Vidya Balan busting the myths around girl bonding in Bollywood, the shelf life of actresses and why her career isn't a chore for her
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 18, 2019)

We meet Vidya Balan on the last day of Mission Mangal promotions. Dressed in finery after swiftly wrapping up last-minute work, she settles in her sea-facing room at a suburban five-star. "During Kahaani (2012), I made a personal record of 58 interviews in a day. This feels a lot a lighter," she starts off. Feet up, sinking inside a quilt, a visibly exhausted Balan retains her affable smile as we chat about the shifting definition of a female actor, the reason behind her long gaps, the myth of female catfights and the long wait up to her passion project—the Indira Gandhi biopic.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

It's been a year and half since Tumhari Sulu (2017). Why did you take such a long gap?
I did three films back to back [Kahaani 2, Begum Jaan, Tumhari Sulu] and after that I didn't want to jump into another one immediately. I loved Mission Mangal which is why I took it up. I need time to rejuvenate after gruelling work and family time is sacrosanct; I prefer to take things at my own pace. There have been instances in the past when I have gone on set and said, "Pack up kab hai?" That's a red flag for me. My work cannot become a chore. I am not here to churn films, neither am I in any tearing hurry to get anywhere. I am here for a lifetime.

But the common assumption is that actors have a shelf life.
Actors don't have a shelf life, stars do. Being in the public eye and living under constant scrutiny can get daunting and draining after a while. By design, that is changing because the fabric of movies and audience is changing. Hence the concentration is on becoming a better actor [with each film], not a star. My 'care-a-damn' attitude works and it is the only way I know [how to survive], which is why I am here [in Bollywood] for as long as I want to.

In a cast full of women, all stars in their own right, how regular were the catfights?
(Laughs) That's a cliché. People believe when female actors work together, tensions and insecurities run high. However, in my experience, that is hogwash. I did Begum Jaan with an ensemble female cast [and there were no catfights]. It's even more creditable here because each of us—Taapsee (Pannu), Nithya (Menen), Sonakshi (Sinha), Kirti (Kulhari)—are stars in our own right. We were secure and it was a joyous experience to work together. High time we made a girls' road trip film in India. The cliché [about catfights] was probably true in the past, but women stand together today.

Being the primary lead in the film, doesn't it bother you that Akshay Kumar's face is more prominent on the poster?
[The emotion is] far from it. If Mission Mangal does well, we will all gain from it. Having his face [on the poster], guarantees more footfall in the theatres; and I have no qualms using his stardom. In the films I headline, I am prominent on the poster. We all have prominent roles, but when there is a star like Akshay Kumar, it makes sense. I know the film I signed up for and I am okay with whatever they do to market it. My experience helps me see things in perspective.

Last November, filmmaker Radha Bharadwaj reached out to mid-day about a legal suit she filed on you for passing her film idea (similar to Mission Mangal) to R Balki.
And we won the case. Although I never met Radha, her script came to me through my agent, Bling [Entertainment]. I was offered four films on the same subject. One script that Atul Kasbekar wanted to produce was still at the ideation stage; and there was nothing for me to do in it. Ronnie Screwvala had a similar script with two character options—a 22-year-old and a 55-year-old—I declined it because I fit neither. Each of the scripts gave me the feeling of something missing. Mission Mangal scripted beautiful personal lives for each scientist, the science was simplified, the mission was detailed and I loved it. I was on board as soon as I finished reading. Having spent 15 years in the business, I respect everyone who comes to me and I pride myself for my integrity. Not once have I shared another person's idea with another filmmaker. I am happy truth prevailed.

Did you feel targeted because you are a star?
We are definitely scrutinised more. I felt it was unfair to me, considering I never announce my own films. It always comes from a director or producer. I was taken aback when it happened and that too on the first day of our shoot. Last one month, the pressure increased because Radha wanted clarity before our film's release. I can empathise with that, especially for someone who has worked on a script for long. The information is on public domain and there is no limit on how many films can be made on the same subject, like the Bhagat Singh biopics that all happened at the same time.

What is next in the pipeline?
I start prep for the Shakuntala Devi biopic soon. The Indira Gandhi biopic [based on author-journalist Sagarika Ghose's book Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister] will take more time to be structurally drafted and Ritesh Batra is working hard on it. The web series is a mammoth amount of work. It is a passion project.

Are you involved in the writing process of the series?
I don't have the talent, bandwidth or discipline for it [writing]. I respond better to what is being written. May be by year-end, once the material is ready, we could start discussions. It may also take another two years, but it's worth the wait. Sometimes, I worry that it's taking too long, but then, I don't have to go anywhere. Good things require patient brewing.

