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`Cinema is where I belong'

There's no looking back after "Parineeta" for Vidya Balan. CHITRA SWAMINATHAN in a chat with the model-turned-actress

ROMANCING THE CAMERA Vidya Balan.

You have to give it to ace adman-turned-film director Pradeep Sarkar for his intuitive casting abilities. For the heroine of his debut film Parineeta is real, restrained and radiates the same warmth as the film's protagonist. The pretty smile, poise and peaches-and-cream complexion are in place too. Vidya Balan had always dreamt of donning the grease paint.

In Chennai for the shooting of Mani Ratnam's much-awaited Guru, Vidya seemed relaxed in pink capris and white T-shirt. "Thankfully, Parineeta happened, that too in a big way, otherwise, I don't know what I would have done. Since the day I started thinking about a career, I couldn't think of anything but the arc lights. I always felt films is where I belong," she laughs aloud. "I remember how my sister and I hurriedly wrote out my bio-data when we saw a poster calling for wannabe actors for a Hindi serial. We pulled out our best clothes; she did my make-up and hair and clicked my pictures. And then the wildest thing happened. I was in front of the camera. I shot for eight months. Sadly, the serial never went on air." Meanwhile, another serial "Hum Paanch" (Vidya played one of the five sisters) became quite a hit. "I did it for a year and a half. I quit to concentrate on studies as my parents insisted `nothing at the cost of academics.'"

Not someone to give up chasing her dream, she soon became the face that launched many a product. "I was in college when the hugely successful Surf Excel ad was offered. One after another ad campaigns kept coming my way. May be my girl-next-door image worked. In most of the ads, I was either a homemaker or a mother. But they gave me enough scope to emote. And I was happy about that. After all, tinselville was my ultimate destination."

After a non-starter Malyalam film with Mohanlal and an art film in Bengali (it did the rounds at international festivals and won Vidya a best actress award), she has finally arrived on the tinsel scene with Parineeta. "And I am serious about acting. But I would like to do it at my own pace, picking and choosing roles that suit my attitude. I recently rejected a plum role that required me to be clad in sizzling clothes. The industrywallahs are not as bad as they are made out to be. They understand and respect your wishes," says the actress.

She knew Pradeepda (director of Parineeta) from her ad days. In fact, she has worked with so many Bengali ad professionals that Vidya is not only familiar with the language but also with the milieu. Kolkata is like second home to this Mumbai-bred Tamilian.

"Pradeepda had sounded me about the film two years before the project actually took off," says the gorgeous girl. "But I underwent rigorous screen tests before I finally got the role. Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted to be sure that I fitted the role to a T. Though there are already two Bengali films and one Hindi film (starring Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar) inspired by the Sarat Chandra classic "Parineeta", Pradeepda shot the scenes beautifully, giving them his distinct touch. Costume, make-up, hair, music... everything was handled with great care. I particularly enjoyed the picturisation of the melodious songs."

As for sharing the frame with big names such as Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, Vidya says, "Sanjay is a gentleman to the core. Saif is the most understated actor. He is so natural that even if you try to overdo your role even a bit, it would look like you are hamming. While doing intimate scenes, they could sense my discomfort and put me completely at ease."

As for director Mani Ratnam, she says, flashing a dimpled smile, "Oh! Mani sir is magical. I think I am blessed to be working with such directors at the start of my career."

What's in her kitty? Sequel of "Munnabhai MBBS" and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's big-budget "Eklavya". And, of course, there is "Guru".

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