Vidya Balan

Early life and first acting career

Vidya Balan was born on January 1, 1978 in (state of Kerala ) ^[4] in the family of businessman P. R. Balan (now vice president of human resources for telecommunications company ) ^[5] and his wife Saraswati Balan ^{[ 6] [7]} . According to Vidya herself, her family speaks a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam , while she herself also speaks Hindi , Marathi , Bengali and English ^[8] . Vidya's older sister, Priya Balan, works in the advertising field ^[6] .

Vidya grew up in the suburbs of Bombay (or the Greater Bombay / Mumbai area) of , where she graduated from St. Anthony's High School for Girls ^{[9] [10]} . From a youth, a girl dreamed of a career in cinema, inspired by the works of actresses Shabana Azmi and Madhuri Dikshit ^{[11] [12]} .

At the age of 16, she gets her first fame in the acting field, playing one of the central roles - the smart, but myopic and deaf, Radhika Mathur - in the popular sitcom dir. ^{[13] [14]} . Director offered her a role in the new soap opera , but the girl rejected the offer, wanting to make a career in the movie ^[15] . Her parents supported her desire, but insisted that she receive higher education ^[11] . Following the advice of her parents, she received a bachelor's degree , and subsequently a master's degree in sociology from the University of Mumbai ^{[16] [17]} .

Unsuccessful attempts and first success in the cinema (2000-2003)

While still studying at the university, Vidya was selected for the main role in the film in the Malayalam Chakram , and a little later she was “signed” to work in 12 more films ^[11] . However, when the project was frozen due to various problems ^[18] , film producers, who did not expect such a thing with the famous male Mohanlal in the lead male role, accused the young actress of bringing “bad karma” and also replaced her with other actresses in the rest planned films ^[11] .

Vidya's next attempts were related to cinema in her second native Tamil language. In 2001, she was starred in the film by Run (released in 2002), but after the first scenes she was shot, she was replaced by ^[19] ; the same thing happened on the set of Manasellam movie (2002-2003), where she was replaced by Trisha Krishnan ^[20] . Another film on the set in which she signed the agreement, upon closer examination, turned out to be a love comedy and the actress, who is distinguished by great modesty in her life, herself broke the contract ^[11] . And the tape on Malayalam Kalari Vikraman Deepak Mohan, in which she still starred, because of the financial difficulties of the studio, did not appear on the screens, despite the fact that it was almost completed ^[21] .

While, at this stage, Vidya Balan did not have an acting career, she starred in about six dozen commercials and music videos, in particular, with the group and singer , most of them posed by ^{[15] [22]} . Finally, in 2003, she starred with in the Bengali drama Bhalo Theko , which was her first movie to be released. ^[23] Her leading role as a young woman Anandi, indulging in memories of her past, won Vidye her first prize - one of the most prestigious Bengali film awards) for best actress ^[24] .

Breakthrough to Bollywood (2005-2008)

Her film debut in Hindi took place in 2005 in the musical drama Pradeep Sarkar (an adaptation of the novel of the same name by about love of the idealist Lalita and the selfish son of the manufacturer Shekhar ^[25] ), in which the actress was elected as a result of a tense six-month casting ^{[18] [26]} . Her performance of the role of Lalita was enthusiastically received by critics ^[14] , in particular, Derek Elli from Variety magazine called the image embodied by Vidya “the heart and soul of the film” ^[27] . At the annual Filmfare Awards Bollywood prestigious awards ceremony , Angel brought her a prize in the Best Female Debut category and a nomination for the title of Best Actress ^[28] . The following year, Vidya also starred with Sanjay Dutt in the comedy of Rajkumar Hirani, " Brother Moon 2 ", playing the role of radio presenter Jhanvi, the beloved of the protagonist. In preparation for the shooting, she talked with the leaders of several entertainment radio stations and watched their work ^[29] . This work of hers was also praised by critics ^[30] and the audience, who brought the blockbuster film fees of approximately 1.18 billion rupees (about 18 million US dollars ) ^[31] .

In 2007, Vidya worked actively, starring in at least five films that caused a noticeable reaction from the audience and / or professional film critics. In Mani Ratnam drama (partly based on the biography of business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani ), she played a supporting role for a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis . The film, starring such stars as Mithun Chakraborti , Abhishek Bachchan , Aishwarya Rai and Madhavan , gathered a good box office ^[32] , while Vidya Balan's performance was criticized by critics as “talent wasted in vain for a miniscule role” ^{[33] [34]} .

