There's no big romance: Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is a talented actress who has only been in a few movies so far but she has already earned that stamp of credibility that normally comes with years of experience.

CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand caught up with Vidya Balan to quiz her about movies and marriage.

Rajeev Masand: You have been here only for two to two and a half years. Has life changed?

Vidya Balan: Yes, in some ways it has. I always wanted to act and I was doing my bit in television and advertisements. Finally, the dream of good cinema came through with Parineeta and then Munnabhai. I’m working with a lot of people I always wanted to work with. Then of course by God’s grace there has been a lot of appreciation, awards, recognition and a much busier life.

Rajeev Masand: Have you noticed any change in yourself?

Vidya Balan: Yes, actually I was talking about it to a very close friend and discussing about how people normally tend to look at the external changes. Yes, it’s a busier me and suddenly it’s like there’s a halo around my head and people who may not even know you are looking at you differently. Everyone knows you and still doesn’t know you.

There are internal changes and adjustments that happen. People who don’t know you have expectations and expect you to be a certain way. There are times that are very personal. I am an extremely private person. So to adjust to those things is difficult.

If I am praying in a temple and someone comes up to me, I don’t really know how to react. Some people say that post your success you have developed some kind of an attitude. I don’t think that’s true at all. I’m just taking my time to adjust to the changes.

Rajeev Masand: Is being an actor a tough job?

Vidya Balan: Yes but it is a rewarding job as well. I think actors choose to be so because there is a schizophrenic streak in them. I am an extremely empathetic person and I put myself in another person’s shoes to the extent that that’s what helps as an actor. While all that is great, it does get difficult as an actor. I’m talking purely from the acting point of view. It’s draining at times. A lot of it is instinctive and I’m not a trained actor so I don’t know how much of it to use and how much of preparation I need. I’m still grappling with those things. I’m doing my bit of preparation and going with my instinct but it’s not easy. I marvel at those who give inspirational performances one after the other, effortlessly. It’s amazing.

Rajeev Masand: Who are those actors you look up to?

Vidya Balan: Shabana Azmi. I watched her in Umrao Jaan recently. She is really something else. In each of her performances there is a great deal of honesty and the same deal of dedication. Then Mr Bachchan, who we’ve seen in all kinds of films, not just the big films. Circumstances have not always been perfect and yet, he is so convincing and believes in what he does. It is awe-inspiring.

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Rajeev Masand: Has the industry been a welcoming place for you?

Vidya Balan: More than welcoming. I could not have asked for more. They have accepted me with open arms. For someone with no backing in the conventional sense it has been a true blessing. People have been very warm, nice and forthcoming.

Rajeev Masand: It’s believed that to be successful in this business you have to be cut-throat ambitious. Are you willing to play it by the rules?

Vidya Balan: I think it’s not just this place. There is so much competition everywhere but I am personally a slightly laid-back person. I like to enjoy what I’m doing. I don’t like to do too many things. What I do I want to do well. I don’t think I’m fatalistic but I believe that if it’s meant for you it will to come to you. So I won’t run after something so in that sense I’m not a go-getter. But yes, there is a fire in the belly and that passion.

Rajeev Masand: How ambitious are you really? How important is it for you to be good at what you do?

Vidya Balan: I think success is very subjective. For me after a certain shot, I might feel I was successful at it. For me, it’s as momentary as that. Or I may have not been able to deliver what I think is my best at the end of a day’s work. I don’t feel great about it but you move on. The next day you still look forward to it and hope it’s better. It’s not just about the performance, it’s in every area of life. I’m not that ambitious and I take life as it comes. I like to give whatever I do my best but I don’t get weighed down that easily or not at all.

Rajeev Masand: You have already tasted the flip side of being famous and successful. Whether it’s the allegation of having developed an attitude problem or link ups with co-stars. How do you get used to this kind of attention for someone who’s just come in from the cold, so to speak?

Vidya Balan: For some strange reason I always thought that I would never be linked up and there would be no rumours about me. I think everyone has that bubble about himself or herself which finally bursts. There were scores before me and there will be scores after me to face the same fate. But I have no qualms. When I first read something about myself I was very upset. I remember my father telling me that as long as you know and the people who matter to you know, nothing else matters. It is the job of everyone around you, when you are a star and there is intrigue about you. You’re an actor, there is going to be speculation. But if you sit around explaining yourself and even wanting to do that, you are going to spend half your life doing that. So do what you want to, and get on with it. Truth always prevails. Luckily, so far, it’s been okay.

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Rajeev Masand: What’s the oddest story that you have read about yourself?

Vidya Balan: I heard that I have a husband and two kids somewhere in the US. I was happy about the husband but not about the kids.

