Vidya Balan on playing deglam parts: Glamour isn’t the reason why I joined films

Films like Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016), Begum Jaan (2017), Natkhat (2020), Sherni (2021) and the recently released Jalsa, saw actor Vidya Balan shunning the sheen and playing deglamourised parts. But she has no qualms about it as she would rather focus on the love she received for them.

Hoping for the hype and the conversation surrounding such roles to be normalised, Balan, in her signature candour, says, “I don’t even think about these things. Glamour is not even the reason why I joined films. I am here to tell stories and I am fortunate to get stories, which are very different from each other, each time. Stories that are raw, real and relatable fascinate me.”

Ever since her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), she has been hailed for breaking existing stereotypes about women characters, and setting new trends in contemporary commercial cinema. Quiz her if she feels the pressure to live up to such expectations with every project she does, and the 43-year-old says, “When I am making a decision about doing a film, I only think about whether it appeals to me. That’s my primary consideration.”

For Balan, it is solely her instinct that makes her want to do a film and live the character in it. She states, “It is never about what people are expecting from me because different people will have different expectations, and I won’t be able to fulfil all of it.”

Meanwhile, known for her image as a strong woman both on and off-screen, she shares that such women often daunt people, especially men. “When you’re a confident woman who uses her voice unapologetically and unabashedly, I think it is intimidating for most people. And while I believe all of us have a voice, not all of us use it,” she ends.