Meet actress who begged outside 5-star-hotel for food, was called unlucky, didn't look into mirror for months, is now worth Rs 1360000000...; she is...

It’s not always true that all that glitters is gold. People often work very hard to achieve their current position. Today, we will talk about one such actress who was once called unlucky, thrown out of films, and didn’t look in the mirror for months.

But with time and determination, she rose above it all and became a top actress. We are talking about Vidya Balan, who is now one of the most popular actresses in the country. But there was a time when producers insulted her for her looks, and it deeply affected her.

Was called ugly:

Vidya Balan started her acting journey as a teenager with the TV show Hum Paanch. But breaking into films wasn’t easy. She was dropped from 13 films, and one producer treated her so badly that she began doubting herself. In an interview, she shared, “They made me feel so ugly that for six months, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror.”

While speaking to Prabhat Khabar in 2022, she said “In recent times, I have received calls from them (producers who earlier replaced her in their films) but I politely refused to be part of their films. I was kicked out of 13 films. When one producer replaced me in a film, their behaviour with me was very bad. They made me feel so ugly that for six months, I could not gather the courage to look at myself in the mirror."

When producer insulted her:

Vidya Balan once revealed that when a Malayalam film she was part of got cancelled, the producer blamed her for the setback and called her unlucky. This remark left her deeply hurt and shattered her confidence. Later, even after achieving fame with Parineeta and delivering hits, she wasn’t spared from criticism. People mocked her appearance, targeting both her weight and sense of style, and labelled her as one of the worst-dressed actresses.

 

 

 

 

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When begged outside 5-star hotel

In a chat with Mashable India, Vidya Balan shared a funny memory from her early days. She said that while she was part of the Indian Music Group, which organised music concerts every year, she was also on the organising committee. During that time, she and her friends would go for night walks at Nariman Point.

Vidya recalled that one night, as part of a fun bet, she was asked to go to the coffee shop at Oberoi–The Palms and knock on the door asking for food. Without hesitation, she agreed.

She said, "Once I got challenged. They told me to go to the coffee shop in Oberoi–The Palms and knock on the door asking for food. They told me, ‘Oberoi main jo coffee shop hain, ‘waha jaake tak tak karna aur dedo kuch khane ke liye bolna.’ Main rahi actor unko woh pata nahi tha. I continuously knocked and you know how people get irritated, I have also done it so many times.”

Became top actress:

After 2010, Vidya Balan’s career changed with hits like Kahaani and No One Killed Jessica. Her big breakthrough came with The Dirty Picture, the first female-led Bollywood film to cross Rs 100 crore. Vidya called it a role that changed her life and the image of Hindi film heroines. Her net worth is now around Rs 136 crore.