Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; August 14, 2019)

In an industry where the power scale continues to tip largely towards the leading male stars, Vidya Balan has held her own; making brave moves and rare choices. The scenario is gradually changing, and mindsets, too. And Vidya, whose upcoming film Mission Mangal is on the verge of release, rightly explains, “It takes a lot to stand up for yourself, and I think women are slowly getting there.” In a conversation with BT, she expresses her opinions on the over-sensitive section of the social media, how women should adeptly use their EQ to make the cut in a man’s world, and how she doesn’t need to clock in more movies to prove a point. Read on...

We have seen you lead the show in most of your films, and then, here is this ambitious mission-to-Mars film, with a new director and a huge star cast. You haven’t really been seen in this space before...
WelI, I had worked with Jagan (Shakti, director) on Paa (2009), as he was assisting R Balki then. He showed me all the videos and presentations he had, and I asked him why he wanted to make this film. For a first-time director, Mission Mangal is quite an ambitious film to attempt. He said that he has been wanting to tell this story for a long time now; also, his sister (Sujatha) is a part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), hence, he knew quite a few scientists. He had done hours of research and culled out all the highlights to make it cinematic. I had been offered films on the same subject thrice before, but none of those really interested me. But when Balki narrated this story to me, I instantly said… I am in. That is a rarity for me.

The information and details about MOM (Mars Orbiter Mission) are pretty much in the public domain, but the way the lives of the characters in the film are fictionalised, it gives the film a wholesome feel. What interested me about the story is not just the mission, but what the characters were going through in their personal lives. Thankfully, I believe that in reality, those scientists didn’t go through such conflicts, but cinematically, we needed that. So, here, we juxtapose both — their lives and the mission at hand.

Add to that, a bunch of very talented women sharing screen space, which is a rarity, too...
Akshay was already on board when I heard the story, and then they told me about the rest of the cast. I thought that if this cast comes together, it will be fantastic. I am so glad it did. How often do you get to work in an ensemble cast like this, and in this day and age?

In an interview, Taapsee Pannu said that it is tough to get an A-list male actor to feature in a film where the women have a massive role to play? Having headlined so many films as a ‘hero’ in the typical sense, if I might say so, what do you have to say to that?
I think it is fantastic that Akshay is part of a film (as actor and co-producer) that has so many female actors. That is incredible. I have seen a lot of films that came along, but it didn’t get a so-called superstar. I am talking about the early days of my career, around 2005-2006, when there were quite a few films which the male superstar didn’t consider at all, because they had a woman playing the protagonist. They didn’t end up doing it, the budget didn’t get justified, and finally, the film was shelved. Hence, this project (Mission Mangal) is a fantastic attempt. Having said that, there is still a long way to go. If it was just one woman in this film, then we’d have to see how far it would have gone (laughs!).

When the first poster of the Mission Mangal was released, it became a talking point. People felt that Akshay got more prominence in it than the rest of the actresses. While it is important to have such conversations, the industry’s point of view remains that whoever draws in the audience leads the promotions. In fact, your other co-stars from the film like Tapsee and Sonakshi, too, agreed on it. Your thoughts...
Well, we are in the business of cinema. And finally, if Akshay is going to sell the maximum tickets, it only makes better business sense. Slowly, actresses are gaining in strength, and someday, our faces will be equal, if not bigger than the lead actor. I am saying this in jest, and with no feeling of being slighted or anything. Also, I really feel that we are getting touchy about too many things these days. It is great that today there are conversations about so many things (on social media) that people would not speak about before, but sometimes, I do think that the people who are commenting are not even aware of what they are saying. They want to be part of a herd, and they feel compelled to take on other people’s opinions, just so that they look like they have one, too.

Do you feel pressurised to comment on various issues, give your point of view (POV), react and respond to everything being said and done (in the universe of movies and the world around us).
Yes! People out there want everyone to give their opinion on everything. Many times, I don’t have a POV on a lot of things, and I am okay with admitting that. If someone asks me about some political developments in our country, I say that I can’t comment on it as I am not fully aware of it. I don’t think as actors we need to be aware of everything. In that case, even non-actors should be aware of everything. Why are we actors held to higher standards than everyone else? We are blamed for everything like all the evils in our society, perpetuating stereotypes, not standing up for a cause, not giving an opinion, or not rallying together. It is like we are held responsible for everything, why?

