Vidya Balan: There was a time when I got replaced in dozen South films

Vidya Balan is gearing up for her next film Shakuntala Devi a drama that traces the journey of the mathematician who also handled motherhood with equal aplomb at home In an interview with Anjali Singh of middaycom Balan spoke about the efforts she had to put in to replicate her nuances and how she was hurt with the comments from the people she thought were her friendsWatch the interview hereThe first question was about her ability to transform into the characters she essays on the screen What is exactly her trick Balan talked about her latest character Shakuntala Devi and said Shakuntala Devi is so multifaceted that I had to do a lot of research on her I saw her videos read a lot about her heard tapes of the interviews that Anu Menon our writer and director did with her daughter and soninlaw And thats how I began to get a sense of who this person wasShe added Of course Anu and I also worked on how to do the math shows because Shakuntala Devi did her math shows as if they were magic shows She had a certain swag and it seemed like Wow Like children like magic she made children like maths So all these things I had to understand and internalize and personalize and interpret I have also worked on the accent I have used a little South Indian accent as Shakuntala DeviBalan is a strong woman and she now portrays a character that has made us immensely proud What were her emotions when she was reading this character She said I was amazed and awestruck and inspired I feel Im trying to live my life on my own terms but even in this day and age its not easy Then to think of a woman who in her 50s 60s and 70s was living her life exactly the way she wanted to Thats so inspiringTalking about the Sarees she has worn in the film and the costume designer Niharika Bhasin Khan Vidya Balan said We have also used some of my own personal sarees in the film but she also pulled out some sarees from her mothers wardrobe and some of those sarees were gorgeous So I told Niharika to just give them to me We did so many costume trials just to make the look rightBalan has been acting for the last 15 years and has proven herself to be a star and a bonafide performer When asked about the challenges and struggles she faced during her initial days that shook her up she said Ups and downs are part of life they dont happen only when youre struggling for your first break even after becoming an actor Ive been through very deep lows Siddharth I just talk to him about whatever Im going throughShe added Sometimes you dont even need anyone to tell you something you just want to share what youre going through So I think various various ups and downs Maybe before I got Parineeta there was a period of about three years when I got replaced in a dozen South films and nothing I did seemed to be working I thought maybe my dream of becoming an actor will remain an unrealised one So that was probably a really low low The lowest lowAt work places there can be moments of discouragement from people did the actor go through that She said Not anymore but I remember in my early days I would get hurt by comments from people who I thought were my friends You know sometimes theyll say things to put you down and I never understood that Then I realised they werent my friends they were people I was working with That realisation comes from experience and maturity Ive enjoyed working with a lot of those people but they are not friendsAlso ReadVidya Balan Shakuntala Devi Got Me Interested In Vedic MathsCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news