We are the rooftop T-Series office in Andheri, waiting to meet Vidya Balan. She has back-to-back interviews and we are told she is running late. When she finally arrives, in a hip-long blouse paired with a printed saree and flashes a smile with a warm hello, it becomes evident that those who know Balan, love her. "She doesn't care about her weight and that's the best part"; "Anything looks good when you have that sort of grace," we hear those gathered say.

Rick Roy and Vidya Balan. Pics/Nimesh Dave

For all the success and critical acclaim Balan, a Chembur girl minus a cinema legacy, has seen, she has had a rocky relationship with style. When you meet her you realise she is petite, and curvy. It has taken her a while to embrace her shape. The first time we met her, it was right after The Dirty Picture had released. She said that having played the south film industry's sex bomb, Silk Smitha, she had discovered new-found respect for her body. It was then that Balan decided she would no longer strive to fit in.

Balan hasn't changed her mind in the six years since. She is accompanied by designer and friend Rick Roy today. Roy styled her for her last film Begum Jaan, and handles her costumes for brand endorsements. "Rick knows my body, what flatters me, what doesn't, and I trust that," she says looking over to the red-haired Roy, who mock scowls, "I have to say that's a bad thing and makes my job harder. This means I have to be harder on her, and say, no, let's not go down this road. But the great thing about her is that if you tell her what you have chosen is working, she will trust you. No questions asked. Sometimes, that's scary. So, with her, you have to be sure. You can't use a kaam chalao outfit, because she will go right ahead and wear it!"