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It’s her “laalach for love” that keeps bringing her back to Calcutta. On Thursday, Vidya Balan was in the city yet again — this time to promote The Dirty Picture which she describes as her “toughest film yet”. On the sets of Zee Bangla’s Dadagiri in which she played co-quizmaster with Mithun Chakraborty, t2 pinned down the smouldering new sex symbol for a chat.
Where was the sexy Vidya Balan all these days?
Right here! (Laughs.) Over the last few films, there has been this perception that I am willing to try all kinds of roles and that has only been reinforced with The Dirty Picture. With this film, people have suddenly discovered a whole new dimension to Vidya Balan. Now I am being called hot and sexy and what not. There is a new side to me that is very, very thrilling for me as an actor because I want to play different people on screen all the time… characters that are nowhere close to what the real Vidya is.
With this film, everyone is like: ‘Where were you all these days? We didn’t know you could look so sexy!’ and I am like: ‘But no one was giving me films like this!’ As actors, we have different facets that remain hidden most of the time. It’s only when you get certain roles do you tap into those sides. Also as women, we all have our sensual side… our feminine side… our vulnerable side….
What was going on in your mind when you were offered the film?
My reaction was ‘why me?’ It’s such an unconventional role. Milan Luthria (the director) told me that I have to do the film first and then he will tell me. So I am waiting for December 2 (the day the film releases) for him to tell me! But jokes apart, I just loved the script and the character. When I was offered the film, I couldn’t believe that what I wanted was coming true, that I was getting to play someone who was so unlike me or unlike anything I have played so far.
I am glad that I got to play Silk and before you ask me, it is not Silk Smitha’s story. The film is about these dancing girls who were present in the south Indian films of the ’80s. They were cast in films just for the purpose of titillation — their clothes were provocative, the camera deliberately lingered on their curves…. Silk was probably the first south Indian star of that level to gain national popularity. And Silk was the first name that happened. After that, you had Nylex Nalini, Cotton Kamala, Rayon Revathi…. But Silk Smitha is the first name that comes to mind when we talk about these girls. That’s the reason why my character is called Silk. Silk is an exploding sex bomb. She oozes sexuality, but at the same time, there is a girl who craves for love and who wants to live life to the fullest. To strike that balance was very tricky for me as an actor and it was actually like playing five different characters in a single film.
I can say that I have given it all — and much more. I really hope that people connect with Silk and see beyond the sex and the body. After seeing the promos, people keep telling me ‘Oh, there is a lot of sex’. Believe me, there is no sex at all — it’s not a porn film. But unfortunately, our picture of a person like Silk is always a dirty picture… we call them vulgar, we call them dirty. But it’s such an inspiring character… she is so unapologetic about who she is and what she does.
You just said that you were not being offered roles like this all these years. Why do you think this happened?
When I first came in, I had no one to guide me. And I really don’t think it’s been a long time because I am just six years and 15 films old in Bollywood and my last five films are of the kind that I am already extremely proud of. You also tend to choose your films by what others say — people told me ‘You have a certain image and you have to do a certain kind of films only’. But at some stage in my life, I realised that I don’t want to play Vidya Balan on screen. I want to play different characters and that’s why I became an actor. My sister’s (Priya) husband Kedar is a very strong influence in my life and he was the one who encouraged me to try out different roles after films like Kismat Konnection in which I did not like myself at all. He told me to just go all out and not bother about my image. Something that he said stuck to me and that’s what I have been doing over the last five-six films.
Milan Luthria told us in a recent interview that he had given you complete freedom to chop off portions you weren’t comfortable with. Did that happen?
I never needed to. That’s because I knew that Milan would never make a film that would be sleazy or exploitative in any way. Everyone on set — whether it was me, Milan, the costume designer Niharika Khan, cameraperson Bobby Singh — all understood what the character was all about and where she comes from.
Also, if I am playing a sex bomb, there is no way I can say that I am uncomfortable wearing certain clothes or doing certain scenes. That doesn’t make me a good actor. If I play Sita, I can’t wear a bikini! There are a few intimate scenes, there are tricky camera angles, but I felt completely safe in Milan and Bobby’s hands.
Also, I am very greedy as an actor. If I need to do certain things to bring a character to life, I will do all that — and even beyond. The clothes and the in-your-face sexuality of Silk is just part of her personality. There’s so much more to her and that is something you will realise when you go to the theatres.
Will you be comfortable being tagged a sex symbol after this film?
As long as people are responding to my work, I am happy. Now when I am told: ‘Oh, we didn’t know you could do this’, it just adds a new facet to my repertoire. Courtesy The Dirty Picture, there is now a sexier me that producers should watch out for! (Laughs.) I have always been a bit shy — sensuous was okay, but sexy was always a little bit of a no-no for me. With Ishqiya, I had moved from A to B, but with this film, I have straightway jumped to Z! If I am looked at as a sex symbol, I have no issues.
How was it working with Naseeruddin Shah after Ishqiya, and with Emraan Hashmi and Tusshar Kapoor for the first time?
I couldn’t believe it was Naseersaab anyway because he plays a very sleazy superstar in the film. He transformed into the character so seamlessly that I didn’t know where Naseersaab ended and Suryakant began. He is so indulgent towards me… so encouraging… that I feel completely humbled.
Emraan is a man of few words, but he is an extremely cooperative professional who is an understated actor and also effortlessly sexy. Tusshar is a very easy and simple guy who I got along very well with. We would keep pulling each other’s legs. I also think he has a natural knack for comedy.
With Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture and then Kahaani, is it a conscious decision to move towards films in which the male lead is almost secondary?
In the films that I have done so far, the woman has been the central protagonist and I am extremely thrilled and grateful that I am getting work like that. It’s not a conscious decision, but I am sure that even if it is a formula film, there has to be enough for me to do as a heroine. If I don’t get offered films like that, then obviously I will have to do strong woman-centric roles. I need something substantial to sink my teeth into.
You have Kahaani up next…
Kahaani is really close to my heart. I play the lead and I shot for it in Calcutta for two months during Durga Puja last year and it was such an enriching experience. It’s a story of this six-month pregnant woman who comes to Calcutta from abroad in search of her missing husband. I am playing such a character in a thriller format for the first time. I hope 2011 ends with a bang with The Dirty Picture and hopefully 2012 will start with a bang with Kahaani!
Vidya balan zip-zap-zoomed across the city on thursday. t2 tracked her and then got talking on her way to the kalighat temple
She smiled to conquer. And when she waved, the swelling crowd outside the Gitanjali Jewels store on Camac Street tried to capture her every move. When they banged on her headed-for-Kalighat car, she laughed. t2 was there by the side of Silk, The Dirty Picture star.
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How are you feeling?
I feel blessed! But Calcutta and West Bengal have always been very kind… they have always welcomed me with open arms. I think I don’t need to look back and explain this special bond that I am carrying from a past life. It is just that I am so overwhelmed and touched by the love and affection I receive here every single time that I keep wanting to come back for more and more and more. The beauty is that I get more and more and more! I felt a lump in my throat. I could not believe it! Calcutta has always been so kind to me… so loving and warm… no wonder it feels like a second home to me. I always say this wherever in the world I go, despite being south Indian, despite having visited all the countries in the world, this will always be my second home.
You have been criss-crossing the city…
I am just enjoying it. I am coming here after six months… after the last shoot that I did for Kahaani. We finished last November and after that we shot for a couple of days early this year. And I have been so busy with The Dirty Picture, I would keep craving, “Oh God, is there no opportunity that I can (come to Calcutta)?” Finally now I am here for the promotions.
And you are spending two whole days…
Two whole days... the longest in a while and this time of the year… . I shot both Parineeta and Kahaani in winter and it is reminding me exactly of that time of the year. It is just bringing back memories… yesterday I was asking the chauffeur isn’t this Tangra, isn’t this Park Street, isn’t this Ballygunge? I got most of the places right! I also like to show off my knowledge of the city (laughs) and of the language....
[While crossing Shakespeare Sarani: Sabya (designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee) stays on Shakespeare Sarani, no?]
I never leave Calcutta without visiting Kalighat. So, I am just so relieved that I am getting to go there again. I am just going to thank God for… I have been blessed with a niece and nephew… my sister has just had twins three months ago... they are the best blessing ever… Ira and Ruhan. I am just going to say thank you for them and may God bless them.
And also pray for The Dirty Picture?
Of course, of course… that goes without saying… at this point, but at this point, I am more a thank you person!
You got to explore someone (Silk) who is unabashed about her body. Did you identify with that and any lessons learnt?
Yeah, completely! I was awestruck by the bravado, the zest of this character… the celebration of her body, her womanhood, her sexuality, her being. I have always done it and now with this film, it has only got strengthened further.
But you had to put on so much weight…
You know, initially… I didn’t think I would put on weight. But then… I realised that if I have to do it, I either go the whole hog or not do it. I am playing a sex bomb… a dancing star of the ’80s. All of them wore very skimpy clothes on screen… I cannot be holier-than-thou… so, I decided whether it was putting on weight or wearing these kinds of clothes or using suggestive gestures… the dialoguebaazi in this film is incredible… if I may say so, this is the first time in Indian cinema that an actress is actually going to be mouthing these kind of dialogues which are normally the preserve of men… the hero. I have always looked at films of (Amitabh) Bachchansaab… wow… Rishte mein hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah… I was like when the hell will I get dialogues like that? This film has given me a lot of that. I hope I have done justice because Rajat Arora is an incredible writer… he and Milan together are a volatile combination. They keep you engaged, engrossed, involved with the story so much… they tickle every sensation… in this film they are doing everything… they make you cry, they make you laugh, they arouse you sometimes… (laughs)… but they maintain a nice balance keeping it commercial, and yet true and honest. I think that is very tricky. They have written such a forward film for our times…
[Is this Puddapukur?] It is incredible especially when men go out and do that. I am so happy that this film wasn’t made by a woman. I am also happy that Ekta (Kapoor, producer) had the gall to invest her faith and money in this film. And then I am happy that a man like Milan Luthria directed it.
Any favourite looks in the film?
I think I have enjoyed the in-film looks. The bell-bottoms… there is a printed orange short sari that I have worn in that orange sequence where Naseersaab (Naseeruddin Shah) and me are rolling down…it is so ’80s. And then of course, there is the red sari… that was inspired by the song from Saagar — Paas aao na… I am wearing a brown sari in Ooh la la which is an ode to Madhuri and the songs that she did.
[As her car approached the temple, an excited Vidya reminisced: “Do you remember we shot here… near that tea stall? My God… every time I come here… nostalgia.” And then surfaced a Kalighat temple pro: “You have to take off your chappals.”]
