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| Edited By: Chaya Unnikrishnan |Source: DNA |Updated: Aug 19, 2019, 06:10 AM IST
Dressed in a long kurta with a flared palazzo in magenta and long mane flowing, Vidya Balan looks radiant as we meet for a tête-à-tête. She is receiving rave reviews for her outing as the project director of the Mars Orbiter Mission in her latest release, Mission Mangal, which got an excellent opening at the box office. “From the word go, I had a good feeling about this film. I was sure of it because Balki (writer) narrated the script to me and the moment he finished the narration, I said, I’m doing the film. It’s never happened to me before,” she beams.
Interestingly, after playing a scientist, the Tumhari Sulu star will try her skills in mathematics as she essays the ‘human computer’ Shakuntala Devi in a biopic. “I was good at Maths, but I didn’t like Science, so, I am feeling good I passed this (Mission Mangal) test,” she smiles. Here, the talented actress talks to us about the changing phase of cinema, playing roles with substance and why she took a long gap between Tumhari Sulu and Mission Mangal.
Just the fact that everything came together so beautifully. The scale of the mission was big, but the science was simple. There was humour in it and the way personal lives of the characters had been fictionalised, it had drama. Jagan (Shakti, director) inspired faith in me, even though he’s a first-time director. Also, Balki was involved with the project. Then, of course, I was getting to team up with Akshay (Kumar) after Bhool Bhulaiya (2007) and Thank You (2011) — all those factors came later. Once I said yes after the narration, even while filming and promoting, I felt it was a good film.
I didn’t intend it. But I think what happened post Tumhari Sulu is: Firstly, I had a hit after a long time! So, I was just relieved, I think I wanted to enjoy that feeling. Secondly, some of the things I liked were only ideas, like the Shakuntala Devi biopic. The idea was shared with me, but the script was not in place. They were going to start working on it. There were a couple of other things also that I liked and were at different stages of development. So I thought, chalo, let them take time. Anyway, I had worked on three films back-to-back — Kahaani 2, Begum Jaan and Tumhari Sulu. I did a Telugu film in between, but that was not too much work. I enjoyed that time, I think it was just a relief that I had had a hit movie after long (laughs).
Vidya Balan; Pic: Dabboo Ratnani
It is my natural inclination and, yes, filmmakers also come to me with such roles. I think that’s because I came in with Parineeta (2005). So, from the beginning, I have always been offered interesting parts. I tried to do different things in between, early on in my career, and I realised I don’t enjoy that kind of stuff (playing the typical glamorous heroine). Since 2008, I decided to only do films that excited me or instinctively felt I must do. So, Paa (2009), Ishqiya (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011), The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012) happened back-to-back. As these films started seeing success, directors and producers also began to feel, ‘We can go to her with this kind of subject’. It was a choice that I made and I think the success furthered it.
I think the scope of work that I’ve been offered in the past 11 years, has really widened. Ishqiya was a definitive film in that sense because suddenly, you had a femme fatale who you hadn’t seen in Indian cinema so far. And you know, a rural femme fatale; not a glamorous, cigarette-smoking woman. Slowly, people felt that I was open to doing these kinds of films. They came to me saying, they had a story for long, but didn’t think they could make, but now it’s possible. When these films started seeing success, it encouraged more people to invest in movies like these. Then other actors started doing it. Now, it’s like Pandora’s Box has just been opened. The content is so varied and exciting. Sometimes, it is different for the sake of being different, but that’s okay. At least people are trying. There’s no dearth of exciting content. Even in Mission Mangal, you would have thought that a film that has Akshay Kumar may not have so much for the female leads to do. But this film has.
Yes, but that’s because they still talk about the business of films in terms of the male actors. When people said the poster has Akshay’s face so prominently — it’s not fair because it’s about the women — I said, ‘I’m happy to use his stardom to my advantage’. You have to be practical about these things. He is the biggest star amongst all of us. And if it’s going to help us get more people into the theatre, why not? But now that the film is released, actually, a few people asked me this, not just in interviews, even otherwise. And I’m saying, that will also change, someday they’ll talk about the business of films in terms of female actors.
It was not necessary but faayda hua. Akshay’s a huge superstar, so it makes the film accessible to that many more people. By putting his face prominently on the poster, it will bring more eyeballs. But, I’m saying someday, I hope my face is equally big or bigger (than the male star). Not just mine, but all the girls’. Similarly, I hope the business gets talked about in terms of a Vidya Balan and Akshay Kumar film. That change will happen. I always look at the glass as half-full. What’s extremely heartening for me is the fact that in a film with Akshay Kumar, the roles (his and hers) are of equal importance. That itself is a step forward. Normally in any big hero’s film, the female part is not so strong, but I have played such a prominent role, it gives me great satisfaction and is fulfilling.
