I am very selfish as an actor: Vidya Balan

Vidya has always been on receiving end of critics, be it her choice of films, her personal life or clothes she wears.

Versatile actor, Vidya Balan, whose latest release is comedy-thriller Bobby Jasoos, says she is very selfish as an actor and only works for herself. The actor has always been picky with her film choices, be it Paa, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture or Kahaani.

“I only work for myself. If I like something, I don’t think about what people are going to say or whether the story is ‘different’ enough. I am very selfish, I don’t think of anything but what I want to do,” said Vidya, reported the Deccan Chronicle.

Vidya’s last two films, Ghanchakkar and Shaadi Ke Side Effects, in which she did not play the role of the central protagonist, did not do too well at the box office. “It is sad that two of my films did not work. Shaadi Ke Side Effects was a very regular role. If the film had worked people would not have minded. The film did not work so they are saying probably it was not different. It is flattering but I can’t restrict myself to a type. I can’t play central protagonist in all my films.”

Vidya has always been on the receiving end of critics, be it her choice of films, her personal life or the clothes she wears. “It was in 2007 when I was being badgered for everything. Whatever I did, someone or the other had something to say. I realised that if I was going to let my happiness depend on other people’s approval then I would keep trying for the rest of my life,” she said.

“I also realised that there is one person whose happiness is in my control and that is me. I started living according to what made me happy and it has changed my life,” she added.



In her latest release Bobby Jasoos, Vidya plays an earnest detective in Hyderabad. Happy with the initial response to the film, which has been produced by Dia Mirza and Sahil Sanga, she is hoping the film does better through word-of-mouth publicity.

“The film has done better than what we expected. We knew that it would gain audience through word-of-mouth publicity because it is not an appointment film. The response has been very encouraging so far,” Vidya said.

“What appealed to me was the human story because I am not a detective story fan. I had to strike a fine balance in playing Bobby. She is not your know-it-all detective. She is learning along the way. She is a novice so there had to be innocence while portraying her,” she added.

Vidya will next be seen in Hamari Adhuri Kahani, which is written by Mahesh Bhatt and will be directed by Mohit Suri. The actor is looking forward to shooting for the film as it is her first love story after her debut Parineeta.

“I am very excited that Bhatt saab is writing the script. Arth had the strongest influence on me as an actor. I wanted to work with him but he has stopped directing when I joined films so I am thrilled that he has written the story,” said Vidya.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2014.

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