On a personal note: Actor Vidya Balan

geetanjali

Geetanjali Minhas | October 9, 2015


#vidya balan personal note   #vidya balan  


Setting a new trend of the portrayal of a strong female protagonist in Hindi films, Vidya Balan has won various awards including one national award, five Filmfare, five Screen awards and the Padma Shri in 2014. Journeying from TV serial Hum Paanch to critically acclaimed films like Dirty Picture and Kahaani, Vidya has established herself as a leading actor of Bollywood. Besides acting, Vidya promotes humanitarian causes including environment, child nutrition and education and women empowerment. In 2012, she teamed up with the then union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh as the brand ambassador for promoting hygiene and sanitation and is endorsing the government’s initiative of eradicating open defecation. She appears in radio and television advertisements in which she encourages villagers to build and use toilets in their homes.


If not an actor: I would be an aspiring actor

Best thing about being a film star: is that people are welcoming whenever and wherever you go

A movie role I enjoyed playing: Every character actually... But if I have to pick one, it is Krishna in Ishqiya

A role I long to play: A Woody Allen heroine

A memorable moment I cannot forget: My first best actor award speech

The defining moment in my life: Too many… the birth of my sister’s twins… the moment I realised Siddharth is the one for me.

The last book I read: Diane Keaton’s autobiography, Then Again

My favourite pastime:  Watching movies

My comfort food: Home-cooked South Indian food

My most fulfilling moment: Comes at the end of a good work/shoot day

Conserving resources is important because: We have no choice, honestly

Things I could change to make my country better: Stop complaining and start contributing to make India of our dreams

My conviction for supporting social and humanitarian causes I take up comes from: Wanting to do my bit

Follow instincts or follow convention: Instinct always

Best decision of my life so far: To follow my instinct and be an actor

My strength comes from: My family

My weakness: Self-dependence

What is real Vidya Balan like: I am still figuring...

At present I am busy with: Playing Geeta Bali for a Marathi biopic on Bhagwan Dada


(The interview appears in the October 1-15, 2015 issue)

Comments

 

Other News

Elections 2024: 1,351 candidates in fray for Phase 3

As many as 1,351 candidates from 12 states /UTs are contesting elections in Phase 3 of Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The number includes eight contesting candidates for the adjourned poll in 29-Betul (ST) PC of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, one candidate from Surat PC in Gujarat has been elected unopp

2023-24 net direct tax collections exceed budget estimates by 7.40%

The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the financial year 2023-24 show that net collections are at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore, 17.70% more than Rs. 16.64 lakh crore in 2022-23. The Budget Estimates (BE) for Direct Tax revenue in the Union Budget for FY 2023-24 were fixed at Rs. 18.

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter