20 years of Vidya Balan: A trip down memory lane

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She came in 20 years ago into Hindi movies with Parineeta, released on June 10, 2005 to critical acclaim and with good success at the b-o. In the title-role, Vidya Balan made perhaps the finest debut of that decade in terms of her in-depth performance.

But her greatest triumph lies simply in her grounded nature remaining on terra firma even today after she is a big star who does not need a big hero to count. I met her first at her residence in Chembur weeks after her debut, and to this date, whenever I have met her at an event or interviewed her (once even on video), she has been the same warm, affable and yet perceptive individual she always was.

So flawless and impactful were her performances, whether in Parineeta or her follow-up Lage Raho Munna Bhai, that detractors needed something to pull her down. So they decided to focus on her “poor dress sense” in a few later films like Salaam-E-Ishq, forgetting not only the awful sartorial sense of great older actresses (and actors) but also the fact that filmmakers too have a say in the make-up, hairdo and costumes, and this does not take anything away from great performances. A few even homed in on Vidya’s ‘figure’, which was not in sync with the glamor dolls abounding!

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But then, Vidya wasn’t one. From the beginning, even in mediocre films like Halla Bol, Kismet Connection or Heyy Babyy, she made her own quiet mark. And a few years down the line, bolstered by Vidya-centric hits Kahaani and The Dirty Picture, the actress decided that she would go in for films that required deep substance from her, irrespective of scale, big-ticket names or perceived commercial potential.

Not that these films did magic at the b-o. (Te3n, Bobby Jasoos, Kahaani 2, Tumhari Sulu, Begum Jaan, Ekk Albela in which she enacted the late Geeta Bali), and some were even released on OTT during that unfortunate 2020-onwards phase (Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, Jalsa, Neeyat). But the actress was undeterred. Yes, she did a couple of South films, but just about the only hit she had then was Mission Mangal, involving R. Balki, who had given her the meaty role of Abhishek Bachchan’s wife and Amitabh Bachcchan’s mother in Paa!

Her determination (Vidya never shied away even from female co-stars in her films) won the day as, last year, her Anees Bazmee-directed Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was a massive Diwali hit. Manjulika, her iconic character in the 2007 Bhool Bhulaiyaa, was reprised again here, and her ‘rival’ was Madhuri Dixit-Nene!

Married happily today to Siddharth Roy Kapur of Roy Kapur Films, Vidya continues to count commercially as well today whenever a role of substance demands her mettle. But what is most important is that she remains the same humble being she was two decades back, when all she had done were a few negligible regional film appearances, ad commercials, and a couple of TV shows, such as Hum Paanch. Stardom, which sits well on her now, had not even touched her then.

And perhaps the best way to illustrate her alluring persona is to recall some of her significant quotes from my many interactions with her.

2005—Our first interview

“Yes, I came to Mumbai to act, though I did every ad film with as much conviction as I did Parineeta. Actually, things went right, because education was my priority then, and ad films were manageable in terms of time, while films would have messed up my studies. I first completed my M.A. (Masters in Arts) in Sociology, because I felt that films could come to me later as well.”

“I am inquisitive about people in general. So, I question my director and writer a lot. I also began watching films of the period shown in Parineeta, and since I was a shade plump, I began to go to a gym. But I lost too much weight and had to put on some again! I am not a switch-on, switch-off artiste, I do need lots of inputs.”

2009

“I think that acting is about feeling, about believing deeply in something and then reacting and expressing what you feel. I enjoy acting to an extent that I have not thought of another profession. But as an actor, while I am acting, I am not closed to other things. I want to do my own thing, act on my own terms, have space and time for myself and my other interests like watching films, attending classical musical concerts, traveling a bit, and doing workshops in theatre or films. I want to take one day at a time, not plan for next week, and work only to the extent that I enjoy life.”

2017

“For me, every time I play a character, it is not me. That distinction is very clear. Until Kahaani 2, I was not really willing to experiment with the dark side of life. But now, I am getting comfortable with that.”

2021

“It’s very nice of you to say that I have done the kind of variety even our legendary actresses have not, but I guess this happened because I am always desperate to keep myself excited, motivated and engaged. I look for different kinds of stories and characters, and I am grateful for the variety that I have been able to do. I can get bored very fast!”

2022

“After four back-to-back films on OTT, I have thought of doing web series, and I have got so many offers, but none worth my while in terms of the time I will have to put in and the quality of work I would like to do. I will break into the web only with the right show!”

Here’s hoping then that we get to watch Vidya Balan dazzle in a web show in the near future. Here is where even her illustrious seniors like Dimple Kapadia, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Manisha Koirala, Kajol and Tabu have scored.

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