Vidya Balan on shattering stereotypes and being fascinated by Indira Gandhi, the person, more than the persona
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 17, 2018)

Tumhari Sulu has struck a chord with the audience…
Yes, it has. A lady who recently separated from her husband took her two sons to watch the film and thanked me later for helping them realise her worth and the worth of her decision. Such reactions are so satisfying because I gave the nod to the film as soon as the narration ended, and that’s rarely happened. When I told the delighted writer, Suresh Triveni, this, he made me write it on his copy of the script. You may not identify with Sulu all the way, but there are moments that are definitely empathetic.

Yes, I had a moment of empathy too when everyone blames her and her job after her son, Pranav, is suspended from school, and puts pressure on Sulu to quit.
Every woman, no matter how successful, while juggling the roles of wife, mother, daughter, friend and a professional, feels personally responsible for her kids. It’s the kind of script you would expect a woman to write, that it was penned by a man makes it all the more special. There are subtle nuances in the relationship between Sulu and her husband Ashok, between her and her extended family who find it hard to accept that the black sheep has made good and compounds her problems, insisting she quit.

I thought it was important she go back to her job and continue working as a late-night radio jockey because she enjoys it. Eventually it boils down to choices, which often is subtly forced upon us by pointing fingers. Also, even when she wasn’t working, Sulu is the decision maker in the family and Ashok is okay with her taking charge. It’s an equal partnership.

Equal partnership, isn’t that just a myth? How many husbands help out with the chores even if the wife is working?
True. During the film’s promotions, I met lots of women who were raving about their “supportive” husbands but on probing admitted they did all the cooking, cleaning and washing themselves. The fact is that women still feel grateful when allowed to go out and work, so even though they end up sharing household expenses, they don’t make an issue of sharing household chores. I’m not promoting ‘bagawat’ here, but for me Shefali Shah, a conservative houswife, stepping out into the living room to sit with the men in the short film Juice, so she can enjoy the cooler which offers respite from the sveltering kitchen, was a statement in itself.

Sulu redefined the concept of ‘sexy’. From The Dirty Picture to Tumhari Sulu, you’ve come a long way.
Silk in The Dirty Picture used her body as her currency, Sulu uses her spirit. And don’t forget Krishna in Ishqiya who used her seductive powers to get the two men (Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi) to do what she wanted.

Yes, Sulu shattered the stereotype that a late-night radio jockey has to be overly sexy— short skirt, long legs. It would have been impossible before this film to imagine a middle-class housewife, married for 12 years, with a son, speaking to strangers in such an intimate way. For me, ‘sexy’ is not about looking sexy, it’s about being sexy. Sulu telling her husband with a naughty twinkle that muh lag ke bahut din hue (it’s been a long time since we had sex) in between washing bartan and preparing her son’s dabba, is sexy.

Lots of people tell me that they are surprised by my choices of bold roles given my traditional appearance. My answer to them is I wear the clothes I do because I feel good and comfortable in them, they don’t have anything to do with how progressive I am. Why are people so quick to judge on the basis of appearances?

When you reflect on your last few releases, where do you think you went wrong?
It’s hard to pinpoint as there is no recipe for success. When Hamari Adhuri Kahani released, many felt it was regressive but for me given where Vasudha came from, I thought it was a big step for her to walk away from her husband. Maybe because it wasn’t a song-and-dance film, people weren’t drawn to the theatres, but many have seen it on TV and digital platforms and liked it. Begum Jaan again was too intense and even I go to see a film that makes me feel good about life. Kahaani 2 suffered from being called Kahaani 2. Maybe it didn’t match up to the raised expectations, particularly the end, but given the subject, it did well. The business was almost at par with Tumahri Sulu, yet it was called a flop because it was not another Kahaani.

Where do you go from here?
I’ve never planned my career so I’m waiting for the next script to come and blow my mind. There are a couple of things I’m toying with as I bask in the love for Sulu. Commercial success is important and last year was encouraging. It’s a potent time for cinema. Every kind of story has an audience today.

You’ve bought the rights to Sagarika Ghose’s book, Indira - India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister, and you are turning producer with it. When does it roll?
I’m too consumed as an actress to be a hands-on producer, that could take away focus from what I love doing. But I will be involved in every way. There’s still a long way to go for this one though. I’ve always wanted to play Indira Gandhi, an inspiring and powerful woman. In the book she comes across as a person rather than the persona. I’m not politically driven, so I’m more interested in the woman than India’s Prime Minister. I liked the book’s human approach to the subject.

Aren’t you afraid of the project running into rough weather?
I’m a positive person and I believe the road ahead will be smooth. That’s the only way to do anything.

Cinema must be the common ground between your producer-husband Siddharth Roy Kapur and you.
Yeah, I’m passionate about acting while Siddharth is passionate about movies. You could wake him up at 5 am and ask him to watch a brilliant film and he’ll happily compromise on his sleep. I won’t. He is also a non-judgemental audience.

Will the two of you collaborate on a film?
Unless it’s an unavoidable situation, we’d rather not work together.

Despite this no-no you make a perfect match…
(Laughs) If you said this to Siddharth he’d blush. He’s an intensely private person. I’m the badmash, but I respect that he guards his privacy zealously. Yes, It’s been good for us so far. Touchwood.