Vidya Balan

South actor Shivaani Singh's fan moment with Vidya Balan

Apr 022018

Vidya Balan shot for a commercial recently with South actor Shivaani Singh

Shivaani Singh and Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan shot for a commercial recently with South actor Shivaani Singh. The Tumhari Sulu (2017) star may be taking her time to ink her next Bollywood outing, but she has been busy with her endorsement deals. Shivaani Singh, who features in the Telugu film, Ye Mantram Vesave, and in Vivek Agnihotri’s Freedom, turned fangirl on the set. She insisted on a keepsake photograph with her screen idol and Balan was happy to oblige.

On the work front, currently prepping for Indira Gandhi biopic, Vidya Balan apparently approached to play crime overlord in drama. According to sources, the actor has been approached to play a gangster in a yet-untitled project to be helmed by Jyoti Kapur Das. The director had previously handled the reins of the award-winning short film, Chutney (2016).

We hear, Vidya Balan has already been given a narration and has expressed her interest. However, she is yet to work out her dates. The source added, “The actress also has the Indira Gandhi biopic in the pipeline. It all depends on when she starts the biopic. She is also in talks for another project. But if all goes as planned, the crime drama will go on floors later this year.”

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Filmfare Awards 2018: Irrfan Khan, Vidya Balan win best actors' award

Celebrities

Jan 212018

Actor Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare Best Actor in Leading Role (Male) award for ‘Hindi Medium’ while Vidya Balan bagged the Filmfare Best Actor in Leading Role (Female) Award for ‘Tumhari Sulu’ at the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards

Vidya Balan

Actor Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare Best Actor in Leading Role (Male) award for ‘Hindi Medium’ while Vidya Balan bagged the Filmfare Best Actor in Leading Role (Female) Award for ‘Tumhari Sulu’ at the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards.

From giving the awards to iconic actors like Irrfan Khan to Rajkummar Rao, Vidya Balan to Zaira Wasim — the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018 celebrated the talents of different ages, on Saturday night.

Vidya received her award from legendary actress Rekha.

Rajkummar Rao bagged two awards. He won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) for ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, and also Critics’ Award for Best Actor (Male) for ‘Trapped’.

The evening was graced by who’s who of Bollywood including Akshay Kumar, who walked the red carpet along with his ‘PadMan’ co-star Sonam Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Saqib Saleem, Armaan Malik, Amaal Malik, Karan Johar, Preity Zinta, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan among many others.

Irrfan Khan

Meher Vij won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) for ‘Secret Superstar’. Actress Zaira Wasim won the Critics’ Award for Best Actor (Female) for the same film.

Ayushmann Khurrana made the evening entertaining with some of the evergreen super hit cult classics like “Jab koi baat bigad jaaye”, “Tera mujhse hai pehle ka nata koi”, “Ruk jaana nahi tu kahi haar ke”, “Kehdu tumhe ya chup rahu” and “Janu meri jaan main tere qurbaan” on stage.

Ranveer Singh appeared at the function with an interesting outfit that clubbed poster motifs of various classic Hindi films. When host Shah Rukh Khan asked Ranveer about his costume, he replied: “People eat movies, drink movies, I even wear movies.”

Konkona Sen Sharma won the Best Debut Director Award for ‘A Death In The Gunj’. Receiving the award from Jaya Bachchan and Sonali Bendre, Konkona said, “Thank you so much… It’s unbelievable. I would like to thank Jio Filmfare. I would like to extend my biggest thank you to my team.”

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari won the Best Director Award for ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’.

Amit V. Masurkar bagged the Best Original Story Award for his Oscar-nominated film ‘Newton’. the film ‘Newton’ also won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. ‘Hindi Medium’ won the Best Film (popular) Award.

Like last year, Jio Filmfare award ceremony has created special space for celebrating short films. this year, Jackie Shroff won the Best Actor in Short Film Award for ‘Khujli’. Neeraj Ghaywan won the Best Short Film Award for ‘Juice’.

