Vidya Balan, who will be seen opposite Emraan Hashmi in the upcoming film Hamari Adhuri Kahani, says that she needed a little bit of convincing to play the character, Vasudha, in the film.
“I asked Bhatt sahab, ‘why is Vasudha so quiet?’ He then told me that there were many women who lived these kind of lives,” says Vidya whose character in the film is that of a woman with a troubled marriage.
“We are two sisters and our parents brought us up without differentiating between boys and girls. They taught us that women need to be treated on par with men. So it took me some time to understand how Vasudha could tolerate everything that her husband did to her. We in India are conditioned to believe that a husband needs to take charge and thus we try to give in as much as possible,” she says.
“There are times where I feel insecure in life, but when there is trust in each other and in a relationship, such insecurities do not matter. And I cannot keep my insecurities to myself, I tell Siddharth everything,” she explains.
Vidya adds that she turned down the offer to play yesteryear actress Suchitra Sen in her biopic because she felt she did not have much in common with her. “I did not want to play Suchitra Sen as my knowledge about her is very little.”
When asked whose biopic she would like to act in she says, “I would love to play Indira Gandhi… She was not only a strong woman but her image was very powerful. I liked her in terms of her style and her lovely features too. She looked beautiful, elegant and calm, yet portrayed herself as a strong person. I was also bowled by her personality… the way she moved, spoke and made people believe in her.
“But I do not think a biopic on Indira Gandhi will ever be made, because a whole lot of permissions will have to be taken,” she says.
About playing Priyanka Gandhi, she says, “Oh, with the short hairstyle, I could resemble her, but nothing really otherwise.”
Vidya also adds, “I am contemplating doing a TV show, a non-fictional one.”
