this thought was very reassuring for me. I agree I did things which did not suit me. I was fortunate to have faced such criticism because then I realized, what I want to do and what I should not.

Swati: What are the things you don’t want to do?

Vidya: See, I was just trying to be someone else. I am different and now, I happily accept myself the way I am. If people were angry with me, it was because they wanted to remind me – ‘You are different, why don’t you be different’.

Swati: Do you think you have always been targeted for being an outsider with no backing?

Vidya: I don’t think on those lines – no filmy backing or joining camps etc. What matters to me is my family. It is my biggest support and ‘Sabse Bada Khiladi’ God is always with me.

Swati: Aren’t you angry with Shahid Kapur? Were you in a relationship with him?

Vidya: Yes, there was a relationship. He was my friend, my co-star.

Swati: Shahid has told me that you are not his friend and he doesn’t want anything to do with you.

By Jilawatan

After playing a single mother to 67-year-old Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Paa’, Vidya Balan is set to scorch the big screen as the scheming seductress in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Ishqiya’ which the actress believes is the most challenging role of her career.

Vidya will be seen with actors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi in the film. Directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubhey, ‘Ishqiya’ is eyeing a January 29 release.

With her character of a scheming seductress igniting quite some heat within the industry circles way before the release, she must indeed be happy that the entire perception about her ‘holier than thou’ persona goes for a six in Bharadwaj production?

“I think I have been fortunate enough to have worked on the kind of films which have quenched my thirst as an actor.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan`s Ishqiya is too abusive to be shown Debutant director Abhishek Chaubey’s film, Ishqiya, has to be re-shot as the language of the film is too abusive. This is after a focus group told the team to re-edit the film. The producers, Shemaroo, have even asked Vishal Bhardwaj (who is Abhishek’s mentor) to be present when the film is being edited.

Starring Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shah, the film made some of the women in the audience uncomfortable.

It is about two bandits who fall in love with a widow while on the run and the consequences that arise out of the situation. The film’s theatrical trailer is out but other trailers will be out later. The film’s release date has apparently been shifted to mid-2010 but the film’s publicist assures it is still January 22nd, 2010.

Focus groups are a certain audience group that watches the film and gives their opinion on it. If they feel that there are some things that could be changed about the film, the changes are made. This is a common phenomenon in Hollywood but has only just entered Bollywood.

By Jilawatan

We’ve seen Gulzar reciting poetry at literary dos, Naseeruddin Shah making his presence felt in films and Vishal Bhardwaj creating his magic
behind the scenes.

But the three of them playing tennis? Well, that was a first, atleast for those who saw them having a go at the tennis courts recently.

The three were at a tennis event in Mumbai for senior citizens and Vishal too joined in. Apparently, Naseer and Gulzar are regular tennis players, so it was an effortless game for them. But the do had its share of women as well, actually, make that one lovely lady — Vidya Balan.

The actress, casually dressed in a white kurta with jeans, was the chief guest for the occasion and gave away trophies to all three of them.

Vidya, who has worked with both Vishal and Naseer and is a big fan of Gulzar was delighted to be in the presence of all three at the same time. We noticed she was in a white kurta. To make up for Gulzar not wearing his trademark white kurta to the tennis do, maybe?

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan, always game to take on challenging roles that require unconventional approaches by mainstream actresses, is all set to do it again in the forthcoming Ishqiya, being made by Vishal Bhardwaj of Omkara fame.

Having succeeded in getting Kareena Kapoor to play a negative role in Omkara, Vishal is doing the same with Vidya.

She plays a village belle with darker shades to her role, swearing in colourful Hindi and featuring in steamy scenes with co-star Arshad Warsi, including a passionate on-screen kiss.

Vidya had earlier done a kissing scene with Madhavan in the film Guru, and has gone on record as saying she would not mind doing a kissing scene if it was critical to the plot of the story.

Arshad called Vidya ‘a true professional’ after their steamy scene was filmed.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan will appear in a rustic avatar in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Ishqiya. She mouths slangs with ease, fires with vigour and is rocking in the promos of the film.

