We’re at a farm in Mandi village on the outskirts of Delhi. It’s 42 degrees Celsius and the sun is beating down on us, as if silently punishing us for our part in the heating of the planet. Vidya Balan is draped in nothing but white muslin and an abundance of steely resolve to protect her against the unbearable heat, as she poses for the cover of this launch issue. Of a magazine whose concept she believes in. The visual is almost a metaphor for her career in the Hindi film industry.
She became every Indian male’s dream come true as she shot to fame as Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta. After that, even as she got offered roles top actresses would give an arm and a leg for, she endeared herself further to her audiences as Jhanvi in Raj Kumar Hirani’s Lage Raho Munnabhai. But even for somebody who shot past the industry’s pedigreed actresses with their hour glass figures and family trees, solely on the basis of her talent and an undeniable charm, Vidya realised that the Hindi film industry despite its charms could be as merciless as the 42 degrees blazing sunlight.
And as she’ll admit in a heartbeat, she gave in to the pressures. She buried her individuality under layers of grease paint, in low necked tops and short skirts in order to compete with the very glam dolls of the industry she was artistically soaring above. If it wasn’t for a highly grounded family and some strongly ingrained values, she would have probably danced her way, around the trees at Film City, into oblivion.
On the way back to being herself it was once again this steely resolve and her innate Capricornian wisdom that helped her stay away from films and people that would pull her further into the mire. She was taking a huge risk that could backfire, especially for somebody who had always wanted to act even when she was only four years old. But she believed. Choosing roles that would be act as an extension of who she really is, she wooed the audiences once again with Paa, holding her own against the legendary Amitabh Bachchan and son Abhishek, no mean feat for an actress who didn’t bare anything in the film save her talent. Point proven. Which is not to say that she cannot exude sexuality. One look at her wooing photographer Tarun Khiwal’s camera with those volatile eyes and a tantalising glimpse of her skin and you know why she turned into every man’s fantasy in Ishqyian, where once again she stole the thunder from the industry’s two most volatile acting talents, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi.
Yet, despite having delivered some of the top hits recently, Vidya knows she is no model. And even as she good-humouredly admits it, she knows she has more than just a perfect body which she can use to her advantage. As she bares her back for the shot, her eyes, that seem to guard smouldering secrets yet convey so much, do the speaking. And her natural self takes over. To woo the camera with an innate charm that outshines any finite body lines.
“When I’m told of these gorgeous looking beauties in the industry not having a single role, I do feel very thankful. I’ve had other actresses ask me for advice and I feel humbled. For who am I to advice anybody? Success, in any field, I think, relies on luck, talent, hard work, support of family and friends, and faith – in God and in yourself. It gets challenged every , in our industry. But you’ve got to believe in yourself. And not give in to the pressures,” opines Vidya. Coming from someone who’s been through the pressures and stood up to them, escaped cynicism, to retain her natural exuberant self, the words ring true.
As she warms up and begins to enjoy herself, she dons a long white Ashish Soni dress, in which she says she feels the power of ‘Zen’. She absorbs the energy that seems to pervade the natural scenery around us in its raw wilderness. The enormous cacti, umpteen rows of trees, huge bamboos, white bougainvilleas and an entire family of peacocks seem to generate pure energy, and they all appear to be helping Vidya get in touch with herself. A delightful mix of playfulness and professionalism, she comes across as someone who is easy and comfortable within whom she is, but also somebody who can and will push for perfection when required. “Should I climb this tree?” she enquires pro-actively and proceeds to do just that. “This is amazing!” she exclaims as she climbs further and further, to give us the perfect angle – but enjoying it all the while. “In Bombay, you’d never get a place like this to play in. If anything, it would be used up to make more housing complexes,” she says wistfully. “I’m involved with an NGO where I plant a tree every year to give impetus to their tree planting campaign. But I wish I could do a lot more!”
She reminisces about growing up in a ground floor flat in Chembur, which her mother had greened with a lot of plants. “There was this huge tree in the building, that I would try and water with a hose-pipe. You know there’s this huge manufacturing industry in Chembur, which unfortunately creates a lot of pollution. And there is a lot of dust. I remember looking at the dust covered leaves of the tall tree and trying to wash them by throwing the water from the pipe as high as I could!” she laughs.
The air-conditioner in the room trips as she changes into a Rohit Bal outfit for the next shot. Unlike the models who usually don these outfits, Vidya is totally fuss-free. “Oh don’t worry,” she exclaims when everybody sighs over the AC, “I try not to switch on the air conditioner even when I am in a hotel room. I can live without it.” She goes on to reveal little green habits that she’s picked up from her mother. She talks about the red oxide floors in their old home that would help keep the temperature down; Or how she still prefers to get the floor of a room mopped to cool it down, rather than switching the air-conditioner on. “My mom was very strict about little things like switching off lights and fans when we left a room. These little acts are like reflexes which are a part of our personalities,” reveals Vidya of her sister and her.
Walking down the groves crowded with trees, she sways in the beautiful swirly muslin dress and shares an incident from her time shooting Paa at Oxford. “You know, after we finished shooting at Oxford, I stayed back for three days. Just so that I could walk around that beautiful quiet place by myself and soak it in.” As she reveals facets that go to make the real Vidya, you realise that she’s walked that extra mile to retain her individuality. Not afraid anymore of not fitting in, she revels in being herself and doing the things she loves. Which no doubt, aid her in bringing out fuller characters on screen – characters that grow on you, like the subtle smell of wet mud, after the season’s first rain shower.
When she swirls on the uneven path amongst the trees, for us to capture a visual of nature’s energy in motion, the happiness that she shows on her face as she turns to the camera, is echoed by a gurgle of pleasure that escapes her throat. She swirls around a score of times so that we can get the perfect shot, and the gurgle comes out every single time! The beautiful picture that she creates has a subtext of reality, which is what puts her in the top league, you realise.
As we wrap up the shoot and she digs into some homemade poha while sitting crosslegged on the floor of the room, she chats about her latest film, Nobody Killed Jessica Lal, her interactions with those in the industry, her friends and her family, her love of travel, and her faith in spirituality all with the same exuberance. And you realise that she’s managed to retain her multifaceted true self in an industry that doesn’t really encourage that, even though that spark of individuality is what makes one stand out as an actor. Perhaps Vidya puts it best as she dons a personal choice Sabyasachi anarkali to make an appearance at a school for differently-abled children. “It’s the little everyday things that make the difference, to who you are and to making the world a better place.”
Courtesy: Greenlife Magazine
