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My man should look and carry himself like Gulzar-saab , Vidya Balan
It is probably one of the best debuts in the last two decades, and inarguably the best in the millennium. Vidya Balan's debut performance in Parineeta was so quintessentially Bengali that it would come as a shock for most to know that the lady was raised in Mumbai's upmarket Chembur area and hails from a cultured South Indian family.
She has had a long background of ad films and even some music videos. Today, her 'fundas' are clear: she will do films that strike a chord, work at her pace, and make sure that the roles that she does do not have any touch of social regression.
Over tea in a drawing room that radiates the same class as its owner, Vidya unfolds in a freewheeling chat.
Excerpts from an interview:
Your association with Pradeep Sarkar, the director of Parineeta is like a protégé to her mentor. Did it hurt when a certain section of the press alleged an affair between you recently?
I thought that it was sick, but what can one do? Kuchh to log kahenge , logon ka kaam hai kehna . How do I explain to everyone how comfortable I have been not only with him but also his entire unit from my ad films with him to Parineeta ? I am like a family member there, and his executive producer is his wife Panchali. Do I need to say anything more?
Besides, it was Dada , which is what I call Pradeep, who insisted that I should portray the title role in his interpretation and adaptation of the Bengali classic. Vinod Chopra wanted an experienced star to do the film. Dada groomed me and prepared me for the long process of convincing Vinod (Chopra) ji .
Was modelling always a stop-over for your acting ambitions?
My ultimate aim was to act in films. Parineeta was preceded by various offers, some with really good banners and great roles. But instinctively, knowing Dada already and having worked with him, I knew that I needed someone of that caliber to launch me in the right way.
Are you a spontaneous actor or do you delve deep into the story and character?
I am inquisitive about people in general. I questioned the director and writer a lot, had long sessions with them, and even did an audio board, so that we came to know which scene was working and which wasn't. I began watching films of that period, and since I was a shade plump, I began to go to a gym, lost too much weight and had to put on some! I am not a switch-on, switch-off artiste, I need lots of inputs.
Are you the kind of actor who is going to die with her acting shoes on?
I enjoy acting to an extent that I have not thought of another profession. As an actor, whilst I am acting, I am not closed to other things, but 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, travelling a bit, and doing workshops in theater or films, if not here then abroad. I want to take one day at a time, not plan for next week, but work only to the extent that I enjoy life. If something else is supposed to happen it will. Nothing is in our hands anyway.
What are the qualities you would like in your man, when he happens?
That is very difficult to say. I have never lived by rules or criteria. The qualities I have liked in the past in various men are not necessarily what I would want in a man I marry. If you want me to sound romantic and dreamy, my man should look and carry himself like Gulzar-saab , but then I do not know him and what kind of a person he is. I only know him through his work, the way he dresses up, and his eloquence. I just think that as people you need to just get along, phir to lakh gunaah maaf hai ! Because everyone's character is decided by his circumstances, and my mom has always taught me not to be judgmental about anyone.
Would you do a regressive character if there was meat in the role?
I don't think so. I will do work that I believe in. A lot of people told me that Parineeta is regressive, because Lolita keeps waiting for her man. But marriages are made in the mind, and Lolita has the courage to live that out, because marriage is not just about donning sindoor , or any other symbolic aspect of it. Like it takes a great deal of courage to be a Mallika Sherawat. All said and done, she is progressive, because she does not have double standards, and what you see is what you get. Behind closed doors, everyone admits to her guts, in her doing something and saying that she has done it! She is not saying things for effect or photo-ops, and is neither apologetic nor hypocritical.
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Rajiv Vijayakar
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