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Vidya Balan is one of the leading Bollywood Celebrities, who is primarily known for her distinctive roles in female-led films that showcases the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema. She was respected for several awards including seven Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. In 2014, the Government of India also awarded the Padma Shri.
Very few professionals in the film open up their hearts to the audience in this way. She has been on my Wishlist for a long time.
Enjoy this raw and intimate conversation with Vidya Balan.
Dealing With Lows
“There were mental health issues and stress in every generation. Now people are talking about it, so much conversation is happening around it, and now it is magnified. Every generation has evolved technologically, and people feel we are losing emotional connection, but I don’t think it is true.”
“Life is about ups and downs. Unless we go through that phase, we won’t grow. At the beginning of my career, I was doing ad films in the South. One of the coordinators asked me if I wanted to do a film in Malayalam opposite Mohanlal. I auditioned, and the director came to meet me. After shooting for 10-15 days, the film was called off. I don’t know what happened. I kept getting offers for other movies, but then the news broke, and people thought I jinxed the bond between Mohanlal and the director. I was heartbroken.”
“I felt I being was punished. I used to cry a lot in front of God. And I started believing that I was jinxed. Now that I look back, God knows what faith I had. My faith was being tested. I think the universe put me through the wringer for me to know who I am and how much I love acting. I inherited subconsciously that the universe has my back, and because of that, I saw through that time.”
“I feel blessed to have had all the opportunities I have had. The fame that came in after Parineeta was immense. Maybe I suffered from imposter syndrome, which could be because I grew up a fat kid and always thought I was not good enough.”
Body Image
“Body image has always been an issue, and it is because of hormonal issues. I am working with a healer. PCOD was one of them.”
“PCOD and hormonal issues come from the rejection of the feminine. I think I always wanted to be better than a boy. It could be because I saw boys seen as a support system during old age in my extended family. It made me deny my femininity. It has been a challenge for me to lose weight. At the start, things used to piss me off, but now it doesn’t.”
Fame
“Fame for me in 2010 was heady and scary. Now it is beautiful. Now I am not scared of a theater full of people watching me and thinking they will know who I am, and not who they think I am on screen.”
“Nothing is permanent, and I know I won’t come back to this moment another time. No two lows or highs are the same. And for me, it doesn’t matter how people will remember me. My experiences have taught me that the world is very kind.”
“Most people are not concerned with hearing about how you are doing or your day. People are eager to create an equation with a public figure.”
“I feel blessed with abundance. I wanted to act, and I am doing that, so how can this get any better?”
Marriage
“I am blessed to have him in my life. There was some connection when I first saw him, and he is the most good-looking man I know. But I was attracted to him because he was the most secure man I ever met. He is private but also very authentic.”
“I never saw myself as someone who would get married. But when I reached my 30s, I had seen success and wanted to share it with someone. I had a good bond with my family, but I was craving that love. I dated a few, but I was done with it.”
Dealing With Your 40s
“I believe when you enter your 40s, women started to care less about what other people thought of them. I feel free today to be who I am. I am enjoying myself. Beyond 60, women care more about being fit and healthy. I feel women spend all their life caring about others, and after their 40s, they start caring about themselves more.”