Vidya Balan: I am here for a lifetime...

We meet Vidya Balan on the last day of Mission Mangal promotions Dressed in finery after swiftly wrapping up lastminute work she settles in her seafacing room at a suburban fivestar During Kahaani 2012 I made a personal record of 58 interviews in a day This feels a lot a lighter she starts off Feet up sinking inside a quilt a visibly exhausted Balan retains her affable smile as we chat about the shifting definition of a female actor the reason behind her long gaps the myth of female catfights and the long wait up to her passion projectmdashthe Indira Gandhi biopicEdited excerpts from the interviewIts been a year and half since Tumhari Sulu 2017 Why did you take such a long gapI did three films back to back Kahaani 2 Begum Jaan Tumhari Sulu and after that I didnt want to jump into another one immediately I loved Mission Mangal which is why I took it up I need time to rejuvenate after gruelling work and family time is sacrosanct I prefer to take things at my own pace There have been instances in the past when I have gone on set and said Pack up kab hai Thats a red flag for me My work cannot become a chore I am not here to churn films neither am I in any tearing hurry to get anywhere I am here for a lifetimeAkshay Kumar Taapsee Pannu and Vidya Balan during promotions of Mission Mangal PicSneha KharabeBut the common assumption is that actors have a shelf lifeActors dont have a shelf life stars do Being in the public eye and living under constant scrutiny can get daunting and draining after a while By design that is changing because the fabric of movies and audience is changing Hence the concentration is on becoming a better actor with each film not a star My careadamn attitude works and it is the only way I know how to survive which is why I am here in Bollywood for as long as I want toAlso ReadDont want my socalled unconventionality to stand in the way Vidya BalanIn a cast full of women all stars in their own right how regular were the catfightsLaughs Thats a clicheacute People believe when female actors work together tensions and insecurities run high However in my experience that is hogwash I did Begum Jaan with an ensemble female cast and there were no catfights Its even more creditable here because each of usmdashTaapsee Pannu Nithya Menen Sonakshi Sinha Kirti Kulharimdashare stars in our own right We were secure and it was a joyous experience to work together High time we made a girls road trip film in India The clicheacute about catfights was probably true in the past but women stand together todayBeing the primary lead in the film doesnt it bother you that Akshay Kumars face is more prominent on the posterThe emotion is far from it If Mission Mangal does well we will all gain from it Having his face on the poster guarantees more footfall in the theatres and I have no qualms using his stardom In the films I headline I am prominent on the poster We all have prominent roles but when there is a star like Akshay Kumar it makes sense I know the film I signed up for and I am okay with whatever they do to market it My experience helps me see things in perspectiveLast November filmmaker Radha Bharadwaj reached out to midday about a legal suit she filed on you for passing her film idea similar to Mission Mangal to R BalkiAnd we won the case Although I never met Radha her script came to me through my agent Bling Entertainment I was offered four films on the same subject One script that Atul Kasbekar wanted to produce was still at the ideation stage and there was nothing for me to do in it Ronnie Screwvala had a similar script with two character optionsmdasha 22yearold and a 55yearoldmdashI declined it because I fit neither Each of the scripts gave me the feeling of something missing Mission Mangal scripted beautiful personal lives for each scientist the science was simplified the mission was detailed and I loved it I was on board as soon as I finished reading Having spent 15 years in the business I respect everyone who comes to me and I pride myself for my integrity Not once have I shared another persons idea with another filmmaker I am happy truth prevailedDid you feel targeted because you are a starWe are definitely scrutinised more I felt it was unfair to me considering I never announce my own films It always comes from a director or producer I was taken aback when it happened and that too on the first day of our shoot Last one month the pressure increased because Radha wanted clarity before our films release I can empathise with that especially for someone who has worked on a script for long The information is on public domain and there is no limit on how many films can be made on the same subject like the Bhagat Singh biopics that all happened at the same timeAlso ReadVidya Balan Glad our movies are celebrating our achievementsWhat is next in the pipelineI start prep for the Shakuntala Devi biopic soon The Indira Gandhi biopic based on authorjournalist Sagarika Ghoses book Indira Indias Most Powerful Prime Minister will take more time to be structurally drafted and Ritesh Batra is working hard on it The web series is a mammoth amount of work It is a passion projectAre you involved in the writing process of the seriesI dont have the talent bandwidth or discipline for it writing I respond better to what is being written May be by yearend once the material is ready we could start discussions It may also take another two years but its worth the wait Sometimes I worry that its taking too long but then I dont have to go anywhere Good things require patient brewingAny plans to venture into production somedayNo Ronnie offered me the producer credit for Natkhat because there is no money in short films Siddharth Roy Kapur husband is a producer Honestly I am living my only dream of being an actor Producers have plenty to handle and I am clear I want to be on the other side being handled laughsAlso ReadVidya Balan on making debut as a producer Powerful story called out to meCatch up 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