Her next work was, consisting of six separate stories, the romantic comedy of “ Hello, love! ", Where the actress, who played the role of the television reporter Tehzib Hussein, who lost her memory after an injury, played in tandem with John Abraham . The film failed at the box office and was criticized ^[32] , however, film critics reacted positively to the game of Vidya herself, in particular, critic of the portal Sukanya Verma regarded “the transformation [of the character] of Vidya from a self-confident business woman into a vulnerable and helpless creature "as" outstanding " ^[35] .

Thriller , where she played a supporting role, was commercially unsuccessful, but was positively received by critics and was selected as the nomination from India for the 2008 Oscar for the best film foreign language ^[36] . At the same time, the film , where Vidya played a single mother, received good fees ^[32] , but mostly negative criticism both in general and on the participation of Vidya Balan ; CNN-IBN criticized her wardrobe and makeup and called her “Achilles Fifth” of the film ^{[37] [38]} .

The actress’s fifth and final film in 2007 was the psychological thriller , directed by Hindi remake of the 1993 movie Broken Castle (which has at least two earlier remakes in different languages, Aaptamitra ”In Kannada and“ Chandramukhi ”in Tamil). Vidya played the role of the split personality Avani Chaturvedi, which in the original film was performed by the fellow countrywoman Vidya from Kerala, actress and dancer ^[39] . The film was a commercial success, earning around 830 million rupees ($ 13 million) in global distribution. ^[32] At the same time, critics did not like the film, although they reacted more positively to the actress playing it, judging it with epithets from “acceptable” and “pleasant” ^[40] to “excellent” ^[41] . This film brought her the second Filmfare Awards nomination in the category "Best Actress" ^[28] .

Transition to stable success (since 2009)

In 2009, Vidya performed the lead role of an unmarried gynecologist living with a teenage son with progeria in film . The picture, which also played the father and son of Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan played the role of the sick teenager Auro, his son the father of Auro), was well received by critics, earning a total of more than 40 nominations and prizes from various institutions, bringing Vidya Balan herself with 7 prizes for the best the female role ^[28] (not counting the undefeated nominations) and becoming, according to critics, an important turning point in her career ^[42] . Sukanya Verma with Rediff.com , already expressing her approval in the past, compared Vidya’s game with Dimple Kapadia and noted that her restrained and touching image “impresses with her grace and integrity” ^[43] . Columnist of The Times of India, also emphasized that she “managed to give a rare dignity to the Bollywood image of her mother” ^[44] .

The success of this film was followed by the black comedy (2010, directorial debut of ), where Nasiruddin Shah , Arshad Varsi and Salman Shahid played together with Vidya. The character of Vidya in this film, Krishna Verma, is both a seeker of justice and a "fatal woman" who manipulates men through her sex appeal. The actress herself described her heroine as a serious departure from the traditional portrayal of women in films ^[45] . The film, as well as its performance (for which she specifically took lessons from the local Uttar Pradesh dialect ^[46] ) received critical acclaim. full-time film critic from Delhi, commented: “Vidya Balan’s burning eyes can burn the screen while tragedy lurks in her eyes. She showed that she could give a gigantic head start to any of the stamped “Barbies,” which have now infested Bollywood, sensuality may not be connected in any way with few children ” ^[47] . For her work in this film, the actress was nominated for the title of best actress of the Filmfare Awards "by choice", winning a similar prize of the same award "by choice of critics " and earning her second prize for best leading female role from Screen Magazine ^{[48] [49 ]} .

The year 2011 was marked in the filmography of the actress by several significant roles. The first of these was the semi-biographical thriller of released on January 7 this year, , based on the real case of the murder of model and VIP restaurant waitress son of parliamentarian and minister , where Vidya played the role of the victim’s sister, Sabrina Lal, who played an important role in bringing the case to court and sentencing the culprit, despite pressure from his many connections in the state and national governments. At the insistence of the director, who believed that "Sabrina ... now differs from herself more than 10 years ago when it all started," Vidya did not meet with the prototype of her character, developing it herself ^[50] . The film received mixed reviews of criticism, however, many of the reviews agreed with each other in an enthusiastic assessment of the lead actress's performance ^{[51] [52]} ; this work brought Vidye Balan another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress ^[53] . The total film fees amounted to about 490 million rupees (about 10.8 million US dollars at the average rate of 2011), which was especially noted in the press, given the lack of a leading male role in the film ^[54] .

In March 2011, her work was noted retrospective of her films in Australia during the festival ^[55] .

