CREDITS-
Photographer: Rohan Shrestha
Stylist: Who Wore What When
Hair: Rohit Bhatkar
Make-up: Harshal Jariwala
Jewellery: Zoya Jewels
Rugs: Jaipur Rugs
Nails: Jas Nail Salon
Styling Assistant: Shubham Jawanjal
Production: FSP Production
Artist’s Publicist: Sanchita Trivedi (Idhyah)
Artist’s Management: Matrix India Entertainment Consultants
Wardrobe: Falguni Shane Peacock
THE POP PHENOMENON – KARAN JOHAR
It was a busy Wednesday afternoon when my call with Vidya Balan was scheduled. I remember thinking—how is someone like Vidya, who’s constantly in demand and always at the heart of great cinema, free in the middle of the week? But the moment the clock struck 12, the call connected. “Hello,” she said, her voice calm, unhurried and delightfully grounded. It felt like the mid-week holiday you didn’t know you needed—a pocket of stillness amidst the madness.
That very first moment set the tone for everything that followed. What I had initially chalked up as just a cover interview soon began to feel like a genuine, life-affirming conversation with a woman who has nothing left to prove—only more to discover.
We dived into our chat almost immediately, and what surprised me most was how little of Vidya the “actor” I encountered in those first few minutes. I’ve always known her as someone who throws herself, body and soul, into her roles—fiercely committed, endlessly transformative. And she is all of that. But what most don’t realise is that Vidya’s choices are never about making a point. She’s not chasing causes, narratives, or boxes labelled “strong female lead”. Her approach is far simpler, and in a way, more powerful—she does what resonates with her. If a role doesn’t move her, it’s a no. If a story doesn’t stir something within her, she’d rather wait than perform for the sake of it. She’ll work intensely for two or three months a year—and then unapologetically unplug. Sleep. Travel. Hibernate. Reboot. There’s no hustle here, just honest, grounded craft and a work-life rhythm that many of us dream of, but rarely achieve.
And perhaps that’s what makes Vidya such a phenomenon. Since her breakout in Parineeta, she’s changed the course of Hindi cinema—one role at a time. In a world where mainstream often means male-driven, she stood her ground and (unknowingly) made women-led narratives commercially viable and critically lauded. But spend five minutes talking to her, and you’ll realise she didn’t set out to usher in a movement. She didn’t plan to rewrite the rules for women in film. She simply chose what felt right—and the cinema changed around her. That’s the kind of impact you can’t orchestrate. It just is.
Our 40-minute conversation has spilled beautifully into 16 pages of this issue—and for good reason. Because Vidya Balan is so much more than the characters she’s played. She’s more honest about her craft than we know her to be, more energised to explore new directions, and honestly, so much more fun to be around than you’d expect from someone with her gravitas.
Here are excerpts from our conversation—where Vidya speaks with the kind of candour, ease and depth that makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. From films to philosophy, from downtime to daring choices—she lays it all out, just the way she always has: fearlessly and fabulously.
Q) From Parineeta to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, your filmography is full of layered female characters. How do you define success for yourself today versus when you first started?
Vidya Balan (VB): Wow. I think I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with some fantastic people—some whom I looked up to, and others too, including first-time directors and brilliant teams. But more than anything else, what mattered most to me were the characters I’ve had the chance to play. I’ve always wanted to portray someone different each time, and I’m grateful that those opportunities came my way throughout my career.
Parineeta really set the tone for everything that followed. I’ll always be deeply thankful for that film—it was an author-backed role in my very first project, and I couldn’t have asked for more. It showcased me in the best possible light and set me up for a very exciting career.
Over these 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of playing women from various walks of life, from different corners of the country, and at different moments in time. While each role has been distinct, I do feel there’s a common thread that ties them all together. In some way, that thread reflects the evolving narrative of women in society. What we see on screen often mirrors the women of today—at any given point in time. So when you say “layered”, I think it’s also because I’ve been fortunate to work during a time in Indian cinema when female roles have become more prominent, and have taken centre stage—and I’ve been one of the many women who have benefited from that shift.
Q) Many consider you a disruptor in Bollywood. How do you feel about that?
VB: Oh, it feels fantastic! But I have to say this—it was never a calculated move. I don’t think something like that can be strategised. I was at the right place at the right time—but more importantly, I made the most of the opportunities that came my way, because I’ve always been incredibly hungry for work. I genuinely love what I do. I feel blessed to be living this dream every single day. Even now, 20 years since I started, I’m just as excited about the work I get to do. And that excitement stems from the fact that there’s such variety in the kind of roles being written for women and offered to me—and those kinds of films being made.
So no, I didn’t set out to be a disruptor. It really comes down to timing. I was hungry, yes—but at that time I was also being offered the best.
Women’s stories have been evolving on screen because, in real life, women have been gradually—and powerfully—charting their own course. And that’s what is being reflected on screen. But I can’t take sole credit for being a disruptor. It’s so much about timing. There were people like Ekta Kapoor producing The Dirty Picture, Milan Luthria directing it, and Sujoy Ghosh writing and directing Kahaani. It’s not just one person. So, I can’t take full credit—as much as I’d love to!
