The Hindustani: Vidya Balan

Showing posts with label Vidya Balan. Show all posts

Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan at Sabyasachi show at Kolkatta - Photos, Video

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee returned to the city with his solo feature 'An Ode to Tradition'. Held at the Taj Bengal, the show was Sabyasachi's attempt to revive obsolete textiles and craftsmanship. Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan accompanied the designer on the ramp.

Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan at Sabyasachi show at Kolkatta

Vidya Balan on the Cover of Andpersand Magazine - Photos

Vidya Balan on the Cover of Andpersand Magazine

Mallika has replaced Vidya in 'Dhamaal 2'

Buzz is that Mallika Sherawat has replaced Vidya Balan in Dhamaal 2.

The Paa and Ishqiya star asked for an astronomical amount which director Indra Kumar was willing to negotiate on but refused to go beyond a certain amount.

In the end, things did not work out. Madam M was then approached who took on the offer at a fee that was favourable to both.

With Mallika on board, the makers feel the comedy is now laced with oomph. And at less cost!

Vidya is a stalker

Vidya Balan and designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's friendship is no secret and the actress recently admitted that she stalks him all the time.

"Sabya is the only designer I stalk these days," confessed the actress, who was sporting a red Sabyasachi sari at the opening show of Pearls Infrastructure Projects Ltd (PIPL) Delhi Couture Week.

After facing a lot of flak from fashion brigades for her wardrobe, Vidya was bailed out by Sabyasachi who reinvented her looks and style.

So, be it award functions, press conferences or a movie, Vidya, who was there to support him, sure knows who to stalk.

Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan at the Delhi Couture Week 2010 - Photos

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, poses with Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan at the Pearls Delhi Couture Week 2010.

No 'Dhamaal 2' for Vidya

Vidya Balan has opted out of the sequel to the hit comedy 'Dhamaal'. It seems that the actress had a disagreement with the movie's producers over the money that was being offered to her.

Vidya's price is said to have shot up after her recent hits 'Paa' and 'Ishqiya'. Apparently she is asking for over Rs 1 crore a movie, and that was something the producers of 'Dhamaal 2' were not willing to pay.

Vidya is a retro freak

All our Bollywood divas have their quirks. While some like collecting bags, others hoard shoes. Vidya Balan is different from the other girls.

While bags and shoes are not on her list, the actress, we are told, loves to collect classic compositions sung by greats like Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd. Rafi and RD Burman.

In fact, the actress is quite possessive of her collection some of which she carries in her car to listen to while stuck in traffic.

Vidya's seductive looks on cover of 'andpersand' magazine

She has a way with the camera. An eternal connection, that transforms her from a girl next door to a diva like temptress. Someone who is easily every man's secret desire. Neither a woman born with extraordinary good looks nor someone with a body to die for, she, is the perfect example of someone with the X factor.

Someone who gives you just one look and you're a gonner. The beautiful, scintillating Vidya Balan is probably the only actress who has been able to have the perfect chemistry with all her male leads, be it Naseerudin Shah, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan or even Shiny Ahuja. An excellent performer, Vidya has a number of hit films where she has stood for her performances. That's a sign of a winner. It's all this that has been captured on the cover page of this month's andpersand magazine, as Vidya poses as woman with an undying flame in her eyes. This one dedicated to all the women of substance out there.

Vidya Balan speaks at the 14th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF)

Vidya Balan spoke on the Globalization of Mainstream Indian Cinema at the14th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF). Balan, who has never failed to deliver a brilliant performance in her films, was recently invited to the prestigious Wharton School in Pennsylvania to be part of the 14th Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) to speak on the subject of Globalization of Mainstream.

The actress spoke on moving beyond parallel and cross-over films, and how mainstream Indian films are now making their mark on international audiences.

Reveals a source, "Vidya Balan spoke on how mainstream Indian Cinema is going global in every way possible as international production houses including Warner Bros and Disney are producing Indian films, and how Indian movies are being watched by over 90 countries and are consistently recognized across international film festivals."

Vidya was part of a panel that discussed the achievements, shortcomings, and future prospects of the Indian film industry as it scales new global heights. Others on the panel included Anil Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Shankar Mahadevan, and Namit Malhotra.

