THE
RIGHT MAN HASN'T COME ALONG YET: VIDYA BALAN
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service (9 April 2007)
One
of the most talented actresses among the new lot, Vidya Balan
dismisses romantic link-ups with her "Salaam-e-Ishq"
co-star John Abraham saying she hasn't found Mr. Right yet. "We
got along well enough for people to notice. But an affair! Have
a heart! I haven't found a man I'd like to spend my life with.
When he comes along, I'll give up everything, career included.
Do you think I'd risk that kind of commitment at this stage of
my career when things are going well?"
So
what's the truth about John?
"We
just got along well shooting 'Salaam-e-Ishq', as we were supposed
to. So maybe people saw us getting along well and made up their
own screenplay. From the little I know of Bipasha Basu, she's
a no-nonsense honest person. She won't take such rubbish lying
down," Vidya told IANS.
She
was also linked with Sanjay Dutt.
"Poor
thing! He's become so self-conscious after our link-up stories,
he mumbles a hello and moves away."
Vidya
says she knows how the story of her so-called affair with Sanjay
was planted.
"After
interviewing me the journalist called the next day to ask if something
was up between me and Sanju. Obviously, the editor must have said,
'Vidya not interesting enough. Masala maro.' I'd rather be uninteresting
than known for my link-ups," said Vidya who had four releases
in the past one year.
"After
'Lage Raho Munna Bhai', 'Eklayva' and 'Guru' last year, the next
year started for me with 'Salaam-e-Ishq'. There I played this
fey and feisty woman married to John Abraham."
Revealing
the rare side to her personality which people don't notice too
often, she said: "I do have a sense of humour. That's why
I enjoyed doing 'Lage Raho...' so much. I had a ball shooting
with Sanju and Arshad."
In
"Hey Baby" Vidya is cast as the baby's mother.
"I
don't mind playing a mom if the role is as charming as the one
in 'Hey Baby'. In fact I've no reservations about anything. Just
bring on the challenging characters."
But
it is Priyadarshan's "Chandramukhi" which would be a
big challenge for Vidya since she plays a classical dancer in
it.
"Since
I'm a Tamil Iyer Brahmin, I'm trained in Carnatic singing. I was
also trained in Bharatnatyam for a while but I lost interest.
Later I took up Kathak and got busy with other things. But I need
to brush up my dancing for 'Chandramukhi'. I've seen what Shobana
has done in the original Malayalam film. I adore Shobana. To match
steps with her would be impossible."
Isn't
there a danger of Vidya getting typecast as the old-world heroine
after doing "Parineeta" and now "Chandramukhi"?
"I
don't mind the era and aura as long as the role is challenging.
It's not as if I'm only playing old-world roles. In 'Lage Raho...'
and 'Salaam-e-Ishq' I'm very much a woman of today."
Though
Vidya is pivotal to 'Lage Raho...' she admits she didn't have
that much to do in Vinod Chopra's 'Eklavya' and Mani Ratnam's
'Guru'.
"Just
the thrill of working with directors like Vinod Chopra and Mani
Ratnam is enough incentive to be part of their films," she
said.
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