Filmfare Best Playback Singer (Male) Award went to Arijit Singh for “Roke Na Ruke Naina” from ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’. Meghna Mishra won the Best Playback Singer (Female) Award for “Nachdi Phira” from ‘Secret Superstar’.

Iconic music composer and singer Bappi Lahiri won the Jio Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. Actress Vidya Balan, who handed over the award to the legend, mentioned: “It’s a very special moment for me. Bappi has given the most successful song of my career.”

After receiving the award, the music composer said: “Thank you Jio Filmfare. I am very happy. I would like to dedicate it to my parents, wife and my full family. It’s a hard work of 46 years.”

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Bollywood rewind 2017: The year when the Everywoman dominated

Celebrities

Dec 292017

Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sulu

Tanuja Chandra’s Qarib Qarib Singlle, if you recall, was about Irrfan’s rather ‘rangeela’ character taking his online date to meet his past three lovers, just so he can prove to her how women, even when they’re not with him, continue to adore him still. The first stop on their road-trip is in Rajasthan. You sort of have an idea what kinda ‘Girlfriend No 1’ will show up. The girl who emerges instead is a podgy, giggly Rajasthani middle-class woman, brimming with life and realism, and yet so much fun, that that scene/moment/ cameo/character remains for me the absolute highlight of 2017.

As is the heroine of Qarib –Parvathy — who got introduced to Bollywood with the film (she has over 20 acting credits back in Kerala). And thanks to my interest in her, I got to see another gem (in Malayalam) this year, Mahesh Narayan’s Take Off, which is based on the same incident as Tiger Zinda Hai (abduction of Indian nurses by the IS in Tikrit, Iraq). Parvathy plays the savior, protagonist. She’s a nurse (as against Salman’s Rambo). So you know Take Off is absolutely nothing like Tiger. But more importantly Parvathy’s Sameera in Take Off looks/behaves nothing like Qarib’s Jaya.

Sridevi in Mom

Further, I decided to catch Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days (2014), which has three important female characters. It was impossible for me to figure out which of the three was Parvathy, the reason I’d clicked on the film in the first place (she plays a physically challenged RJ in this strikingly mature romantic film).

Pednekar in Toilet: Ek Pre Katha

Clearly Parvathy exhibits a chameleon like quality to transform herself from one photograph to another, let alone roles — something we often associate with actor Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai. Another feature you could tag her along with Ranaut for is an ability to call out hypocrisy, take on detractors, rather than call a spade a donkey. As the brave Parvathy did late this year, taking on trolls who had problems with the fact that she had a problem with misogyny in one of super-star Mamoothy’s films.
Is this a good way to challenge centuries of insensitivity towards women in general (and therefore in cinema)? Yes. But along with playing parts in pictures that change the scenery just as well. As did Vidya Balan walking on to the screen as an over-weight aunty from Virar, and cracking it as Sulu in Tumhari Sulu. Or Sridevi did as a clever mom in Mom, planning to avenge her daughter’s rape. Or in fact Bhumi Pednekar, perhaps more than others did, stepping out in the open, defecating in the wilds, to shine a torch on the problem of toilets (or lack of them) in India, for a film called Toilet, which earned over Rs 100 crore.

Parvathy in Qarib Qarib Singlle

Gauging global/box-office appeal of Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Deepika Paukone, we had dubbed 2016 the ‘year of the woman’ for Bollywood. It takes generations for society (and hence cinema) to go from appreciating the ‘Hot Woman’ to the Everywoman. Sometimes it can happen in a year. It did.

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Film industry can be really sexist, says Vidya Balan

Celebrities

Nov 102017

In the wake of recent sexual misconduct claims made against the big names of Hollywood, Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has revealed that Bollywood can be really sexist too. While being present at the launch of a business magazine, the ‘Tumhari Sulu’ star shared that the film industry can be really sexist and she did face a fair amount of sexism in the initial phase of her career.