Shahid’s cross-connection with Vidya

They accidentally got talking again

Shahid Kapur and Vidya Balan surely connected well during the making of “Kismet Connection”. But their relationship did not last long and subsequently the two stopped speaking to each other.

More recently, in a candid interview with a Mumbai daily, without really naming him, Vidya even blasted Shahid for dumping her and the identity crisis her confused personal life put her through.

But filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj unknowingly got the two to speak with each other a few days back.

Vishal saw the promos of “Chance Pe Dance” and messaged Shahid appreciating him in the film. At the end of the message he put his initials as ‘VB’.

Vishal sent the message from his new number which Shahid did not have. Shahid thought VB was none other than Vidya Balan.

He immediately called Vidya and told her that rather than messaging she could have called to congratulate him. Vidya on the other hand was surprised and shocked and finally managed to tell Shahid that she never messaged him.

The good thing, however, was that this cross connection apparently got the two talking again.

Watch: Paa and 3 Idiots a hit at Star Screen Awards

Star Screen Awards was not only about 3 Idiots, which mostly grabbed all the awards but also about Paa for which BigB received the best actor award.

B.O. update: 'Paa' starts slow, picks up, 'Radio' is dull

The two new releases, PAA and RADIO, started on a slow note on Friday. PAA, of course, had a better start, with the film opening to a 30% response at several plexes. The occupancy picked up by noon shows and the film was in the 60% + range towards the evening shows at plexes of major centres.

The advantage with PAA is, the film is carrying excellent reports and a jump in business is expected on Saturday and Sunday. One will have to wait for the Saturday and Sunday figures to ascertain the jump in collections.

On the other hand, RADIO had a poor start at the ticket window. The opening collections were 10% to 15%, while the reports are weak.

Paa - Movie Review

Can you ever imagine watching an Amitabh Bachchan film and not watching Amitabh Bachchan in it? Seems impossible, isn't it? The towering persona and the rich baritone just cannot be overlooked. But R. Balki transforms the legendary actor into Auro, replaces the rich baritone with the voice of an adolescent [who's neither grown up, nor a kid] and taps the hitherto untapped talent of the icon.

Trust me, 10 minutes into the film and you forget you're watching Amitabh Bachchan. For, Auro takes over the moment he is introduced to the viewer.

PAA is a simple film told in the most simplistic manner and that's one of the prime reasons why this film works big time. The emotions would've fallen flat had the writing been sub-standard or the execution of the material been humdrum or the actors been inferior. But, thankfully, PAA scores in all three departments, although it must be said that the entire slum redevelopment episode is a complete put-off.

Yet, all said and done, PAA is an outstanding film. A film for every paa, every maa... for everyone with a heart. Take a bow, Auro!

Auro [Amitabh Bachchan] is an intelligent, witty 13-year-old boy with an extremely rare genetic defect that causes accelerated ageing. He suffers from progeria. Mentally, he is 13, very normal, but physically he looks five times older.

Inspite of his condition, Auro is a happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya [Vidya Balan], a gynaecologist, but is completely clueless of his father's identity. Till he meets him, Amol [Abhishek Bachchan], who is a full of ideals politician.

Okay, let's not disrespect Balki by calling PAA a rip-off of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON or JACK. It's not! PAA looks at the varied relationships so minutely. It may've been publicized as a father-son film, but the women - mother and granny - play equally pivotal parts.

The first hour of PAA grips you in patches. The introduction of Auro is brilliant, but the moment the story focuses on the politician and his arch rival's sub-plot, it goes off-track. Sure, there are some interesting sequences, but the impact isn't mesmeric.

But the post-interval portions take the film to dizzy heights and camouflages the defects. The father-son bonding and the penultimate 25 minutes raise the bar. The emotional quotient is tremendous. Get ready to overhear a lot of sniffs and see a lot of moist eyes once the lights are switched on.

Note the two sequences in the climax, when Auro reveals what his father's first mistake was and the pheras towards the end. Also recall the scene when the girl Auro detests for a certain reason shows up with a sketch of Auro. It moves you completely.

But let's not mistaken PAA to be a rona-dhona movie. It's a positive film with funny/light moments in plenty. The conversation between Auro and his best friend, on various occasions, are superb. Also, not once does PAA show Auro as 'different'. He's one among the kids and there's no discrimination whatsoever, which is remarkable.