Rajeev Masand: The two kids you thought was a little bit too much?

Vidya Balan: I said chalo koi to hai (There is somebody at least). But no such luck so I don’t know where these stories emanate from. They sometimes come up with bizarre stories and I wonder what inspires people to do that.

Rajeev Masand: You have been linked to several co-stars whether it was Saif during Parineeta, John when you were doing Salaam-E-Ishaq and even one of your directors. Does it ever get weird when you go back to the set and work with them?

Vidya Balan: No. It’s absolutely the same. Like you said about my director, Pradeep sarkar, everybody around us knows what the equation is so nobody is actually whispering and talking about it. We have just been ourselves. But the first time it happened, I was just shocked that someone could write something bizarre about me. But now I have come to accept it. I’m a quick learner.

Rajeev Masand: So why have we not heard about the big Vidya Balan romance? Are you very good at keeping it a secret or is there nothing?

Vidya Balan: No. There is no big romance yet. But when it happens I will surely go around town talking about it.

Rajeev Masand: So it’s not like you have not unearthed it yet?

Vidya Balan: No. I think love is something that should be celebrated. I don’t want to be in a relationship that I should be ashamed of and that I have to hide for any reason.

Rajeev Masand: You have said that you always wanted to be an actress. What were the films that defined your youth?

Vidya Balan: I think once I entered college I was exposed to world cinema. Until then, it was largely Hindi and regional cinema. It was what we would get to watch on television or in the theatre and I wasn’t into English films then. But once I went to college I started watching not just Hollywood films but also world cinema. We had film societies in college and I come from Xavier’s so our department would have film weeks. So we were exposed to all kinds of cinema then. I was also part of the film festival.

Rajeev Masand: Which are your favourite films?

Vidya Balan: The one film that always makes me laugh is Golmaal. Also, Masoom, Arth, Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge. All kinds of films. Then there also some Bengali films that I really like. I love Iranian films as well.

Rajeev Masand: Are these the films that made you want to be an actor?

Vidya Balan: I think the bug was always there. Maybe it was fed by these films.

Rajeev Masand: Was there anyone you wanted to grow up to be?

Vidya Balan: I think Shabana Azmi perhaps is someone who has always inspired me not just as an actor. Not every actor is articulate but I think she speaks beautifully. Plus she has an opinion that she has the guts to voice it. Besides that she takes up for causes and I love the way she carries herself.

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Rajeev Masand: Do you believe that films can change the world?

Vidya Balan: I think so. Post Lage Raho Munnabhai I have seen it happening. Even if it is in this day in age, if it makes a difference even for ten minutes, it’s a big thing. With Lage Raho Munnabhai we have got response through emails and calls and interaction with people, it’s amazing the effect that the film has had. A couple in Ahmedabad was telling us how they wanted to buy a house and one wanted to go to a vaastu expert and the other to an astrologer. But after they watched the film they debunked everything and went ahead and bought the house. That’s when you realize the effect that cinema can have on people.

Rajeev Masand: Did you always expect that the film would have the resonance with people all over the country?

Vidya Balan: It had happened with Munnabhai MBBS as it spoke a universal language and I had immensely loved the film. I’m not saying it for the sake of the interview but post that film I started hugging people all the more. I think that jaadoo ki jhappi thing really caught my fancy. So I was really happy to be part of Lage Raho Munnabhai and I did not think about whether it would succeed. We were all happy to be a part of the film and even before it released we were proud of the film. We thought it was an honest effort. The faith has just been validated by it’s success and by the reach that it has had all over the world. I’m happy that this kind of a film has done well. It’s very reassuring.

Rajeev Masand: You’re a Bombay girl. You grew up here. Do your friends tease you and say ‘Arree heroine ho gayee hai’ (Oh she is a heroine now)? Do they rag you as you put on your make-up and get dressed up?

Vidya Balan: No. Except my closest friends haven’t come to terms with it. The other day one of them said ‘lets hop onto a rickshaw and go across’ because my driver had left for the day. But neither I or she realised that post Parineeta, I could do it, but post Munnabhai, the rickshawallah recognised me and when he did, it got a little awkward because I wasn’t dressed like an actor.

I don’t think we’ve come terms with the kinds of changes that being in films has brought about. I think we slowly will. But there are some acquaintances who say star ho gayee hai (she is a star now) so I say Ab kya karein? (what can I do).

Rajeev Masand: Are you enjoying the experience?

Vidya Balan: Absolutely. More than enjoying it.

Rajeev Masand: Best of luck. Let’s hope you always enjoy it. Let’s hope we’ll always enjoy your performances. Looking forward to more exciting stuff from you.