Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan : I can spice up my life myself

It’s
been ayear full of work, and also link-ups, for Vidya Balan. But on the
whole, she’s happy that it’s the work that gets more copy than the
link-ups. “I have just laughed at the rumours. I am glad that it is my
work that is generating more interest these days. As far as spicing up
my life is concerned, leave that to me. I guess it’s high time I spice
up my life on my own,” she laughs.

Considering Vidya turns 30 today, she would have loads of opportunity
to do that by living it up. But that’s not what she’s doing. “I don’t
generally have bashes or gala parties on my birthday,” she says. “Like
always, I am going to be with my parents and close friends. I’m planning
to take my parents out of town for a couple of days, that’s all.”

Vidya believes that if you begin the new year with a particular
routine, then that’s what you’re going to do for the rest of the year
too. Laughing, she says, “And that’s why, I’m going to spend the day
exercising, reading books, listening to my favourite music and generally
having a very busy day.” But the year gone by will always be very
special for her - the year of her “good five releases. If Halla Bol had
been released, it would have been six. I did a lot of different roles
and experimented a lot in 2007. I have learnt how to handle a
choc-a-bloc schedule.”

She feels that she’s also not as guarded as she used to be when she
joined the industry. “I guess when you are introduced to something new,
you take time to explore it. But now, I have become more assertive,” she
says.

Vidya Balan is not the best dancer in the world

If
sources are to be believed, Vidya Balan’s two left-feet act almost threw
the shooting schedule of Aziz Mirza’s film, Lucky Charm (tentative
title) out of gear. She had a tough time enacting the elaborate dance
sequences that were shot in the streets of Toronto recently. Unit
members were heard complaining that there were just too many retakes
before Vidya could get her moves right.

A reliable source from the sets informs, “We have just shot two song
sequences. Vidya just couldn’t get her moves right. She was extremely
nervous dancing alongside Shahid Kapur, who is one of the best dancers
in the industry.”

Initially, she had her reservations about filming on busy
thoroughfares with traffic plying on either side. Later, she couldn’t
get the timing right. Choreographer Ahmed Khan admits that Vidya needs
to improve her dancing skills. He says, “Yes, there were a few retakes.
Vidya took some time to get acquainted with my way. She was also
distracted because we were shooting peak traffic hours. Eventually, she
managed to pull it off.”

He further adds, “As for the rest of the songs, I intend to have
thorough rehearsals before hitting the sets. I’m sure she will do well.”

Vidya Balan had a poor show on the sets of Priyadarshan’s Bhool
Bhoolaiya, which is inspired from the 1993 Malayalam film
Manichitrathazhu. Balan was supposed to do quite a few dance sequences,
as her character is that of a trained dancer in the film. But her poor
dancing skills prompted the director to rework the script.

How Akshay made Vidya Balan cry…

When
it comes to teasing the girls, there is no one better than Akshay Kumar.
The actor almost made Vidya Balan cry with embarrassment recently while
shooting for Heyy Babyy in Sydney. Akshay called Vidya pretending to be
an Australian journalist, and even changed his voice while he spoke to
her. He introduced himself and said he would like to interview her.
Unsuspecting Vidya agreed, and they chatted for 20 minutes with Vidya
innocently answering each and every question. Little did she know that
Akshay had put her on speaker phone and the entire cast and crew who
were privy to the conversation were simply cracking up throughout. When
she finally came on the sets after the ‘interview’, everyone burst out
laughing. Vidya obviously was quite embarrassed. Incidentally, while the
tag line of Heyy Babyy claims that Vidya is the only girl to make the
actors cry, looks like in real life, things are the exact opposite!

Vidya Balan is twice shy

Unlike
most celebrity women, Vidya Balan prefers to keep a low profile. The
popular notion is that the actress doesn’t have an eventful life and
therefore has little to offer to gossip columns. However, she is trying
hard to toss away her ‘desi gal’ image. She has been working out at a
gym and has been seen in itsy-bitsy western clothes. When quizzed about
it, she almost hid under her bed. Her close friends explained that she
is ‘too shy’ to talk about her exercise and diet regimen. “She is a
private person and hates to talk about her life unnecessarily,” added
the friend.

Vidya Balan has a guardian angel

She
made a debut with a role many actors can only dream of. We’re talking
about Vidya Balan, who scorched the big screen with her performance in
Parineeta. And the pretty actor - who will soon be seen in Heyy Babyy -
hasn’t looked back ever since. But while many fans attribute her success
to her affable smile and acting prowess, Vidya prefers to be modest
about it. “I think I’ve just been very lucky and have the blessings of a
lot of people. Above all I have God,” she says, adding, “I sometimes
feel there’s a guardian angel out there taking care of me.”

So, is she very religious? “Not really. I am more spiritually
inclined. But I do believe in making trips to Shirdi ke Sai Baba,” she
adds. And do the box-office ratings really matter to her? “If a film
does well, you obviously feel happy because you’ve seen everyone put in
so much effort and hard work. If it doesn’t work, you are bound to feel
bad, but I prefer learning from my mistakes, rather than brooding over
them,” she reveals. “And I have always believed in ‘all for the best’! I
am sure every success and failure teaches you something,” she says
rather philosophically. But let’s hope that this talented actor has more
of successes to learn from. What say?

Vidya Balan on her career moves and the rapport she
shares with her co-stars

The
vivacious Vidya Balan is fed up of being linked up with her various
co-stars, her irritation getting more evident when asked about her
alleged proximity with John Abraham. “I guess people are desperately
trying to link me up with someone or the other as I am single,” she
nevertheless explains with a smile. Vidya adds that it could also be
because she shares a fine rapport with all her costars. “I have been
extremely fortunate to work with the best - Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sanjay
Dutt, John Abraham and now Akshay Kumar, Sajid Khan and Ritiesh Deshmukh.
All of them are fun to be with. I am comfortable with all of them,” she
explains.

