INTERVIEW – Vidya Balan: “My work is an extension of the person I am and of my beliefs”

This year, the Festival de Cannes has invited India, its cinema and its great figures. Vidya Balan is a member of the Feature Film Jury and is the embodiment of the charm, work and perseverance of cinema in South Asia. Interview with this actress who has won many prizes and is adored in her country.

Vidya Balan © FDC / GT

If Vidya Balan was a movie character, who would she be?
There are many characters I have seen and I have felt like “I am this person”. I think I felt that with Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets.

You often play roles of brave and strong women. Are you like this in your real life?
My work is an extension of the person I am and of my beliefs. I’ve been brought up with the belief I am bigger than the biggest challenge. That’s probably why I’ve chosen the kind of roles I have. I always need a certain sense of vindication and victory at the end of it all.

When talking about Bollywood, we imagine love stories in which actors are dancing with colored costumes. Is Bollywood only that?
That’s a stereotype and I don’t blame anyone for having this kind of stereotype because for a long time, Indian cinema was synonymous with color, extravagance and the song and dance ritual. That’s also because our cinema was largely escapist, offering flights of fantasy from the mundane realities. Today films are more about real people, real stories and therefore real people overcoming extraordinary circumstances and emerging heroic. And yet our films remain dramatic films because we are an emotional people. Everything is a little exaggerated.

We have seen it in Cannes with Udaan and Miss Lovely over the past years. Is Indian cinema changing?
Undoubtedly, Indian cinema is changing. Udaan is a great example of the kind of new age cinema in India. There is a great variety in Indian cinema today. In terms of story, storytelling, treatment etc. The most heartening fact however is that there is an audience for every kind of film.

You have won many prizes in Asia. Would you like to play in other countries?
I’d love to, maybe in Iranian, Italian or French films. It would of course require a lot of effort to learn the language but I enjoy learning new languages. And the world is becoming a smaller place. There are a lot of exchanges in cinema too so you never know.

Interview by Tarik Khaldi