Director R. Balki deserves a salute for thinking out of the box and also presenting Amitabh Bachchan like never before. The writing may be erratic, but his handling of the emotional moments is exemplary. Note this, he would be a force to reckon with after PAA. Ilaiyaraaja's music is soothing. P.C. Sreeram's cinematography is incredible.

It would be a blunder if one missed out the contribution of the makeup artists. Transforming the veteran actor into a kid must've been an arduous task and Christien Tinsley and Domini Till deserve to be complimented for making Auro look so real.

Now to the performances! No amount of praise, no amount of adjectives and personifications would do justice to Amitabh Bachchan's performance as Auro. Sure, the icon has enthralled us with superlative performances in his four-decade career, but PAA is something else. The icon keeps surprising you at regular intervals and PAA is one of those beautiful surprises, which will remain etched in your memory forever.

That doesn't mean that the remaining performances get dwarfed by Auro. Sure, PAA belongs to Auro, but not once does Abhishek Bachchan dither from his position or seems inferior. This is the hallmark of a tremendous actor, which Abhishek is. Vidya is another surprise of PAA. She takes giant strides as an actor and proves yet again that given the right roles, she can match up to the best in the business.

Paresh Rawal is effective. Arundhati Naag is amazing. So is the kid, Pratik, enacting the role of Auro's best buddy. His telephonic conversation with Auro is superb. Jaya Bachchan's presence is lovely.

On the whole, PAA is an amazing experience. It makes you realize two things. One, the Hindi film industry is also capable of narrating fresh stories. Two, Amitabh Bachchan is truly the most accomplished actor this side of the Atlantic.

Talking from the business point of view, PAA has been made in a sensible and reasonable budget [approx. Rs. 17 crores, including P & A expenses], which should easily be recovered from multiplexes alone.

In the final tally, here's a film that should win awards [for Auro] and also box-office rewards, given its low costs. A film that should strike a chord with every paa, maa... just about everyone with a heart!

Bollywood Celebrities at Paa Movie Premiere

I can tell my kids Big B was my first child

‘Paa’ is a very special movie for Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan, who is playing Amitabh Bachchan's mother in her forthcoming movie "Paa", says that now she can proudly tell everyone that the 67-year-old megastar was her first child.

"After this role, I can proudly tell my children and grandchildren that Big B was my first child. Not even in my wildest dreams had I thought of playing mother to the living legend of the industry," said Vidya Balan.

"It was a humbling experience to work with Bachchanji. This is a very special movie for me," she added.

Balan is paired with Abhishek Bachchan in "Paa", which is an emotional story of a father-son relationship. Amitabh will be seen as Abhishek's 13-year-old son Auro who is suffering from a rare disease progeria, which accelerates ageing.

The film is schedule for a Dec 4 release.

Vidya’s over Shahid

In a recent interview Vidya Balan publicly admitted that she has finally gotten over ex beau Shahid Kapoor.

Vidya Balan spoke about how the break-up left her in a state of loneliness affecting her personal and professional life gravely. With all the issue made about her weight and appearance, the actress also lost several friends in the bargain. Her spat with close- friends and designers Manish Malhotra and Shabina Khan on her styling had them publicly swearing off from ever working with her again. Vidya is hoping to redeem herself with her upcoming films which will showcase in her light all together.

The actress spoke of her appearance and look in her upcoming films saying, ‘Paa will see me in the Indian look. I am very excited about Paa and Ishqiya both. The change started by losing…yes, I had gained a bit of weight. I didn’t lose weight to wear suggestive outfits. I lost weight to feel better about myself. I enjoy wearing Indian clothes.’ She also added the relationship with Shahid on a sour note saying, ‘If someone who matters to you talks you down, it can break you. That someone whose approval mattered to me started to constantly find faults with me. It started reflecting on me. At that point of time, it was important to walk away from that relationship. I don’t want to take his name.’ On her disassociation with Shabina Khan she added, ‘I don’t bother about how people feel about me. What matters to me is how I feel about them. As for Shabina, what I feel about her is what I feel about any other professional acquaintance.’ She signs off saying, ‘Today, I am standing alone, but I am happy again. That’s all that is important to me.’