Vidya Balan recently completed 20 glorious years in the film industry. She began her journey with the Bengali film Bhalo Theko in 2003 and made her Bollywood debut with Parineeta in 2005. Since then, she has seen a steady rise with each project and has cemented her position as one of the most versatile actresses in Bollywood. However, her journey was not easy. She faced biases, prejudices and even body shaming. During an exclusive conversation with Filmfare’s Editor-In-Chief Jitesh Pillai, the actress recalled the time when filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra told her that her nose was too long and suggested Vidya get a surgery.
She shared, “Yes, he actually said, ‘Your nose is too long, let’s get a surgery done.’ I refused. I’ve never had anything done to my face, just the odd facial. I’ve always believed in keeping my face the way God made it. During a Malayalam film, they suggested I drop ‘Balan’ and use my community name, just like Manju Warrier or Samyuktha Varma. I changed it to Vidya Iyer and cried. My parents reminded me I’d always be Vidya Balan. That film didn’t happen anyway. That’s when I knew: if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not meant to be. When Parineeta was coming together, I asked Dada (Pradeep Sarkar) to ensure no one brought up the nose job again. He did, firmly. He said if Vidya works, the film works because Lalita is Parineeta. He was a true artist. Every shot was drawn out on paper. Even in his final ad film, I’m told he still carried his plastic folder with the shot breakdowns.”
While Parineeta was a massive success and made Vidya an overnight star, she still had to face prejudices. Filmmakers constantly wanted to make her look ‘younger and sexier’. She continued, “I was incredibly lucky to debut like that. Very few get that kind of launch. Hrithik (Roshan) in Kaho Na…Pyaar Hai is the only other one who comes to mind. Overnight, people knew me. I won Best Debut at Filmfare, got invited to events. Top directors started calling. But at photo shoots, they’d say, ‘Let’s try something new with you,’ and I’d think, ‘What have you even seen of me to want something new?’ They’d say, ‘Let’s make you look younger and sexy.’ And I was open to experimenting. But after a while, it got frustrating. I wasn’t a girl. I was 26 and very much a woman. It annoyed me, especially during shoots, where I felt pressured to act younger, something I just didn’t relate to. I hadn’t grown up on film magazines or learnt how to pose. Acting was always my focus. I hadn’t even seen international glossies. What thrilled me was being on the set, working with legends like Rajkumar Santoshi, Nikkhil Advani, Mani Ratnam and big names like Sajid Nadiadwala and Akshay Kumar. That’s what really mattered to me.”
Vidya Balan was most recently seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri and Kartik Aaryan among others.
Also Read: Cover Story: Vidya Balan On 20 Years In Bollywood, Breaking Stereotypes, and Tackling Fitness