Q) How do you choose your scripts today—emotionally, instinctively, or analytically?
VB: For me, it’s always been a very instinctive—and as you said, emotional—decision. It’s not a mental process, at least not initially. My first response to a story is purely emotional. It’s about how it makes me feel. You know, sometimes someone may be a great narrator and that may be the reason I’m feeling enthused about it.
Only after that initial feeling sinks in do I start thinking—‘Do I want to do this? Who’s the director? Who’s producing it? Is this actually going to be made the way it deserves to be made?’—that all comes after. But my decision-making always starts with an instinct.
When I hear a story, I usually know how I feel about it almost immediately. The same goes for the character—although that takes a bit more time to assess. Sometimes I love the story, but I’m not as excited by the character or the character feels too similar to something I’ve already done. But yes, at the core of it—my choices are rooted in instinct and emotion.
Q) Does a story or the role written by a famed writer put extra pressure on you as an actor?
VB: Not at all. I’m actually very greedy when it comes to work—and I mean that in the best possible way. I’m also passionate when it comes to decision-making. For me, it’s a deeply personal and individual process. I’ll only say yes to something if the material excites me. Of course, when it is a famed writer or director or a team, and you already like the material, you know that it can only get better with that kind of talent behind it. But if I don’t connect with the material from the start, it really doesn’t matter who’s involved—they can’t make me connect with it.
I don’t take on that kind of pressure because I guard my work ferociously. It means a great deal to me. Every project has to matter—it’s never just another film. I’ve never taken on something just because it’s “the right thing to do” or because of the big names attached to it. At the end of the day, none of us knows the fate of a film. But what you can hold on to is the possibility of enjoying the process. And if I don’t genuinely enjoy the material, then I’m not going to be okay with just going there to have fun.
Q) Do you need a lot of freedom when you’re acting? Or are you someone who is totally in the hands of the director?
VB: Oh, absolutely—I do need a lot of freedom. I value the freedom to make my own choices and decisions. But once I’ve signed on to a project, I’m fully on board. If I have doubts or questions, I’ll always bring them up with the director or writer. But for me, once I’m committed, I entrust myself to the director. I surrender to their vision. I’m the kind of actor who usually puts in a lot of work during the prep stage. But then, I’ve also worked on a film like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, where the director Anees Bazmee doesn’t believe in that kind of preparation at all—and I just went with the flow. I adapt to the director’s style.
That also makes me malleable as an actor and being malleable keeps me open because I don’t want to be stuck and rigid in my ways.
Q) How long do you spend preparing to get into a character? What’s your process like when you’re building a character from scratch?
VB: I usually read the script multiple times. Then I sit with the director to understand how they’re viewing the character—how they see the role. It’s important for me because I need to buy into their vision completely. That alignment is crucial.
If the character requires specific skills—say, a dialect or a particular way of speaking—then I start working on those elements during the prep stage. But above all, it’s about sitting with the director and really diving into the script together. That said, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was an entirely different experience. Anees (Bazmee) doesn’t really believe in that kind of prep. It’s not his style. I just showed up on set, we discussed the scene and did it. It was a completely different experience and I enjoyed that too. Typically though, I like to keep at least a month aside before the shoot begins, just for prep.
Q) The Dirty Picture and Kahaani were landmark performances. How did you mentally and emotionally prepare for those characters? I can imagine that preparing for something like Kahaani was a particularly gruelling process—but probably also very rewarding in the end.
VB: Yes, absolutely. You prepare so that you can respond emotionally and spontaneously on set. That emotional spontaneity is important to me—I don’t like to calibrate it. Which is why the prep happens beforehand. For instance, with Kahaani, I had to know the script like the back of my hand because it was such a razor-sharp narrative. What helped me immensely on Kahaani was being part of the process from a very early stage. Sujoy (Ghosh) would share every draft with me—not that I contributed to the writing, but I was constantly in sync with how Vidya Bagchi was evolving. I knew the emotional beats of the story well before we went to shoot. So, it didn’t require conventional prep.
But there’s also a different kind of preparation—physical discipline. When I’m not shooting, I tend to sleep at odd hours. I’m a night owl by nature, and I let myself be a little relaxed. But when I’m gearing up for a shoot, I need to be physically and mentally focused for long hours on set—12 hours a day, sometimes more. So, I consciously shift into that work mode where nothing comes in the way of the performance.
With The Dirty Picture, the prep was different altogether. There was emotional work, yes, but also a lot of physical. I had to learn to be uninhibited with my body for the dances. I’m not naturally a dancer—in fact, I’m quite inhibited when it comes to movement. So it took a lot of work. Pony Verma, the choreographer, would rehearse with me one-on-one. She’d push me to do more. And I remember thinking, “Oh my God,” because of the pelvic thrusts, the bust thrusts, etc.
Every film demands a different kind of prep. There’s the basic discipline that remains consistent, but the film itself dictates what’s required of you. The one constant, though, is knowing the script inside out. Because once you’re on set, your only job is to be emotionally available—to respond in the moment and then you try your best to be in the moment when you’re on set. Of course, it’s never as simple as it sounds. There are always distractions—life, the chaos of a set, your own thoughts. But I enjoy the challenge of cutting all that out and losing myself in the moment.
