Beautifully Yours

 

 

How were your growing-up years like?

Oh, it was very much fun. My life revolved around only one thing – food! I used to be a very plump kid and would keep worrying the whole day about my next meal! So if breakfast was good then I’d start worrying about lunch and keep munching something between meals. My family is really large from both my parents’ side, so as a child I used to be always with a lot of people and was very comfortable being with people and interacting with them. So, all in all it was a whole lot of fun.

Your first film happened after you had modelled for over 25 TV commercials and acted in TV serials like Hum Paanch. What about acting triggered you to take it on in full swing?

I don’t know, I guess when the bug bites you, it just bites you! I have always been someone who usually empathises with people. So I guess acting came naturally to me; where I got the opportunity to step into other people’s shoes and experience the kind of emotions they were going through. It was like being someone else for the camera for those few minutes. I really enjoyed doing this.

How much of a role did Pradeep Sarkar play in teaching you the ways and rules of the industry?

He was my mentor and the kind of respect I have for him cannot be expressed in words. The amount I have learnt from him is unquantifiable. I admire him and his work.

We’ve heard you went through some 40 screen tests and 17 look tests for your role in Parineeta. How far would you go to make a character look authentic?

Not only for Parineeta but for all my films, I have taken that extra effort to ensure that my performance is up to the mark. Like for Salaam-e-Ishq, I had to spend some time with doctors who treat patients suffering from partial amnesia. In Mani Ratnam’s Guru I played a character who suffers from multiple sclerosis and this role required a lot of research. While on the other hand for Heyy Babyy, the efforts were more in terms of getting the look of the character right. Then again, with Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Priyan Sir instructed me neither to see the film nor spend any time in preparation.

Priyadarshan has his own style, he asked me to simply copy him and then perform the scene as per my gut instinct. This performance was a true revelation for me. Tell us about Halla Bol.

Halla Bol is a very different film. It’s about a common man’s struggle and the awakening of the masses. If you watch this film you will see that the film is communicated in a very different manner and the language used by Raj Kumar Santoshi is very intriguing. He is a great director to work with and has extracted some great performances from all of us.

This was my first film with Ajay Devgan and it was great to see him perform; he is a very natural actor. He is a complete prankster but as soon as the camera rolls, he is a completely different person; as if the character was his second skin!

Pankaj Kapur – I am too small to comment on him...He does not act…He behaves and in this film, though I don’t share much screen space with him, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot by just watching him perform. I wish I get to do a full-fledged film with him...

A huge hue and cry was made around your role and look in Heyy Babyy. How much do such controversies affect you? How do you handle such situations?

Honestly, such controversies don’t really affect me. However, with Heyy Babyy I wasn’t too fazed by it because I took the onus for the criticism that I got. This was my opportunity to look really glamorous. But then I think I was quite blasé about it and didn’t really make the best of it. There was a need to be pulled up and the critics did what was right. I know I had the scope to look far far better.

You had acted in a Bengali flick, Bhalo Theko. How was the experience; will we see you in more regional cinema in future? Any plans of going international?

Bhalo Theko came to me as a surprise. Ever since I wanted to be an actress (I don’t know how long ago that was) I was always fascinated by Bengali cinema, specially with film makers like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Rituparno Ghosh. I always had this passion to get acceptance from the land of Ray. So when I got Bhalo Theko, I was thrilled. This film got three National Awards and my performance got me the much talked about Anadolok Puraskar. The start was beautiful; it was like a dream come true for me.

I am doing another Bengali film, for the same director who mentored me in Bhalo Theko. Thanks to his film, I realised my dream of seeing myself on the big screen. It was my way of saying thanks to him. Inshallah, I would want to do international cinema but as of now there is nothing that really excites me. When there is something good coming up, I shall certainly take it up. Do you think your Indian looks stand in the way of more glamorous and masala roles?

‘Ultra glamorous’ depends on people and these days people relate glamorous with the western look and so the question about me having an Indian face comes up. I think I am blessed with a certain face and I’m grateful to god for it. Having said that, I don’t see any limitations there and feel that if correctly done one can carry off anything, with any kind of clothes.

Tell us a little about Lucky Charm.

Like most of you, even I have heard that I’ve lost a couple of kgs for this film (laughs), but to be honest I haven’t lost weight for any film. I thought I was getting very lazy and needed to take care of myself and get going. However, for this film, I did get myself a new hair cut, to give this character a distinct look. I am enjoying trying out new things. How does your family react to your celebrity status? What’s the best part about being famous?

They are very happy for me. I see it in their eyes. The best part of being famous is that people treat you with so much love and warmth. It feels great that even people whom you don’t know feel that they know you so well.

Tell us about your ideal man. Any plans on tying the knot?

I think whoever I fall in love with would be ideal for me! I would believe he is perfect and would like everything about him.

Marriage! No! No plans at all! I’ve just started off with a career and have a long way to go. Marriage is a long way away. Whenever it happens, it will be perfect timing!

What would you consider as your biggest achievement till date?

Well that would be just the pride that I see in my parents’ and sister’s eyes. It makes me feel so good. That is my biggest achievement.

You have a degree in Sociology. Is that responsible for your interest in social projects? Do you feel actors have a social responsibility?

I personally feel it’s got to do more with my awareness about cultured people. There are so many vicarious issues, which just need your involvement. And that’s when as a human being I feel like taking interest in such issues.

Yes definitely, being an actor one is always in the public eye and so one must watch their moves.

If you were to be granted three wishes, what would they be?

Three wishes, gosh this one is going to be difficult, Ok…

Great health for everyone.

No heartbreaks for anyone.

The longest lives for my loved ones

A very very long life later, how would Vidya Balan’s epitaph read?

God you are only asking me difficult questions! My epitaph should read, “He brought me to it and he took me through it.”