Следующей заметной работой Видьи Балан стало исполнение главной роли в биопике Экты Капур , основанном на истории жизни и смерти актрисы ^[56] , известной (в формулировке исполнительницы) своей «дерзостью до бесстыдства и вызывающей сексуальностью» ^[57] . Видья охарактеризовала эту роль как самую смелую и дерзкую в своей карьере, добавив, что роль потребовала от неё как достичь серьёзной моральной готовности, так и набрать лишние 12 килограмм веса ^[58] . Фильм был встречен восторженными оценками, включая единодушный восторг воплощенным Видьей образом, названным рядом критиков лучшей ролью актрисы ^{[59] [60] [61]} . Роль принесла актрисе Национальную кинопремию и Filmfare Award за лучшую женскую роль ^[48] .

В 2015 году она снова снялась в паре с Эмраном Хашми в фильме . Через год она исполнила одну из главных ролей в фильме Te3n и дебютировала в маратхоязычном кино , сыграв Гиту Бали в биографическом фильме Ekk Albela ^[62]

В начале 2017 года вышел фильм Begum Jaan , где она появилась в роли владелицы публичного дома, заработав положительную оценку критиков. В том же году состоялась премьера Tumhari Sulu , где она сыграла радио-диджея. Фильм имел коммерческий успех, а и принёс ей четвёртую Filmfare Award за лучшую женскую роль ^[63] .

Индийские СМИ неоднократно делали предположения о романтических взаимоотношениях Видьи Балан с её партнёрами по киносъёмкам, которые, однако отвергались самой актрисой ^{[64] [65]} . Тем не менее, в 2009 году Видья упомянула о закончившейся к тому времени связи с кем-то, позволившим себе комментарии о её весе. По её собственным словам: «Если кто-то важный для тебя унижает тебя — это может тебя сломать. Тот, чьё мнение было мне всегда важно, стал постоянно находить во мне недостатки. Со временем стало необходимым прервать эту связь.» Хотя она не называла имён, таблоиды предположили, что это был Шахид Капур , партнёр Видьи по фильму ^{[66] [67]} , однако тот также опроверг их связь ^[68] .

Давая в мае 2012 года интервью агентству Press Trust of India , Видья Балан объявила, что встречается с продюсером и главой (индийского кинопроизводства The Walt Disney Company ) ^[69] . 14 декабря 2012 года Видья и Сиддхартх поженились в мумбайском пригороде ^[70] .

Помимо актёрского искусства Видья владеет навыками музыканта индийской традиции карнатака , а также изучала танцевальные формы бхаратанатьям и катхак ^[71] .

Vidya Balan expressed her religious inclinations as follows: "I am a deeply religious person, constantly communicating with the deity, but I am not particularly religious in the traditional" organized "sense" ^[11] . She practices vegetarianism and was named “The Most Sensual Vegetarian of India” in surveys conducted by PETA in 2011-2012 ^{[72] [73]} , although her problems, in particular, unstable weight ^[74], received no less coverage in the press ^{. 75] [76]} .

In addition to filming a movie, Vidya is a well-known public figure who promotes humanitarian values ​​and participates in charity organizations. In March 2011, Vidya Balan campaigned for participation in the Earth Hour organized by the World Wildlife Fund ^[77] . She also participated in the campaign of the Kolkata organization CINI ( Child in Need Institute ) against childhood hunger ^[78] , and in September 2012 she visited a village in Mirzapur ( Uttar Pradesh ) as part of an action to promote children's education and the fight for empowering women ^{[79] ]} . For her participation in the fight for women's rights, Vidya was awarded the Prabha Khaitan Puraskar Prize in 2012 by the Kolkata Chamber of Commerce, becoming the youngest laureate of this award ^[80] . Later, the merits of Vidya Balan were also noted by the Government of India , which gave her the authority of his representative in the movement to improve sanitary conditions in the country ^[81] . Finally, in August 2013, she acted as a “marshal” of the procession in New York on Indian Independence Day ^[82] , and in September of this year she opened a high-tech educational platform for children from unprivileged sections of the population in the Uttar Pradesh village of Thanapur ^{[83 ]} .

• Baliga, Shashi . Vidya gets dirty ... and how! , The Hindu (December 2, 2011). Date of treatment January 8, 2012.
• Roy, Priyanka . Bombaat! , The Telegraph (December 3, 2011). Date of treatment January 11, 2012.
• Janardhan, Arun . Why everybody loves Vidya , Hindustan Times (March 2, 2012). Date of treatment October 17, 2012.
• Singh, Raghuvendra. The Artist (neopr.) . Filmfare (April 23, 2012). Date of appeal September 24, 2012.
• Vidya Balan's Biography koimoi.com. Date of treatment December 11, 2013.