200 Crore Heroine Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is simply unstoppable, writes Raghuvendra Singh

- Raghuvendra Singh

Vidya Balan is a genre. She has turned every stereotype of the Hindi film heroine on its head. Right from the beginning, she’s been the woman among the girls, the actor among the stars. Refusing to be pigeonholed into the blinkered notion of an actress, she’s broken free from formula. Refusing to conform to the anorexic definition of beauty, she’s comfortable celebrating her curves. To those who believe married actresses are archival material, hers is a renaissance worth documenting. Her protagonists are about dreams and dilemmas. Of ordinary women who embrace extraordinary experiences. Wowing audiences as scientist Tara Shinde in her latest hit, Mission Mangal, she’s now prepping to play math wizard, the late Shakuntala Devi… Excerpts…

Mission Mangal is your biggest commercial success. Comment.

True. I’m extremely grateful for it. I’m excited and joyous. I’m over the moon. I keep asking myself how can this get any better. I thank God, the Universe… Whatever you call that power, it’s been extremely kind to me. I feel blessed. The wide variety of roles that I’m being offered since the past 12 years, well, the scope has only been increasing. That’s exciting and gratifying for an actor.

What was the magic of your character, Tara Shinde, in Mission Mangal?

She’s unapologetically passionate about her job and yet committed to her family. She walks the tight rope between balancing her career and home. That’s what makes her relatable to working women. Also, she has a never-saydie attitude. She’s constantly on the go. She’s positive and optimistic. She’s got a wonderful outlook on life.

From playing the solo protagonist, what made you do a multi-starrer like Mission Mangal?