No one breaks the glass ceiling like Vidya Balan does. Bollywood actor Vidya entered the world of cinema with Parineeta, and she paved her way ahead and carved an irreplaceable place for herself. Film after film, Vidya effortlessly created a territory for herself that she royally rules.?
In a heavily male-dominated industry, she has roared time and again and this time, quite literally with her role of a Forest officer in Amit Masurkar¡¯s ¡®Sherni.¡¯?
¡°There is an outpour of love, and I am thrilled. It is not your run-of-the-mill film; it¡¯s much more than that. I am happy that people have watched it. I was skeptical about it initially thinking how people would respond as it has no big drama or familiar tactics that you attract audiences with. I was up until 5 am responding to texts." says Vidya on a phone call with us.
Talking about the prep for her role as Vidya Vincet in Sherni, Vidya adds, ¡°It was challenging as the character wasn¡¯t easy. Amit as a director wanted everything authentic. It was not familiar or similar to any role that I have played in the past. I knew nothing about the forest department and how it worked. I didn¡¯t even know how the men: women ratio looked or what kind of postings they got and the challenges they faced. To prepare for the role, I met them and understood the intricacies.¡±
Many started drawing comparisons between Sherni and Rajkummar Rao¡¯s Newton. Vidya adds,?
¡°People are saying it because of the same director, but these comparisons don¡¯t affect me at all as people are free to feel whatever. There is an outpour of love, and I am thrilled. It is not your run-of-the-mill film; it¡¯s much more than that. I am happy that people have watched it. Initially, I was skeptical about how people would respond as it wasn¡¯t a big drama and we didn¡¯t have any familiar tactics that you attract audiences with. But now, as an actor, the experience has been fulfilling.¡±
She adds, ¡°I am not aiming at any change, but even if it¡¯s a conversation starter- it¡¯s great. For me, it¡¯s about feelings. Films are feelings for me. Different films do different things to you. Like, some films make you happy, sad, warm-fuzzy feeling and like a film has to affect the audience somehow. Like, after watching Shakuntala, you realize no mother is perfect. Like, after watching Sherni, we realise how everything we do affects the environment, and it¡¯s a very intricate balance between the environment. Every little creature has a role to play in maintaining the ecosystem. And if that ratio or balance gets skewed, then it¡¯s going to impact. The way my fans respond to a film is what makes me feel overwhelmed about the film. People are texting me and telling me how they felt about the tiger, the tigress, and how they felt about her cubs and the jungle. Many women and girls have written to me saying that women face sexism at work regularly, and they kept quiet about it. In the Indian context, we are taught that women should be seen, not heard.¡±
¡°When it¡¯s a film you have given your heart and soul to, it breaks your heart. You start blaming everything else but the film. Sometimes the timing is wrong. For example, Humari Adhuri Kahani didn¡¯t do well at the box-office but on Instagram, till today, people tag me on posts related to that. Like, how do you correlate these two? You can¡¯t. Failure is inevitable, but you just have to accept it even though it¡¯s tough. I talk a lot to my loved ones about these when they happen so that I am able to make sense of it. I keep repeating it again and again to understand and then to finally let go of it.¡±
Vidya has said yes to roles that no other a-lister would even dare to.?
¡°I don¡¯t care, and it doesn¡¯t affect me. I don¡¯t want to be 17. I didn¡¯t enter at 17, and I entered the industry at 26 as a full-grown woman. I am a very proud 42-year-old. I am not talking about achievements, but just the way of life I want to live. I am getting wonderful roles and films, and it can¡¯t get better.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think making a 100-crore film is easy. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re mediocre. They don¡¯t pretend to be anything they¡¯re not, and I respect that a lot. Finally, we are in the business of cinema, and we want returns. And returns not in terms of box-office collections but also love and appreciation; it¡¯s very gratifying. Hats off to whoever is making these films as people are loving. What works and what is commercial is not necessarily mediocre. And likewise, what is not commercial isn¡¯t necessarily superior. I have a problem with people who claim to be woke and pseudo-intellectuals. It is business at the end of the day.¡±
While the world around us has changed and the way the audience is consuming content, Vidya says that OTT¡¯s and theatres offer unparalleled joy to fans and explains why both can¡¯t be compared. She says,?
¡°OTT¡¯s would never replace theatres, but they¡¯re completely different experiences. Sometimes, especially now that our population has exploded and we want some space and privacy, we enjoy watching films at home with our loved ones. Sometimes you don¡¯t want a collective experience but a personal experience. OTT offers you the freedom and luxury of choice. That collective experience is unmatched, but they offer you two different things.¡±
Vidya concludes the chat by saying,? ¡°It¡¯s been my choice to do max two films a year. It¡¯s been entirely on me. I like to work at my own pace and spend time doing other things- I chill, travel and spend time with people I love. I am not the kind who can go from one set to another, and it¡¯s been rewarding for me, and I enjoy doing things this way.¡±