By Jilawatan

The back-to-back success of Paa and Ishqiya have shifted focus from Vidya Balan’s weight, challenged sense of style and love life to the prodigal histrionic talent that she packs.

Understandably, Balan is both pleased and relieved.

“I think I was trying to be someone else and trying to fit into a mould which people were not accepting. I’m grateful to those criticisms about my weight, dressing sense because I realized that I was trying to forcefully do something. I realized I just have to be myself,” she told DNA.

Being herself didn’t involve slipping into drab Bhenji style mode for Balan. She ended up becoming fashion fierce, wowing as AND June issue cover girl.

Referring to the AND photoshoot she says, “It’s the same Vidya but in a happier and fearless space.”

Balan, 30, is currently filming for Rajkumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica.

She was on location in Kolkata over the weekend. On Friday, she shot in Bengali poet Debi Roy’s house, and on Saturday took a tram ride from Esplanade to Park Circus with the cameras rolling.

Speaking about the shoot, a unit member told TOI, “Vidya plays a reporter in the film. In her search for the murderer, she lands in Kolkata. The indoor shots are of her in a house, which she suspects belongs to the murderer. On Saturday, we shot portions of her taking a tram ride. Since her character is new to the city, we have canned shots of her taking a tram ride, walking down an alley close to New Market and visiting the Maidan.”