Vidya Balan: ‘Saris allow you to be your most authentic self’

Actor Vidya Balan, who was recently in the city, talks about dealing with her body image and her journey in the film industry

Actor Vidya Balan held an audience of women entrepreneurs captive with her infectious laughter and audacious jokes, even as she spoke about her journey in the film industry, learning to love her body and managing her finances at an event organised by FICCI FLO, the Ladies Organisation of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The event, held at Taj West End, featured handloom products from artisans all over Karnataka. Sharing her love for handloom saris and the importance of supporting India’s unique textiles, Vidya was quite vocal about how women ought to wear sarees as they wished.

“I almost always wear a sari to any event. Every woman feels beautiful in a sari as it wraps you in its warm embrace. You don’t have to struggle to fit into it and it allows you to be your most authentic self. My size has fluctuated over the years, but whenever I step out in a sari, I always feel sexy and confident.” 

The versatile actor, who has starred in films of differing genres, says, “I’m curious about people and I believe that’s why acting worked out for me. I was born to be an actor; at some point, I let go of who I am and how I behave, to be true to my movie persona. This is how I prep for every film, except Bhool Bhullaiya which was the natural me,” she says with a smile, eliciting raucous laughter from the audience.

This helps her understand the character’s motivations, Vidya says. “Their feelings, angst, sensitivities and vulnerabilities — everything that makes them a person. I think all of us are the same and yet, each one of us is unique and that’s the beauty of life.”

Despite numerous hits, Vidya has faced her share of hardships trying to make it in the film industry. She speaks about a time when she was branded a jinx in the Malayalam film industry, replaced in 12 films and struggled with her body image and her confidence.

“I had begun working in a Tamil film and after shooting for a few days, I was replaced. When my parents and I went to meet the producer in Chennai, he showed my father some clips and said, ‘Just look at her — does she look like a heroine?’ I remember I didn’t look at myself in the mirror for close to six months after that, it had damaged my self confidence terribly. But now, when I look back, I realise every experience has made me who I am today and I like who I am today.”