Any plans to venture into production someday?
No. Ronnie offered me the producer credit [for Natkhat] because there is no money in short films. Siddharth [Roy Kapur, husband] is a producer. Honestly, I am living my only dream of being an actor. Producers have plenty to handle, and I am clear, I want to be on the other side, being handled (laughs).

Bombay HC refuses to stay Mission Mangal’s release over allegations of copyright infringement, violation of confidentiality
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 10, 2019)

The Bombay High Court on Friday refused to grant a stay on the release of Mission Mangal, sought by US-based filmmaker Radha Bharadwaj, who alleged copyright infringement and violation of confidentiality against the makers. The upcoming film is inspired by India’s 2014 Mars Orbiter Mission aka Mangalyaan.

Since the Akshay Kumar-starrer is releasing on August 15, the matter was listed on priority in court. Bharadwaj, who is making Space Moms, based on women scientists of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), had alleged that Ellipsis Entertainment had shared her script with Vidya Balan, one of Misson Mangal’s actresses who, in turn, had leaked it to R Balki. The latter got Akshay Kumar, Fox Star Studios and director Jagan Shakti and on board.

Bharadwaj also alleged that her film was not getting buyers because of the Hindi film and sought damages to the tune of Rs 90 lakh for violation of confidentiality. After hearing the arguments of senior counsels of both sides—Bharadwaj on one hand and Akshay Kumar, Balki, Jagan, Balan and Ellipsis on the other hand—Justice Girish Kulkarni, who was hearing the matter, declined to grant a stay on the release of Mission Mangal.

According to the order, the judge held that Bharadwaj had failed to make a proper case for ad-interim relief. Justice Kulkarni added that it’s not possible to allege copyright infringement by simply attempting to draw apparent similarities between the script of Space Moms (which wasn’t submitted) and the teaser and trailer of Mission Mangal.

The judge noted the delay by Bharadwaj in volunteering to bring her script to the forefront, considering that she had filed the suit last year. He observed that the US-based filmmaker, even prior to her filing the plaint, was aware of the production of Mission Mangal and its release date.

R Balki, who is producing the movie along with Akshay and Fox Star Studios, did not revert to our text messages till the time of going to press.

Radha Bharadwaj files lawsuit to halt production of Vidya Balan's Mission Mangal, claims film borrows from her script; calls out Atul Kasbekar for sharing screenplay without her nod
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 22, 2018)

A lawsuit seeking to halt the production and release of Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan-starrer Mission Mangal was filed in Mumbai on Wednesday by US-based filmmaker Radha Bharadwaj.

She alleges that the R Balki production, which revolves around India's 2014 Mangalyaan Mars Mission, infringes on the copyright of her original screenplay that she had shared with Atul Kasbekar in 2016. According to Bharadwaj, Kasbekar's studio — Ellipsis Entertainment — then shared the script with Balan, one of its clients, who is now doing another film based on the same idea. Apparently, Kasbekar's team negotiated the deal for Balan's new movie.

Having registered the script with the US Copyright Office in 2016 for the US and Indian market, Bharadwaj recently completed shooting her film, titled Space MOMs. She also claims that Mission Mangal is being rushed into production to cripple the commercial prospects of her venture. Bharadwaj's lawyer Srishti Ojha says, "There are hundreds of ways to tell the story of Mangalyaan, but Radha came up with the angle of focusing on the women engineers working on the mission."

Tracing the sequence of events that began in 2016, Ojha said that Bharadwaj was set to work with Kasbekar's studio to find financing for her film. In her lawsuit against Kasbekar's company, Bharadwaj states that the firm signed a non-disclosure agreement that prohibited them from disclosing her project to anyone without her written consent.

However, the lawsuit cites an e-mail from Kasbekar's team admitting that they had, in violation of the contract, given the script to Balan and confirmed that she had read it.

While Kumar recently announced the film on Twitter, Bharadwaj says, "I'll bet the details of the origin of this project were not known to Akshay Kumar, Fox Star or its US partners. But now that they know it, I ask them to act honourably. I have documentation going back to 2014 on my efforts to bring this story to screen."

The lawsuit cites media reports suggesting that Mission Mangal filmmakers are rushing into production. Adds Bharadwaj, "That they are scrambling to catch up with me seems to be an acknowledgement that their project is the same as mine. They seem to think that rushing their film into production will discourage any distributor from releasing my film."

When mid-day reached out to Ellipsis Entertainment, Tanuj Garg, managing partner, said, "Back in 2016, Radha and David [husband] were in touch with us on the subject. We interacted for a while to attempt producing her script, but eventually parted ways amicably as we were unable to reach a mutual understanding on the creative route forward. Ellipsis is not connected with the film that is currently under production in any way." Balan remained unavailable for comment.