Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur) - Hindustan Times (Jaipur) - City
I am selfish about my space in front of the camera: Vidya
My parents read a lot of newspapers so they do know the stuff that gets written about me. But they don’t ask me any questions... KRITI SANON, ACTOR I want to play every role that comes my way. And I can’t do cameos because little se mere kya hoga VIDYA BALAN,
Alot of actors in Bollywood are either taking up work in Hollywood or turning directors and producers. However, actor Vidya Balan says she does not have plans of doing either, at least not at the moment. “I have never been interested in any other area of filmmaking enough, to want to learn more about it. Whether it’s direction or production, honestly, I have no inclination and more than that, I don’t think I have the bandwidth to manage a complete project,” says Vidya. Calling acting her first and only love, the 38-year-old adds that she is really good at taking instructions. “I want to be handled. I don’t want to handle people. As a director, you have to handle everything and everyone aur woh mere se nahi hoga. [Also] I am very selfish about my space in front of the camera. I want to play every role that comes my way. And I can’t do cameo appearances because little se mere kya hoga,” laughs Vidya. Whether it is playing a adult film actress in Dirty Picture (2012) or the owner of a brothel in Begum Jaan (2017), Vidya has never shied away from taking up roles that defy set norms. She’s won awards and critical acclaim for her off-beat roles but the
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actor says she has never felt the pressure to excel. “I rather look at it as a compliment and enjoy it. I take it as a blessing that people have expectations from me, but I’ve never let these expectations come in way of my thinking while deciding to do something,” she says. So has it been a conscious choice to take up roles that mostly address strong social issues? “I work for myself. I do roles that I’m convinced about. Even though I enjoy the fact that people say I do something different each time, that’s not what’s guiding my choices. It’s my own need to do something different every time… to explore a new aspect of myself… or to live another person’s life,” she says.