Dubai: If Bollywood actress Vidya Balan were a detective in real life, she would train her binoculars towards Amitabh Bachchan. But her intention is not to dish the dirt, but to appease her natural curiosity about the star.
“We are so familiar with every mannerism of his, yet there’s a strong aura of mystery around him. I don’t know how he is in his private mode,” said Balan at a press conference in Dubai on Monday afternoon.
In her July 3 release Bobby Jasoos, the National-award winning star plays the feisty Hyderabad-based amateur private eye Bilkis Ahmed a.k.a Bobby. The movie chronicles her journey to become the best detective in her town.
“I don’t know how does he relax, chill or let his hair down. These are things I have always wondered about. He’s always so calm and collected,” said Balan, who played Bachchan’s mother in the National award-winning feature Paa. While she loves the occasional gossip, however, the Kahaani star would never spy on her producer-husband Siddharth Roy Kapoor.
“But I would definitely spy on audiences to find out how they truly feel about Bobby Jasoos and I will somehow make sure that they reach the theatres on time,” said Balan with a laugh.
“We are telling more of our stories that are rooted in our culture … In the past seven years, I have not shot for a single film abroad. I have been filming in different cities, smaller towns in India. It’s a sign that we are going back to our roots and it’s an interesting development,” said Balan. She was just recovering from a nasty bout of a viral infection, but she didn’t let that stand in the way of charming the local press.
She was willing to answer any question — no matter how sticky. When a journalist launched a tirade on the moral bankruptcy plaguing Bollywood with its titillating songs and double-entendre dialogues, Balan promised to make good with Bobby Jasoos.
“One dimensional characters don’t interest me, looking pretty doesn’t interest me. There has to be substance in my roles, that’s beauty,” said Balan, who was the lead in hits Kahaani and The Dirty Picture.
Bobby Jasoos releases in the UAE July 3. Read the full interview in tabloid! soon.