Vidya Balan

When asked if she faced any kind of sexism in the industry, she said, ‘The film industry has been really nice to me. I’m quite head-strong. But I think it can really be sexist. In the initial phase of my career, I did face a fair amount of sexism. I used to be really angry about that.” “I was told he has been given dates, so you have to work around them, but I was never asked like that. The male actor would always get a bigger van, a bigger hotel. People would always say like, ‘do you need to listen to story?’ she said.

The actress shared that she has been very lucky to have step into the industry with a movie like ‘Parineeta’, as no one questioned the set of rules she set for herself. ‘I was lucky I got into the business with a movie like ‘Parineeta’, no one questioned the rules I set for myself. I have been told that a female actor’s life is not much, so you have to look younger. You got to look glamorous. I always told myself no, it is not like that,’ noted Balan.

When asked if she is a feminist, she explained, ‘I’m a feminist I am not anti-men. There is a huge difference between them. I believe I have the equal right to breathe, live and lead my life as a man does.’ She also shared that her dream is to act for next 40 years as she enjoys the work she does. She shared, ‘I want to keep acting for next 40 years. This is what I enjoy doing. Nothing has changed since I first decided to be an actor. I don’t have specific goals, I just want to work.’

The actor will be next seen in Suresh Triveni’s ‘Tumhari Sulu’. The movie is about a competent woman who chances upon the opportunity of becoming an RJ and grabs it with both hands. The flick is slated to release on November 17.

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Padmavati row: Don't want to make any loose comment, says Vidya Balan

Celebrities

Nov 062017

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan, who has been busy promoting her upcoming film ‘Tumhari Sulu’, restrained herself from commenting over the ongoing controversy facing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus ‘Padmavati’.

Vidya Balan

Speaking exclusively to ANI, the ‘Begum Jaan’ actress said she did not want to make any loose comment, especially being the member of the Central Board of film Certification (CBFC), as she was not aware about the actual series of events.

‘Because I am in the middle of ‘Tumhari Sulu’ promotions, I have not kept myself updated about the controversary regarding ‘Padmavati’. So, I don’t want to make any loose comment about anything, especially being the member of the CBFC,’ she said.

‘Padmavati’ has been embroiled in a spate of controversies ever since its inception. The period drama starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor has been facing protests from various communal groups, including Shree Rajput Karni Sena, for allegedly tampering historical facts.

The Karni Sena, which demolished the sets of the movie in Jaipur and also thrashed Bhansali, has again warned the director that he would face consequences if the movie didn’t contain proper truth or facts.

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Vidya Balan: Actresses will unite to fight for their rights in Bollywood

Celebrities

Nov 052017

Vidya Balan says if the need arises, female actors will unite to fight for their rights in B-Town. A few months ago, South actors Manju Warrier, Parvathy, Bhavana, Anjali Menon, Geethu Mohan Das and Rima Kallingal came together to form the Women in Cinema Collective, an association that fights patriarchy and gender bias in the Malayalam film industry.

Vidya Balan

“It’s a great initiative. I don’t know if we should do it [form an association] because they have done it, but they have set an example. Women deserve equal rights. So far, there hasn’t been a need for us to come together, but if it arises, all the actresses will unite,” says the Tumhari Sulu actor.

Balan feels it’s important for women to be vocal if they are harassed. “Irrespective of how successful a woman is, I don’t think they feel safe addressing sexual harassment. The recent example of producer Harvey Weinstein was shocking. Many big and powerful actresses chose not to speak against him. Women need to come out and talk,” she says.

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Vidya Balan has the smartest way to tackle politicians imposing bans

Celebrities

Oct 142017

On Saturday, the trailer of Vidya Balan’s slice-of-life film ‘Tumhari Sulu’ got released and Vidya revealed a smart way of dealing with politicians who impose bans, who otherwise maintains a neutral stance during such occasions. Vidya Balan as the ‘saree vaali bhabhi’ is all fun, chirpy and crazy in the film. Her sultry and sensuous voice as a night RJ (Radio Jockey) will make you go weak in your knees.

Present at the launch were the entire cast and crew of ‘Tumhari Sulu’ including Manav Kaul, Neha Dhupia, RK Malishka amongst others. However, the presence of Vidya’s parents made the actress shine with glow and her happiness increased twofold. While Vidya was introducing the film’s cast to her parents, Neha complimented her mother for the way she’s raised Vidya.

