Vidya Balan: Single and ready to mingle!

PRIYANKA TATER catches up with the versatile actress in Sydney

The last time I interviewed her in Mumbai was in 2010, just before the release of Ishqiya. The memory is still fresh – Vidya Balan draped in a simple printed yellow saree in ‘ishqiya’ style, accompanied by her co-star Arshad Warsi. The two looked the part even in the studio. And with no starry airs and no diva tantrums, Vidya Balan certainly came as a welcome relief from the oh-so-pretentious nature of stardom. But as they say, some things are too good to be true, and I was still sceptical if the person I interacted with was the character Krishna of Ishqiya, Vidya Balan the star or Vidya the person.

Cut to 2011, and I am waiting along with a host of other media to meet the star once again. We wait in a hotel lobby in Woolloomooloo, a posh suburb in Sydney where one could expect to bump into the likes of Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Steve Waugh…

But today the spotlight was on – Vidya Balan!

Though she’s had her fair share of Sydney’s sun while shooting for Heyy Baby, this time it’s the Indian Film Festival, Bollywood & Beyond that brings the actress back to Australia. With a retrospective dedicated to Vidya Balan, her fans are up for a treat ranging from Parineeta to Ishqiya. Vidya was here to introduce the opening film of the festival, the acclaimed No One Killed Jessica.

“I am now playing extremely varied characters and if that means I can’t play teenage characters or younger roles, I am okay with that, because I didn’t come into the industry as a teenager”.

Draped in a Sabyasachi sari, Vidya sets the shutterbugs flashing. I am familiar with the smile, the polite demeanor and the warmth. To our mutual surprise, she greets me familiarly from the swarm of media, and after some girly talk we settle down for the job at hand – the interview.

Ms. Balan isn’t speaking to just anyone on the day. Indian Link and a couple of selected mainstream media are the only ones with access to a short chat with her, so I make the most of my time with Vidya, asking her a few pertinent questions about her life, career and future plans.

Priyanka Tater: Let’s begin from where we left off in 2010. The Filmfare Critics award for best performance in Ishqiya, and the year before that, the Filmfare award for best actress for Paa. So what are your expectations for No One killed Jessica ?

Vidya Balan: Inshallah, Inshallah (God willing), it feels great when one’s work is appreciated. I am thankful to those who’ve offered me such varied roles and given me the opportunity to work in their films. All I am trying to do is be honest in my work.

PT: So you’re certainly having the last laugh, after a career that began with music videos, TV commercials and Radhika Mathur of Hum Paanch?

VB: It has been an extremely fulfilling journey and a happy one. I have grown through my work. I was a baby when I did Hum Paanch, but I’ve learnt on the job. God has been very kind. I didn’t have any backing or a ‘filmy’ background. It’s the belief in oneself that is derived from my faith in the Almighty and the unconditional support from my family, which is the reason I’m sitting here and being interviewed by you. A lot of people are talented, but I have been very, very fortunate and blessed.

PT: A sign of a mature actor is playing different roles, like young Lalita in Parineeta and mother to the Big B in Paa; or Krishna from Ishqiya and Sabrina Lall from No One Killed Jessica. Do you now feel that you’re being typecast into more mature roles, and would prefer to play younger characters?

VB: Thank you for calling me a ‘mature’ actor. I am happy with my mature performances in certain roles, they bring out the best in me.

With Parineeta, I came into the industry with a role which other actors aspire to get after five or ten years’ experience, so I am not complaining at all. I am now playing extremely varied characters and if that means I can’t play teenage characters or younger roles, I am okay with that, because I didn’t come into the industry as a teenager. I am just happy to have made it so far, in a space of my own that I share with no-one, and no-one shares it with me. It is a niche that I have created for myself, and I am happy about that.

PT: How do you feel about the acclaim accorded to you for No One Killed Jessica?

VB: It is very, very encouraging that No One Killed Jessica has received critical acclaim and has done very well commercially, both in India and overseas. The figures show that it’s done stupendously well internationally, considering that it’s not your usual song-and-dance stuff. The usual belief is that films with someone like Shah Rukh Khan and dance numbers do well internationally, but with No One Killed Jessica we have managed to debunk these ideas.

PT: How was it to play Sabrina Lall, a real life hero, who had the entire nation by her side?

VB: Luckily for me, I did not impersonate the real life Sabrina. The Sabrina in No One Killed Jessica is the one from eleven years ago when the incident happened. One really does not have access to her except one’s imagination. The director Rajkumar and I based our interpretation and characterization on the fact that she was just like any of us who was suddenly faced with this tragedy and how she fell back on her inner strength, keeping up the fight for 11 long years and truly emerging as a real life hero. We are happy that Sabrina Lall endorsed our movie

PT: So what’s next, Hollywood?

VB: I am looking at good cinema, wherever that takes me. Iranian, Israeli, Hollywood, Australian… I am open to good roles and good films.

PT: And what about your personal plans? I heard that you would prefer to marry a Bengali?
VB (laughing): Vidya Balan does not want to marry for a long time! (pausing) but we shall see. Bengali, non-Bengali, Indian, Australian (with a giggle); I am single and ready to mingle!

It was hard to ignore the honesty and passion with which Vidya conducted herself during the interview. There’s no doubt that the star’s got her head firmly on her shoulders. And I have to admit that my initial scepticism disappeared as I finally met the real Vidya Balan – the endearing person with charm and charisma who remains as genuine and warm in Sydney, as she was in Mumbai a year ago.