An actress known for her pioneering work in women-centric films. Her performances speak volumes to show her versatility and the extent of her talent. Her best performances remain etched in the minds of the people whether she plays a woman fooling the police or she’s playing the entertainment queen.
Vidya Balan had always wanted to be an actress. Her parents, though, were worried for her, but they supported her in her endeavors. She did some commercials and music videos when she got her first breakthrough, a TV show called La Bella, and it got shelved in a few months. Her family thought that maybe now she’d rethink her career options. But she kept on and got the show Hum Paanch.
After that, she was offered another serial, but she refused, citing her ambition to be a movie actress. Her parents advised her to finish her studies first, so she graduated before she entered the industry.
Vidya went to the south film industry, but she was replaced from each film she signed. When she was replaced from her first film, she went there to talk to the producers with her worried parents. The producer showed them the shots and said she didn’t look like a heroine.
She kept trying for films, the first film she worked in got shelved, and she got the tag of bad luck. Post which, getting work became even more difficult. Things weren’t as organized before as they are today. They used to finalize things over a phone call, and she would agree and then get replaced after a day of shooting.
Once, she felt like she finally got a chance when she was finalized for a film. She went for the shooting for some time and realized that she’s not comfortable with the scenes and sex-comedy in the movie. So she walked out and then got into legal trouble. For one of the auditions, the director insisted on meeting her in a room. When he came, Vidya kept the door open, and he left without saying anything of significance.
She got so disheartened that she thought she’d never be able to live her dream and cried herself to sleep. She enrolled herself for post-graduation to keep her mind busy. This continued till she finally worked in her break in Bhalo Theko in the Bengali Film Industry.
Ekta got Vidya Balan her first break on TV and then her first break in Bollywood. Vidya’s performance in Parineeta was well received. After that, she did a few movies, which weren’t her best choices, and dipped her career in a pit. The actress already had a hard time due to her next-door girl looks and her not-so-ideal weight. But then, she got opportunities to show the magnificence of her acting skills in movies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, and Tumhari Sulu.
When Vidya Balan signed The Dirty Picture, everyone advised her to walk out of the film, but she listened to her instincts. Growing up, when she used to wear shorts, people trolled her for her weight. She swore off shorts after that. When she went for costume trials for the movie, she felt comfortable in the shorts because she was supposed to look big in the film. Her acting, dance, looks, and presentation of the movie provided full entertainment to the public & won her accolades. She proved she could drive a movie to success on her own, and since then, there’s no looking back.
Karan Johar was a common friend to both Vidya & Sidharth, and he played cupid to set them up. They met backstage at an award function & things began from there. They started dating, and Vidya was happy that they both had an understanding with each other and made each other feel comfortable. Vidya knew that they would talk about marriage eventually, but Sidharth popped the question all of a sudden and didn't even wait for her to say yes to start planning. He even relieved her when she fretted about shifting her focus from her career to households, and Sidharth pacified her. He told her that if he could ignore those to focus on work, then she could too.
Vidya Balan is the actress who lives her character on the screen, and her audience remains mesmerized by her performance. She has proved that dreams do come true if one stays persistent and shows perseverance and hard work. She is among the most prized actresses the industry had who made her way into the industry even without conforming to the industry's rules. She made her career solely by working hard for her dream to be an actress, and she herself is the reason for her success.
