‘ACTRESSES’ LIVES DON’T STOP AT 30’
Vidya Balan says that the notion of a female actor’s shelf life being short is getting passé now
While marriage and kids were often looked at as hindrances in the careers of female actors in Bollywood the past, it doesn’t seem to be so anymore, feels actor Vidya Balan. Vidya, 38, who is married to producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, says that age or marriage makes no difference. “See all around us, there is a change happening. Women’s lives are not stopping at 30, after marriage or motherhood. Their lives are not defined by just that one role. That is true for a lot of our female actors as well. A lot of people used to enjoy saying that the life of a female actor is so short and you must do all that you can. Not anymore,” she says. The actor adds that age has truly become just a number today. “Kajol has been an actor for a while, she has had children. Aishwarya has come back from motherhood. Then there is Kareena and so many others who are married, and working. Most of the actresses doing well today are over 30. All these notions are getting destroyed slowly but surely,” she says.
The actor who won acclaim for The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012), says that she is very grateful for the opportunities she got. “I want to keep doing interesting work. I can’t say this enough number of times. From 2008, my career trajectory just took a different course. I am so glad for it. Year after year, I’ve been offered more exciting scripts. Some of them I have not done…some have turned out well, and some have not,” she says.