Her name isn’t Khan, but Vidya Balan is known to command the same clout as Bollywood’s leading heroes Shah Rukh, Salman or Aamir (Her 2011 blockbuster The Dirty Picture had a better opening weekend than Hrithik Roshan’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara). As she gears up for Bobby Jasoos that will release in the UAE this Thursday, tabloid! takes a look at her top five films in her decade-long career.
The wife of top Bollywood producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, 36, has acted in more than 16 Bollywood films since her debut in Hindi films in 2005. The self-made star, who began her journey at 16 as a geeky teenager in the hit TV comedy Hum Paanch has come a long way.
“As a kid, I never had aspirations of becoming an actor. It all happened later in my life,” said Balan in an interview with tabloid! And how.
Last year, the National Award-winning actress — who isn’t a part of any prominent acting dynasty — was a member of the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious international jury led by Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg and belongs to a minority of actresses who command a clout that’s often enjoyed by her male peers. Here’s the scoop on Balan’s best efforts...
Parineeta (2005)
It’s no secret that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first choice to play the tantalising Bengali beauty Lolita in this hit period romance directed by Pradip Sarkar. Its producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was convinced that the former Miss World Rai Bachchan, with her superlative looks, was a natural fit. And since the two heroes who would be vying for Lolita’s attention in Parineeta, the actress needed to be an effortless, vulnerable temptress.
But after 60 look tests and tenacious arguments, director Sarkar convinced Chopra that newcomer Balan was the one to play the title role. His bet paid off. Balan shone as the sari-clad beauty torn between her love for her rich, childhood friend Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) and her growing fondness for the cooler-than-cool bachelor Girish (Sanjay Dutt), just returned from London. There was no skin on show, but Balan proved that sensuality on screen has little to do with wearing skimpy clothes. She could speak with her eyes and had two men and pretty much the whole world eating out of her hands. In short, Balan began her Bollywood career with a proverbial bang.
Paa (2009)
When you have the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan playing the role of a 12-year-old child stricken with a rare disease Progeria, a condition that results in accelerated ageing, it’s given that he will walk away with all the awards and his role will activate the tear ducts. But full marks to Balan for holding her own. She played his single, unwed mother Vidya. Her transition from a happy-in-love doctor to a woman who decides to keep her child despite her ambitious boyfriend (Abhishek Bachchan) asking her to abort, was sensitively portrayed. Her quiet resilience as her child deteriorates in front of her eyes, could make a grown man weep. Keep the tissues handy for this tear-jerker.
Ishqiya (2010)
It was a love triangle steeped in deception and suspense. Balan played the wily seductress Krishna who made two grown men Khalujaan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) behave like hormone-charged teenagers. Even at her scheming best, Krishna exuded a vulnerabilty that was hard to ignore. It’s a love story with enough thrills and laughs to keep you glued to your seats. Our favourite dialogue is when Babban resentfully points out to his much older friend/partner-in-crime Khalujaan: “Kya mamu, tumhaara ishq ishq, hamara ishq sex?” (What uncle, your love is love but our love is sex). Watch this one to get a crash course on being a classy temptress. A manipulative woman hasn’t looked cooler than Krishna in Ishqiya.
The Dirty Picture (2011)
She played Silk, a troubled sex siren in the 1980s South Indian film industry. The blockbuster that fetched her multiple acting awards was described as a game-changer in Balan’s career. In the name of art, she put on 12 kilos to be the curvy star in the sleaze-fuelled porn industry. For once, a Bollywood star wasn’t afraid to look ordinary on the silver screen and let go of inhibitions. Our favourite scenes include one in which Silk dances on top of a car bonnet when she learns she’s not been invited to a big star’s party and the scene in which decides to do an interview while lounging naked in a bathtub. They don’t make them like her anymore.
Kahaani (2012)
Here’s a thriller that left you guessing and hooked to the very end. Balan played the heavily pregnant Vidya Baghchi, a computer programmer from London, who lands in Kolkota to search for her missing husband. Her hunt throws up evil men and convoluted twists that wrap up well at the end. It was a film that relied heavily on Balan’s acting prowess and enough to say that her performance wasn’t laboured.
— Bobby Jasoos releases in the UAE on July 3.