So did she plan her career moves carefully to bag such prestigious
offers? “I have never sat down and planned my career. People have been
just nice to me. I have been fortunate enough to bag good roles. I am
not the type who plans anything. I didn’t make any strategies in the
past nor will I do so in the future. I just go with the flow,” she
answers.

In director Sajid Khan’s debut film ‘Hey Babyy’, for the first time
the Indian beauty has been given a glamorous western look by fashion
designer Manish Malhotra. Vidya says, “I love my look in the film. It’s
different. The credit for the same goes to Sajid and Manish.” Sajid has
roped in a few heroines to shake a leg for a number in the film. Vidya
comments, “I have not featured in the song. But I attended the shoot.
All of them looked stunning. I told Sajid that I better look good in the
film!”

Vidya Balan : I felt I was ugly and jinxed

Is
love finally happening in Vidya Balan’s life? That is what you wonder as
you listen to Vidya’s caller tune - Gum hai kisi ke pyaar mein. The
actress takes but a few seconds to clear up any doubts. “I have this
song as my caller tune

because I love the song, not because I am in love with somebody. I
really love the way Rekha looks in this song,” she adds.

However, Vidya is no stranger to speculations about link-ups. She
laughs, “While shooting for Heyy Babyy, I told all my male colleagues -
Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Boman Irani and Sajid Khan
— that they should be ready, for people will soon link me up with all of
them. And if I would be linked with just one of them, it would be
interesting to see which one.”

But what’s with Vidya and her male colleagues? “I guess I have so
many alleged ‘affairs’ because I am not in a relationship. People think
that my life can not be so dull and keep on doing their bit to perk it
up,” the actress says.

Do these rumours really affect her equation with her male colleagues?
“By the time I was linked with John, we had already finished shooting
for the movie. Even otherwise, it would not have been awkward as we know
this is part of the package. But yes, I was a bit scared when I was
linked with Sanjay Dutt. However, he is a very seasoned man and these
things don’t matter for him,” she says.

Then she laughs and adds, “And to think that at one point of time I
actually thought I was ugly and jinxed.” How is that? “That was at the
beginning of my career. I was dropped from my first two South Indian
films for undisclosed reasons. I was dropped from the third on the
grounds of non-performance. By that time, I had stopped looking in the
mirror. I was very low on self-confidence after all the rejections.” But
the jinx was not meant to last forever. “The jinx finally broke after I
did Euphoria’s Kabhi aana tu meri gali. Pradeep Sarkar noticed me
through this song and thought I had the potential. That brought back my
confidence too,” she says.

Vidya Balan impresses Santoshi…

In
Vidya Balan’s simplicity, lies her sensuousness, avers Rajkumar Santoshi
who has seen Vidya essaying the difficult role of the woman behind Ajay
Devgan’s success in Halla Bol. Says he, “Vidya has a very responsible
role in the film. Her transformation from the small-town girl who loves
a struggling actor to the woman who is a successful star-wife, her
strife and how she confronts him with moral ethics is a remarkable graph
of Vidya’s character, and she has played the role with aplomb.” Must
say, the girl has really impressed Santoshi.

Vidya reacts to rumours linking her with Sanjay Dutt

Vidya
Balan may have started out in a traditional Indian role - clad in a sari
and bindi - but her underlying sensuality was more than evident. “There
is a lot between the ‘oomph’ and the ‘goody-goody’ image. And I am
exploring the middle path - that of sensuality. Isn’t being subtle and
suggestive more interesting?” she asks.

Sensuousness, says the actor, can be implied in many ways. “I am open
to going by the diktats of the character. If I play a prostitute, I have
to look sexy. But I will never wear a bikini. I have a block against it,
and I am happy about the block.”

Vidya is currently in Chennai shooting for Mani Ratnam’s Guru with
Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. Does she feel threatened by
Aishwarya’s presence?

“I have no false notions. Ash is Ash. She is too big and is an
international face. It was a humbling experience working with her,” she
says and adds, “having said this, we portray two different characters,
and we will shine out in our individual roles. There won’t be any
comparisons.”

There are rumours of a romantic link-up between Vidya and Sanjay Dutt.
“Oh, my God. How preposterous. These talks may have started because I am
doing three films with him. But then I am doing two films with Saif as
well. I am not in touch with Sanjay on phone or text. In fact, I am more
in touch with my other co-stars like John Abraham.” She adds, “Sanjay is
a warm and nice guy. He doesn’t make me feel like a newcomer.”

Earlier she was linked with her debut film director Pradeep Sarkar.
“Dada (Sarkar) and his wife are like family to me. Initially, I was very
disturbed by these reports. I spoke to my dad and he assured me that as
long as my family knows the truth, it shouldn’t matter. Kuch toh log
kahenge. Logon ka kaam hai kehna, that brought back my confidence,” she
says with a smile.

Why is it so that actors have always been linked to their mentors (Waheeda
Rehman-Guru Dutt, Ram Gopal Varma- Urmila)? “A mentor’s creation is an
expression of his emotion. And the best way I can explain this
relationship, is through the example of a potter and the clay. When you
observe a potter moulding his clay, you see him holding it in a very
sensuous manner to give it the right shape. There’s certainly a personal
touch, but that’s all to it,” she clarifies.

“But, yes,” she continues, “I am fortunate to find Dada. In showbiz,
everyone needs a support system. But there need not be a romantic
undercurrent between a muse and her mentor,” she says.