Filmykeema Exclusive: Vidya Balan, the charismatic, talented, and the trendsetting actress from Indian Cinema, in an exclusive interview with us she talks about her path breaking roles, and what is she looking forward to.
From her first film to her debut OTT film Shakuntala Devi, she has garnered tremendous, positive reviews from the critics and OTT audience. Vidya opens up about her latest movie Shakuntala Devi, her OTT platform experience, and why she calls herself as a “Greedy Actor”
We began by asking her, Can we say in some ways Vidya Balan = Shakuntala Devi?
Yes, we can, as we both laugh loudly. She had a great zest for life. I want to live every moment of my life fully, and every moment to count, this I would say is the finest similarity between us. Shakuntala Devi was way ahead of her time, she lived her life unapologetically on her terms. Over the years I have gotten into the place, as I too wanted to live life for myself.
What made you choose this role? Is there something about the math genius that dazzled you?
The reasons for choosing this role are many. Initially, the fact that she was a mathematical genius, known as the human-computer of the world over, that she was in the Guinness Book of Records was itself the greatest factor that lured me into the role.
More importantly, I started realizing there is so much more to her – she has written books on every possible subject, on astrology, on homosexuality, recipe books, and then she traveled the world doing her shows, enthralled audiences, made maths fun. She just lived her life on her terms.
Her relationship with her daughter was even more interesting, and Anu Menon chooses to tell Shakuntala Devi’s story through the eyes of her daughter, because of the kind of relationship they had, which is not the kind of relationship that you would ever see in a Hindi movie before.
Most mother-daughter relationships are intense, lots of love, but also a lot many fights, yet the relationship is unique, between Shakuntala Devi and Anumpa Banerjee. Overall, I bought into Anup Menon’s vision of Shakuntala Devi.
What preparation did you have to go through to get into the skin of the role?
I began by getting a slight south Indian accent, but also just knowing her, listening to tapes of a conversation between Anu Menon and Nayanika her co-write, Anupama Banerjee and her husband Ajay who are Shakuntala Devi’s daughter and son-in-law. Watching her shows, just knowing the script well, trying to chart out the emotional graph of her both professionally and personally.
A lot of effort went into making the looks right. Because, I had the good fortune of playing someone who over many decades, which we had to great that. It involved many costumes and look trials. I am very glad we read so much appreciation for this effort.
I think all those contributed, of course, Anu Menon, and the cinematographer Keko, but also my makeup artist , my hairstylist , the makeup director, and the costume director- Everyone was doing so much to make sure that the look was near perfect. And that was great fun going through several look tests and trials.
Are you math-loving? How did you rattle the formula with so much ease?
Yes, I was always fairly decent in maths. I had a special love for numbers, and though I had forgotten about it. But when I did this film, I could still remember numbers, and rattle of those long answers ( 26 digit answer ), where Shakuntala Devi multiplied two thirteen digit numbers and arrived at the answer within 50 seconds was quite a feat, that’s what got her the entry into the Guinness book of records.
Which side of Shakuntala Devi did you love the most – Her genius as a math wizard or being a mom?
I loved the fact that she was a genius and a mom, you don’t have to be either off, she was both. While being Genius came as a natural gift, she worked hard in taking it to the world, she was very committed to that part of her life. Yet, she loved her daughter. No mother is perfect, and she wasn’t either, I think she did what she thought was best.
You have dabbled in diverse genres, excelled in them, and you haven’t repeated yourself if asked which will be the genre you always wanted and didn’t get a chance to play yet?
I would love to do a Chapalinist kind of movie, Vidya Balan Filmykeema Exclusive
She tells, though I did comedy in Tumhari Sulu. There are so many genres that I am not exposed to. I am a greedy actor; I want to play all kinds of roles, experiment and tell all kinds of stories. So, a long way to go there.
Future wise, you think woman-centric roles will be your first choice as an actress?
I have been doing woman-centric movies since 2008, it is not new for me, they offer me great paths, great possibilities, these so-called woman-centric movies are doing better and better today, so why not?
What is your take on the OTT platform, does it create the same excitement as the big screen?
Now, with Shakuntala Devi, I have had the experience, I can comfortably say there is a great deal of excitement, even when a film releases on an OTT Platform. Of course, Shakuntala Devi was made for the big screen, given the current circumstances, I got a chance to experience a release on OTT Platform, and I was thrilled the film is doing well, it is being loved.
But, wherever you are releasing the film there is an adrenaline rush when you are promoting the film. Shakuntala Devi is a very special film, on which all of us worked very hard. It was a new experience, promoting a movie sitting in one place at these times, talking right through the day. It was exhausting and challenging. But, when the film dropped on the 30th midnight of July 2020, I was amazed that people had lined up their time to watch the film, and the day next when I woke up there was already a reaction to how the film is, and my performance. It was great.
What is the best compliment you ever got as an actress, from a fan, from a co-star after watching the movie ‘Shakuntala Devi”?
Not just me, all of us in the team got a great number of compliments this film right from, oh my god I was missing my mother so much, that I booked my ticket to go meet her after I watch the film, someone said I woke up my mother midnight when I finished watching the film and I went and hugged her, she couldn’t understand why. People also said that they watched the film more than one time. It is so wonderful to see a flawed character being celebrated in a biopic. Also, people telling me that they didn’t see me anywhere in the film, they only saw Shakuntala Devi all the way, that is the best compliment an actor can receive. Also, that they enjoyed maths, a lot of parents sending videos of their kids pretending or play-acting Shakuntala Devi is such a huge compliment.
Watch Shankuntala Devi on Amazon Prime
Vidya’s upcoming project include Sherni a film directed by Amit Masurkar, and Mahila Mandali directed by R Balki slated for 2021 release.