In a world flush with designer gowns and Western labels, she takes great pride in sashaying down red carpets in saris and home-grown couture. Arguably one of the most natural performers in contemporary cinema, Vidya Balan packs a punch on celluloid. The down-to-earth actor speaks to Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena about being an exception to the rule, following her heart and living life on her own terms.
A little over a decade ago, without much brouhaha, she made a quiet debut on the Hindi film firmament, draped in simple saris, her forehead sporting a huge bindi. With overwhelming self-confidence, gentle grace and a very Indian vibe, the newbie film actor — who had earlier been seen in music videos and television commercials — took one’s breath away. And Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta effortlessly wooed the silver screen, and she swept the debut awards for the year. Vidya Balan was here to stay.
Her versatility — that seems to come so naturally to her — makes her a plum favourite with thinking directors, those who want their heroine to do something different. Balan can morph herself into almost any character. In her most recent release Te3n, a thriller, she gives an able turn under the directorial baton of Ribhu Dasgupta. The film is co-produced by Sujoy Ghosh, under whose aegis she had earlier impressed in the award-winning Kahaani.
As an actor, Balan admits that she unabashedly seeks new and meaty roles. Just before she travels to Jharkhand for her Begum Jaan schedule — the Hindi remake of a Bengal partition tale where she plays a brothel madam — she keeps a date with Verve at a suburban five-star hotel. Arriving on the dot of the appointed hour, she sits serenely, facing the huge window, as if she is watching the world go by.
Later, as we chat, ensconced in sofas in the suite — her portion of idli-sambar and chutney polished off — referring to the brave choices she has made, she emphasises, “I am a greedy actor and that greed is what drives me to do different kinds of roles. So when I am offered a film that may not be conventional, I just follow my instincts and do the work I want to” — even if it is a cameo in Ekk Albela where she was seen as the legendary actor Geeta Bali.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2016 من Verve.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2016 من Verve.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