Talking about feats, you have pulled off quite a few on celluloid. A lot of the characters you have portrayed, like Ishqiya (2010), The Dirty Picture (2011) and Begum Jaan (2017), command authority and exude power. In reality, do you feel that women think twice before exercising their power in various areas of life? Is a woman’s show of strength often considered to be arrogance in a man’s world?
Women are emotionally extremely strong, while men are physically strong. The moment a woman enters the left-brain domain, she brings a certain soft power and EQ (emotional quotient) to the table. We use that to bring out the best in people and situations. When we are in a man’s world, we often start thinking that we need to be like men to be successful. And when that happens, you begin to take on their aggression and other traits. I feel that’s not needed. When there is a marriage of our strength and theirs, we can achieve great results. Sometimes, I know that we (women) have had to portray ourselves as being more powerful, more aggressive, only so that we are seen as professionals and not soppy, emotional people. This struggle makes it harder for us. Of course, there are individual differences in all of this. We suppress that power that we naturally have within ourselves. The more we become comfortable with ourselves, the more we won’t feel the need to align with what we see as expressions of power in men. Women can redefine power. Yes, it’s true that women often tend to accept less, because they feel that they can’t ask for more, or ask for what is rightfully theirs — whether it is more responsibility or respect. It takes a lot to stand up for yourself, and I think women are slowly getting there.

The good thing is that today, whether a film is headlined by women, men, or both, or by a huge line-up of stars, beyond a point that does not matter. At least, for a section of the audience, who is looking for good content, great stories and nothing else...
Yes, this means that we will churn better content, and it is a great time to be in the movies. This also means that today, it’s not just the superstars’ films that have chances of getting an audience and doing well. It opens the horizon for all of us and there is an audience for every kind of film. In the past, I remember someone telling me, ‘I don’t know if India is ready for a space film’. The way Mission Mangal is made, whether or not you are ready for it, you will get it. It is simplified, without compromising on what needs to be explained. The parlance is not scientific in that sense. If you ask me, which is my favourite sci-fi film, I have very few, as I get intimidated by science.

Also, today, the audience is looking for heroes in common people. They are keen to see stories about simple heroic deeds that impact their lives. Right?
Now, we are no longer saying that the hero is some other-worldly being. If the hero is one of us, that excites the audience. Hence, we are seeing all kinds of unlikely heroes. Today, the hero does not need to bash up ten people; instead, if that person is able to live his or her life well and realise their dreams, then that is inspiring. It makes the audience feel that they have a chance at being a hero, too. That is what social media is doing, isn’t it? It makes everyone feel that their voice has value and their words have power. I am not sure if that it is a great thing always, in this respect, but that is what is happening.

There was a point earlier when you were trying to fit in, be a certain type and look a certain way. Then you broke those barriers and set yourself free from those trappings. Subsequently, we saw you flourish in roles like The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012) and more, but still at that point, you were in the process of gaining a strong foothold in the industry. Now, having made a crack (a big one at that), and settling into a space that truly belongs to you, is life calmer? Are you more in control and has it slowed your pace, work-wise?
I did three intense films back-to-back, Kahaani 2 (2016), Begum Jaan (2017) and Tumhari Sulu (2017). When you are leading films like that, there is prep, shoot, dubbing and promotions. Five months or more are consumed by one film. I had three releases in a span of one-and-a-half-years or less. It got a bit too much. I also need time for myself, spend time with family, read and travel. It was coincidental that the subjects that I had liked were being developed. The only ready project was Mission Mangal, which I agreed to do immediately. I know that I am here to stay, so it doesn’t matter how many films I do in a year. I think that I am an eternal optimist. I always feel that this is the best time of my life. I felt that way even in my worst phase, at a time when my films were not working. I have this attitude and it is a blessing. I feel that I am having the best time of my life and wonder how it can get any better. I am still as passionate about cinema and that has not changed at all. Like I said, I don’t feel the need to clock in a certain number of films. I did a Telugu film in between, which was like doing two films and I ended up shooting more than I thought I would. I am starting the biopic on Shakuntala Devi immediately after Mission Mangal releases. I want to work at my pace. I think after that phase, where I had five hits and then my films flopped one after the other, I kept thinking about what is going wrong. I couldn’t figure what needed fixing, and then, that phase taught me that nothing needed fixing. I realised that this is how it is, and this is how it is always going to be. If that phase (of success) wasn’t permanent, even this wouldn’t be. I guess, it is all about growing up. And the amazing thing is that, the more I grow up, the more I am in touch with the child in me. It is because it frees you. I am not waiting for validation, approval or acceptance anymore, it’s all there (in your head). It is never an absolute, but I am definitely better than I was before.