They believed they could fly... and did

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Vidya Balan: I could celebrate womanhood in Dirty Picture

She may not be a size zero, but when it comes to talent, she is a powerhouse. The actress who was once refused movies due to her looks and puny work profile, is today one of Bollywood’s (and Tollywood’s) most sought-after lead actors. Yet Vidya Balan, whose rise in the industry is what blockbusters’ scripts are made of, isn’t swayed by the new found adulation.
“I am here to work and earn.” It is this self-confidence that saw Vidya concentrate on pursuing good roles and improve her acting. In a short span of a few years, she has played everything from the shy Lolita in Parineeta to going glamorous in Kismat Konnection and now a pregnant, deserted wife in Kahaani.
She says self-confidence mostly got her through the rough patches. “I’ve been lucky that I have been offered different roles in such a short time. But it wasn’t like this always. I still remember a South Indian director, who had signed me for a role, had written me off the movie without my knowledge after canning a few scenes. At that point of time, it was only my parents who supported me. It was because of my dad’s confidence in me that I continued working and landed my first film, Parineeta, which became a super hit.”
“Coping with situations has not only prompted me to work hard on my roles, but infuse them with real emotions,” she adds.
The one role she has practically lived is that of Silk in The Dirty Picture. “My primary source of confidence was Silk herself. I had thought ‘when a girl in the 80s could be herself, why can’t I?’ It was Silk who made me realise that a woman too can follow her heart. I realised that I didn’t have to play the character as per people’s expectations but according to what I saw of Silk. So Silk on screen is my own perception of the women of ’80s,” says Vidya who believes that the character was more than just skin show. “It was an emotional character with substance, through which I could celebrate womanhood and the power to be a woman.”
“I take pride in doing my job, and am never ashamed of what I am doing. If I accept a role, I give my 100 per cent to it, come what may. My feminineness is my driving force. It gives me the conviction and the passion to perform a character.”

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Katrina Kaif:Fame has not changed anything
2011 has been a year of self-discovery for Katrina Kaif. From portraying a rockstar on screen to gyrating on the hit Sheila Ki Jawani and now Chikni Chameli, the former model has set a new bar for herself.
“Time flies and how. It wasn’t too long ago when critics had almost written me off with the bombing of Boom. I would be lying if I said that it didn’t matter because it did. I was ready to throw in the towel and return to modelling. But then I made a comeback and it proved lucky. Today, when I look back, I am happy that I decided to do so. And for this, I have to thank my mom who has been my biggest supporter and confidante.”
Katrina claims she owes her success to hard work, confidence, her family and the two godfathers she’s been lucky to have: Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.
However, the road’s been bumpy and she’s had to face many rejections. “My first big rejection was as a teenager. I remember asking this guy for a dance and was royally snubbed. I felt terrible and disheartened. Looking back now, I think that incident taught me to value myself and respect myself. I’d never beg, plead or run behind someone who doesn’t love me.”
Since then, she hasn’t asked a guy for a dance or anything else. “As a college student, I was oblivious of my beauty. I considered myself ordinary-looking, and still do. My mum always treated me like an ordinary child. I had to abide by the same rules and regulation as my other siblings. Stardom hasn’t changed anything. At home, I am still my mum’s dear child and nothing more. Having said that, there is no doubt that being called beautiful, sexy and such gives you a new high. It feels wonderful.”
Her parents taught her how to be content with what one has, and how to work hard to achieve what one really wants. And most importantly, how to remain grounded.
She says, “Lately people have wondered whether doing item numbers would give me the tag of an ‘item girl’, but that really doesn’t matter to me as long as the song is aesthetically shot. In Sheila Ki Jawani, for instance, director Farah Khan choreographed the song in such a way that the song looked sexy without any vulgar steps. On a personal level the song gave me more than I gave to it.”