Vidya Balan came, saw and conquered. In the male dominated Bollywood industry, she changed the rules of the game more often than any of her contemporaries. But as they say, everything comes at a price. Vidya, on her way to stardom had to overcome her own insecurities, majorly around her body.
Vidya Balan made a remarkable entry into Bollywood with Parineeta in 2005. The character not just introduced us to her impeccable acting chops, but also her angelic beauty which she carried with elan through her character. Her Lalita was a dream catch for both the leading men.
Soon enough Vidya fell victim to being that “pretty Indian face”. Thus began her journey of image change and her conscious attempt at trying to fit the bill. Salaam-e-Ishq, Heyy Babyy and Kismat Konnection followed between 2007-2008. Vidya tried hard with short hair, chic wardrobe and a chunky look. But each time it just didn’t work out. Reason? While many said Vidya had a traditional cut, others pointed out at her weight issues, many calling her style ‘ageing’, ‘boring’ and ‘monotonous’. This was exactly the year (2008) when Kareena Kapoor brought in “size zero” in Bollywood with Tashan, narrowing down the parameters about acceptable body types on camera.
So when Vidya returned in her saree-clad character of a mother in Paa (2009), audience lapped it up. Ishqiya (2010) was received well too. But did that box Vidya in a “typical Indian frame” when parallelly she was becoming a force to reckon with in noteworthy women-led stories? Can a performance be impacted by looks?
Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor in a still from Kismat Konnection (2008).
“There is no end to rejecting your body and spending a lifetime doing that. But what really happens, it is not your body’s fault, your body needs at least one person on its side, and I said to myself that this is my body and I love it,” Vidya told indianexpress.com in an interview in June.
Vidya found a new body positivity when she picked one of the biggest roles in her filmography till date — Silk in The Dirty Picture (2011). As fiery and rebellious as Silk was, Vidya rebelled against unreal body standards. She gained 12 kilos to play the boldest character of her career. Silk oozed sensuality, and was not afraid to own it.
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Vidya shed all her inhibitions to portray Silk, inspired by the life of controversial south Indian star Vijayalaxmi aka Silk Smitha. Vidya told ANI, “This girl belongs to the South film industry and the actresses were mostly wholesome out there, especially the dancing stars. So, I had to put on weight.”
Vidya Balan won a Best Actress National Award for The Dirty Picture.
She represented lakhs of women who were being pressured by unreal body standards that were being forced upon them by fashion and glamour industry.
The very next year in 2012, Vidya did another highlight of her career, Kahaani where she played a pregnant woman, running around the streets of Kolkata, searching for her missing husband. Vidya infused a new confidence in not just writers and filmmakers, but even other female actors that a character with a huge tummy could indeed pull off an entire movie. From Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani in Good Newwz to Neena Gupta in Badhaai Ho and more recent, Kriti Sanon in Mimi, female stars happily took up movies where the plot revolved around their pregnant characters, where looking big was crucial.
Sujoy Ghosh-directed thrilled film Kahaani had a sequel which released in 2016.
Salman Khan, while promoting Tiger Zinda Hai on the stage of Bigg Boss 11 in 2017, asked the contestants to sketch Katrina Kaif, to test their drawing skills. Salman made fun of some sketches saying they looked more like Vidya Balan than Katrina, a clear indication that he was pointing at Vidya’ weight. While Salman’s comment received flak, Vidya told Filmibeat that people are body-obsessed. “‘Moti’ is not an expletive for me. But I don’t like it when people comment on my body,” she said, calling out those who joke around someone’s physical frame.
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In 2019, Vidya embraced her body when she became a part of a campaign that slammed body shaming and lauded imperfectness. The special video aimed at changing the notion about physical beauty, and Vidya seemed to have poured her agony and frustration from all these years of being questioned about her shape.
“The length of your hair, the thickness of your arms, curves, height don’t matter. What matters is who you are as a person. When you appreciate the person that you are, every imperfection looks small. But it doesn’t strike you when you are loathing and hating yourself. It’s a very precious and tough lesson that I’ve been through. I’ve realised, it is not people judging you but rather how you judge yourself,” she told TOI.
Even the characters she picks are real and rooted. Be it Tumhari Sulu, Mission Mangal or Shakuntala Devi, fans loved her look, especially those sarees. And when it is about playing a Begum Jaan or a woman from a humble background like Natkhat, there’s no better choice. In the midst, she also played an Indian Forest Service Officer in one of this year’s best movies, Sherni. Clad in khakhi uniform or casual suits, Vidya represented actual working women who have no time to bother about being size zero anymore.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee found a loyal client in Vidya Balan. She even lured many women to opt for the designer’s sarees. Sabyasachi, who had created Vidya’s look during her Cannes appearance in 2013, told HT, “If you take an actress who has an image as strong as Vidya’s, you can’t make her change up and down every day just for the sake of change. If someone looks good, they don’t need to reinvent all the time. India is too obsessed with variety, and I don’t subscribe to that theory.”
With the positive outlook towards accepting her strengths and flaws, Vidya seems to be in the best phase of her life. Churning out critically acclaimed performances, Vidya today holds a National Award and six Filmfare awards.
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“We have no right to comment on anyone’s appearance. This has happened many times with me. When they see me happy, they are confused. As women, when you are successful, this is a way to drag you down. And I don’t give anyone that power,” Vidya said.
Happy birthday, Vidya Balan!
Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor in a still from Kismat Konnection (2008).
Vidya Balan won a Best Actress National Award for The Dirty Picture.
Sujoy Ghosh-directed thrilled film Kahaani had a sequel which released in 2016.
Vidya Balan has inspired many to feel comfortablle in her skin. (Photo: Instagram/Vidya Balan)