Sources from the sets inform us that Vidya worked hard on her looks and to acquire the vernacular diction. She has brushed up her acting skills too to match up with the stalwart Naseeruddin Shah and her chemistry with Arshad Warsi is also crackling. Besides films, Vidya is also endorsing a skin care product by Dabur.

By Jilawatan

Actors are known to go the distance for their roles, but Vidya Balan insists that she has lost all that weight only for herself. “My conscience was screaming at me. I had become a little lax, and thought it was high time…” says the actress who may have burnt the fat, but has managed to preserve those curves. “So I got myself a trainer and visited a dietician!” she revealed, “I told them ‘get rid of the excess, not the essentials!’ I didn’t want to become lanky, you know…”

So here she is, feeling lighter and oomphier, all thanks to four-five days of exercise per week, and a good, nutritional diet. “I was made to realise that working out wasn’t so much about weight loss than it was about fitness,” says Vidya, who has shimmered her way to sexy at last. She isn’t a follower of the ‘in-thing’, power yoga, and visits to the gym she considers ‘boring’. “My workouts require no equipments, nor am I on any traditional cardio activity,” explains the actress, “It’s just free-weights and what they call ‘body calisthenics’ for me.”

Having disposed off – apart from the weight – some expensive designer wear from her wardrobe, one would think that the vacant space now houses the likes of spaghetti tops, sexy halters, minis… “I may have lost weight, but little has changed,” confesses Vidya, “I still love Indian outfits; So no, I haven’t gone berserk shopping for those halters. I’ve instead indulged in the usual: jeans, white kurtas, tracks…”

But doesn’t her desi avatar become a limitation when new age cinema is defined by size zero bods and bikini tops? “Filmmakers know what you can and what you can’t pull off,” explains the actress, “Maybe I’m the first person they think of when considering the quintessential Indian girl. That’s an advantage I come with. Indian women are blessed with beautiful bodies; we ought to celebrate our curves. And that’s the space I am in! Sexy isn’t about wearing less clothes, it’s about being full-bodied,” adds Vidya, who’ll next be seen in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Ishqiya, where she oozes raw Indian sexuality.

About how the men have reacted to that, a modest Vidya tells us, “Well there have been compliments…” Ask her of her future plans, of marriage and movies, and she tells us winking, “I’m raring to go. I’m happy with the kind of work coming my way, but I’m just not that happy with the kind of guys coming my way.”

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

Here is another actress who has earned herself a nickname behind the scenes. Vidya Balan amused everyone on the sets of Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Ishqiya’. The charismatic actress couldn’t seem to have control over her tickling bone and she went on laughing uncontrollably during the shoots.

It is said that even a small thing would instantly send her into peals of laughter. Making the use of the situation, Arshad Warsi, the hero of the movie, started calling her ‘Giggles’. He revealed, “Vidya laughs a lot and can’t control herself. She just goes on laughing like crazy. She doesn’t even need someone to crack a joke… she laughs just like that. Sometimes she used to crack up in the middle of a shot and then Naseerudin and I had to wait till she finished… Man, that’s some talent she has! So we call her Giggles.”

Heyy Babyy, control yaar!

By Jilawatan

After Aishwarya’s giggles at various events and film sets became talk of the town, it’s Vidya Balan who is in news for the same reason these days.

Vidya has reportedly been conferred by a new nickname ‘Giggles’. While shooting for for Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Ishqiya’, Vidya apparently laughed so much on the sets that her co-star Arshad Warsi started calling her ‘Giggles’.

Confirming the news, Arshad said, “There’s a story behind this. Vidya laughs a lot and can’t control herself. She just goes on laughing like crazy. She doesn’t even need someone to crack a joke… she laughs JLT (just like that). Sometimes she used to crack up in the middle of a shot and then Naseeruddin and I had to wait till she finished… Man, that’s some talent she has! So we call her Giggles.”