How Vidya Balan changed the rules in Bollywood!
By Kevin Rego
The debate raged for weeks. Should Vidya Balan adorn the cover of the issue you are reading? Or Kareena Kapoor? Ultimately we settled for Bebo, perhaps her ageless quotient and glam value did it. Bollywood, after all, is ruled by stars rather than actors. Although Vidya Balan’s performance in The Dirty Picture and recently Kahaani has made just about everyone sit up and notice this powerhouse of a talent.
Going by huge box office collections, Vidya has taken Bollywood by storm. She has upset the applecart. She has broken the stereotypical thought process developing Bollywood for years. She has demolished those naysayers in an industry full of male-dominated protagonists. And she has, through her good sense in films and immense charm, brought women and made it more acceptable in Bollywood.
It is not just that she had a heroine-oriented movie to judge her way to super success. Bollywood over the years has paid tribute to women reluctantly with some not-so-memorable movies. But The Dirty Picture was about attitude and asshures. And the ease with which she sailed through her role was a revelation.
The Dirty Picture was supposedly based on southern siren Silk Smitha’s tragic life and death. And if you would have thought most heroines would be reluctant to do it, well, the answer will not surprise you — a lot of other stars were in the running but it was Vidya who played it to the T. The risks were enormous: sexually charged sequences, a bold attitude, a punch of deep raw emotion. But Vidya simply sailed through the role. She simply made the character come alive with an awe-inspiring performance that perhaps will remain a benchmark in the history of Indian cinema.
And if so it underlines that she walked away with all the best actress trophies at every listless Bollywood award function. Yes, even those that fixed awards could not play it. It was a clean sweep for The Dirty Picture. The National Award that followed was perhaps the crowning glory.
But for a girl from the northern suburbs of Mumbai who dreamt about acting in Bollywood for the limelight of offers, she chose Suri Balan motion movies to follow her ambition. But soon the big roles ‘evaded’, ‘postponed’ or she was replaced. A slew of television serials later, she delivered a ‘militant’ performance as an idealist in Paa after going through six months of audition.
Bollywood had found the prototypical Indian actress. A hint of yesteryear verve with an unconventional flair and an avant-garde bold appeal. There was a certain approach to her. She did Parineeta and brought back the appeal of a classic Indian beauty. Vidya Balan had stamped her presence on silver screen!
But after films like Lage Raho Munnabhai where she played a radio jockey and the multi-starrer Salaam-e-Ishq, Vidya was soon doing simpler roles in movies like Heyy Babyy and Kismat Konnection. What’s more, she was criticised for her dresses in these same movies.
Some fans know her as the girl with the worst wardrobe choices, the unflattering attire with Saif Ali Khan during the subsequent break-up had helped matters. Unfazed, she marched on and played an understated character in Amitabh Bachchan’s progressive teenage character and gave another scintillating performance in Ishqiya. A sexy, Machiavellian woman of wits.
Perhaps the seeds for her character in The Dirty Picture were sown there.
But even as the frenzy of her movie and her performance died down, Kahaani was released and this time she shut the door firmly on her critics displaying a heartfelt performance in the role of a pregnant woman in search of her husband. The film is a runaway hit and has established Vidya Balan as the most bankable character actress of her age. The key mentor and producer of The Dirty Picture Ekta Kapoor says, “Currently, no one can threaten Vidya’s position. She has become one of the few female superstars.”
But besides all this, for the actress she is a thorough professional. It is the hallmark of her performance in The Dirty Picture that she will never forget. The reason was because a small part of the film was still not completed. But she was not only determined to complete that part of the movie proactively and brilliantly but also went out to promote the film.
While the Kareenas, Katrinas and Priyankas battle it out for numerous titles, Vidya Balan has quietly stolen a march on them with her terrific body of work in the last recent films. While others keep fumbling, she has shown remarkable restraint and finesse. Gehchance or ensuring sensible fame, Vidya Balan has not signed any films so far.
It is her work that has won her fans. The script is intrinsic without which they will rebel. She has that true feminine touch today; and in the posters of her latest film Kahaani, she is portrayed as Goddess Durga. Indeed, today, Vidya Balan remains a power to ‘Bidy Balan’ hopefully today.
— Kevin Rego