There is an adage, “Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow”. Well, National award-winning actor Padma Shri Vidya Balan (44) is someone who follows her heart and intuition when it comes to choosing roles in her films. Speaking on the sidelines of the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa, Vidya says that she is constantly looking for new stories and characters that can relate with the audience. Dressed in a red Kanjeevaram saree, Vidya is her candid best. When several tinsel town biggies told her that essaying the role of Silk Smitha, a south Indian sex siren in The Dirty Picture (2011) would ruin her Bollywood career, Vidya followed her intuition and did the role. And the rest is history. Vidya won the National Film Award for Best Actress in The Dirty Picture in 2012. “Some people thought I was mad to sign up for the movie (The Dirty Picture), but my parents told me to follow my heart. And I did just that. Followed my gut feeling,” she recollects. Adding further she says, “I was extremely excited to play Silk Smitha. In fact, director Milan Luthria asked me if I was sure about it. Aap ghalat darwaaze pe toh nahi aagaye. But I was excited and determined to do unconventional roles that people couldn't imagine me in,” says the national-award-winning actor.
In a career spanning three decades, Vidya has done different roles. “Unconventional roles and being yourself while playing those characters is very crucial for me,” she says. From playing the morally conscious girl-next-door in Parineeta (2005) to the voluptuous Silk Smita in The Dirty Picture and the adorable radio jockey in Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). Not to forget the role of Big-B’s mother in Paa (2009). Vidya has shown her versatility and calibre. She emphasizes that women are at the forefront, stating, “They are way ahead of time in today’s world.”
Memorable Roles
Girl-next-door in Parineeta (2005)
Voluptuous sex bomb (Silk Smita) in The Dirty Picture (2011)
Radio jockey in Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and Big-B’s mother in Paa (2009) to name a few