Keeping the growing intolerance in the city, when the interaction began with the media, Vidya was asked if she was running her own show as an RJ in reality and a political party imposed a ban on it, how she would charm them? Known for her spontaneity, she instantly came ahead and in her sexy voice said, “Acche din aa gaye hai, radio on kar do” (Turn on the radio as good days have arrived).

Is there anyone wouldn’t fall for this voice? Well, bringing “acche din” is something that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised.

Further, when mid-day asked Vidya about the similarities Vidya shares with Sulu, she revealed, “For the first time ever, I’ve got the opportunity to showcase my madness on screen. I think we are very very similar. Most importantly Sulu thinks that ‘mai sab kuch kar sakti hai’ (I can do everything) and even I think that I can do everything.” With path-breaking films such as ‘The Dirty Picture’, ‘Kahaani’ and many others Vidya has surely proved that she can do everything.

A Suresh Triveni film, ‘Tumhari Sulu’ is all set to hit the theatres on November 17, 2018.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

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Vidya Balan skips film screenings of husband Sidharth and Aditya Roy Kapur

Celebrities

Oct 072017

The Censor Board’s decisions on the certification of films are always scrutinised by the public, and Vidya Balan, with her 12-year-long experience in the industry, is aware of the criticism they can be subjected to.

Vidya Balan

It is no wonder then that the actor, who was appointed on August 11 on the reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification (CFBC) has decided to step away from exercising her duties for husband, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and brothers-in-law, actors Aditya and Kunaal’s films.

A source tells mid-day, “She has decided to excuse herself from the CBFC screening of films that she or her family members are associated with. It was a conscientious move which was welcomed by the board members.” While Balan refused to comment about her move, her spokesperson confirmed the news to mid-day.

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Vidya Balan meets with a car accident in Mumbai

Celebrities

Sep 292017

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has reportedly met with a car accident in Bandra, Mumbai. According to reports, the ‘Tumhari Sulu’ actress was on her way to Bandra for a meeting when another car rammed into hers and damaged it severely. Vidya Balan reportedly escaped the mishap and did not sustain any injuries.

Vidya Balan

A source told DNA, “She is fine and has not sustained any injuries. It was a minor accident that led to car damage and thankfully no one is injured.”

On the work front, Vidya Balan is gearing up for her next film ‘Tumhari Sulu’ where she plays a night radio jockey.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali had announced Padmavati’s release date as November 17, 2017 as soon as the shoot began last year. The historical will now release on December 1. The Vidya Balan-starrer ‘Tumhari Sulu‘ was to release on December 1, but was recently brought forward to November 24.

Also read: Vidya Balan didn’t want to lose right to slam CBFC’s decisions

National Award winning actress Vidya Balan was recently named a member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). She said that she is looking forward to the new responsibility where cinema will reflect the society we are living in today.

“I am very happy to join the CBFC and I hope to fulfil my responsibilities as a member to the best of my abilities,” she told earlier. “I look forward to this new and exciting phase where our cinema will be allowed to reflect the sensibilities, realities and complexities of the society we are living in today,” she said.

Watch: ‘Tumhari Sulu’ teaser out, Vidya Balan will brighten your day!

Vidya Balan was named in the reconstituted Central Board of Film Certification, which is now chaired by writer Prasoon Joshi, who replaced Pahlaj Nihalani.

View Photos: Anu Aggarwal: ‘Aashiqui’ actress who fought coma, learnt tantric sex

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Vidya Balan's 'Tumhari Sulu' avoids box office clash with 'Padmavati'

Celebrities

Sep 222017

Vidya Balan

Sanjay Leela Bhansali had announced Padmavati’s release date as November 17, 2017 as soon as the shoot began last year.

The historical will now release on December 1. The Vidya Balan-starrer Tumhari Sulu was to release on December 1, but was recently brought forward to November 24. Was it to make way for Padmavati?

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