Devika V Menon (BOMBAY TIMES; August 27, 2024)

At a recent event in Bengaluru, Vidya Balan had audiences in stitches with her comedic anecdotes. “Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of comedy on social media, and people talk about it wherever I go. Even when I took a break for a year, I was surprised people were praising my reels on Instagram,” she said.

Speaking further about her love for comedy, the actress added, “I love comedy – whether it is watching it or doing it. In cinema, there used to be a time when women were offered comedy roles, like Sridevi in Mr. India. Honestly, I'd jump at the chance to do a comedy film. But nowadays, there just aren’t enough comedic roles written for actresses.” Excerpts from the session:

‘Acting allows me to step into the shoes of women from all walks of lives’
I’m incredibly curious about people. I think that’s why I was destined to be an actor. Plus, I get bored with being myself a lot. Acting allows me to create excitement by living the lives of other people as authentically as possible, at least for the duration of a film. It’s so amazing, as I get to step into the shoes of women from different walks of life; women with different stories.

‘I love the prep I do for every character I play’
Every role I do is different, and I feel the need to let go of who I am to get into the skin of the character. I enjoy that process. It helps me understand their motivations, feelings, sensitivities, vulnerabilities, and their angst. I get to understand them just as people, because I think all of us are the same and yet each one of us is unique. That’s the beauty of human life.

‘Body size has nothing to do with the way you feel about yourself’
Something that we all grapple with all the time is that feeling of never being good enough for ourselves. I’ve always had body image issues. I’ve always been a fat girl growing up. But, The Dirty Picture just made me realize that body size has nothing to do with the way you feel about yourself. I think that was liberating. Not only did it change my image as an actor, but, as an individual, it made me realize that this is the body that’s keeping me alive and I need to appreciate it.

‘As women, we are constantly playing multiple roles all the time’
I sometimes feel that women make better actors than men because we are constantly taking on different roles — of a mother, sister, wife, etc — daily. So, you just tap into a certain aspect of yourself — as an actor — and then, just go with the flow, tell that story that the director wants you to.

‘Movies are inspired by real life events, not the other way round’
Javed Akhtar Saab once said that it is actually society that corrupts films; and films don’t corrupt society. I believe that movies take inspiration from what happens in real life, and not vice versa. Cinema has always been burdened with the onus of being the moral conscience of society, but it isn’t. If you see the number of people who consume films, it’s a small fraction, the biggest blockbusters are only watched by three per cent of India’s population.
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I always knew I wanted to be an actor and just put it out there into the universe. I believe the universe truly made my wish come true
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My sister, Priya, is truly my role model. She’s someone I look up to and confide in. She’s always been so comfortable in her own skin; so articulate and so confident