Vidya Balan: 'I was a jinxed actor, Vidhu Vinod Chopra asked me to get a nose surgery done and...'

Vidya Balan has had a topsy turvy career in these nearly two decades. With Parineeta and Lage Raho Munna Bhai, she proved to be a solid and reliable performer that had the charm and the screen presence to pull the characters off. With Heyy Babyy and Kismat Konnection, she went off the rails, only resurrecting herself with the delicious Ishqiya, the rollicking The Dirty Picture, and the gripping Kahaani. Oh yes, in between, there was this film called Bhool Bhulaiyaa!

In an interview with Filmfare for completing two decades in Hindi cinema, the actress revealed, “The start of my career was quite rocky, and I couldn’t land a role. One day a journalist came to my house and told me that he was willing to publish a fake story saying that I have been signed by some big banners, which will help break the jinx, but I said no. I was this jinxed actor even before becoming an actor. So after all these films, which never happened, I met Pradeep during an ad film.”

Balan added, “Then I worked with Dada (Pradeep) on a music video for Euphoria. We shot the video, and everything was great, but suddenly I heard that the music video might not get released. Now I definitely thought I was jinxed, but then it somehow got fixed, and the song came out.”

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On meeting Vidhu Vinod Chopra

I went to the 20th anniversary of Parineeta, and I spoke to Mr Chopra (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) and to Dada’s wife. It’s unbelievable that he is not there anymore. He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I remember that Mr Chopra had told me to get a surgery for my nose, and I got so scared. I came home and called Dada and asked him to save me because I didn’t want to change anything. He told people on the sets of Parineeta, ‘If Vidya works, then this film will work.'"

On rejecting Pradeep Sarkar’s Laga Chunari Mein Daag

He was definitely miffed with me for saying no to Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. He didn’t speak to me for 2 to 3 years. I think he felt that whatever the film was, I should have had faith in him, that he would make something out of it. For some reason that story never resonated with me, and I found the story a bit dated. Saying no to Dada was very tough, and I used to call him every day to know how he was. It’s so sad that someone who I feel so much gratitude towards, I didn’t manage to keep in touch with.