Q) Does that process get easier with experience?
VB: For sure. Earlier in my career, I think I struggled to draw a clear line between myself and the characters I was playing, or between me and my work. You see, I’m not a trained actor, so it’s not like I was taught how to summon an emotion on cue and then leave it behind on set and pack your bags and go home. So, there were times when there was a bit of an overlap.
But today, with experience, it has gotten easier. I’m able to draw the line. And I think that’s the true wealth of experience.
Q) After 20 years in the industry, what does it mean when you say you’re looking for good roles?
VB: For me today, a “good role” is something I haven’t done before—something fresh, something that feels new to me. At this point, I just want to have fun with the films I do. I keep telling people, “I want to do a comedy! Something light-hearted, something goofy!” I genuinely want to entertain.
Over the past two decades, I’ve done all kinds of roles and stories, and I’m deeply grateful for that. But the phase I’m in right now—I want to do roles and films that I’ve not done before. Even if it’s a female-led film, I want to approach it with a sense of fun.
And honestly, that’s also what I’m gravitating towards as a movie watcher. I don’t enjoy watching anything that feels too heavy or intense or makes me think too much. So yes—Priyadarshan, Anees Bazmee… more of that energy.
Q) Are there still times in which you are vulnerable as an actor, even though you’ve been working in the industry for two decades now?
VB: Oh, absolutely. In fact, before I start any project, there’s always a moment where I ask myself, “How am I going to get through it? How will I approach this role or that particular scene?” I usually do just one film a year, so each time feels like I’m starting from scratch. And there’s always that nervousness, that feeling of, “Maybe I should be working more often so I wouldn’t feel this way.” It’s like that pre-exam anxiety where you think, “I should’ve started preparing earlier.”
So yes, I still experience vulnerability. The intensity of it has reduced over the years, or perhaps it’s become more subconscious—but it’s definitely still there. I can’t deny that I don’t go through it.
Q) Do you ever have moments where your passion for the craft wanes?
VB: Yes, it does happen. There are times when I’ve done a couple of films a year and then because I give so much to every film I do, I feel I need time in between films to just read, refresh and reboot. When that doesn’t happen, I feel I don’t want to be in a space like that. I love what I do and I guard that passion ferociously. That’s why I usually do just one or two films a year, and I make sure they’re spaced out. It’s natural and humane to feel that, right? There have been moments in the past when I’ve felt that. If I really feel compelled to do something, then I will do it. But otherwise, I’ll try and space it out.
You know, when I’m doing a film a year, I’m only shooting for two months, but those two months are intense. After that, I spend a lot of time sleeping, eating, exercising and just rebooting. Being on a film set means constantly being around people, and since mine is a public profession, I really like hibernating because I need my time off. I need my me-time. I need lots of it. And all of this so that I preserve the passion I feel for what I do.
Q) Looking back, who would you say has had the biggest influence on your creative journey?
VB: It’s hard to pinpoint just one person. I wish I could name a single actor, director, or writer and say this person shaped me—but the truth is, there isn’t just one. I’ve been influenced by many—people I’ve worked with, people I’ve admired from afar. For instance, I’ve always loved Woody Allen’s films. I find myself drawn to that kind of cinema—lighthearted, layered, intelligent. I would have loved to work with him, but that ain’t happening anymore.
I’ve genuinely enjoyed working with almost everyone—writers, directors, producers, actors. Maybe I tend to fall in love with the teams I work with at the moment. Of course, there are exceptions, but 90% to 95% of my experiences have been great. I’ve learned something from everyone—costume designers, make-up artists, set designers, and production crews. Film is a collaborative experience. And it’s not just what they contribute professionally—it’s the human connection that stays with me. I spend a lot of time on set just talking to people. I’m curious about their lives, and their stories. You’ll rarely find me in my vanity van between scenes; I prefer being on set, soaking in the energy and getting to know the people I’m working with. For me, it’s not just about making a film—it’s about connecting with the people who are part of it.
Outside the set too, life itself has been the biggest creative influence. People and their stories move me. At different points in time, there have been actors who’ve left a deep impression—Shabana Azmi, Sridevi and many more. Internationally, I’ve admired Susan Sarandon, among others. I haven’t seen every piece of work by every artist, but their performances have stayed with me. Gulzar sahab, for instance, is someone I’ve always wanted to collaborate with. I got a glimpse of that in Ishqiya, where he wrote the songs picturised on me. And then there are books—right now I’m devouring Elena Ferrante’s work. Her writing is having a huge impact on me creatively at the moment.
So, really, there’s no one constant. It’s like a river—it keeps flowing.
Q) Is there a particular character you turned down that you still think about?
VB: No, not a single one. There have been a couple of films I’ve turned down that went on to do really well. And when I saw them, I thought, “Wow.” The actor who ended up doing the role brought something so unique to it that I couldn’t have imagined it being done any other way.
If I had done it, it wouldn’t have been the same. I’m not saying it would’ve been better or worse—but it definitely would’ve been different. So no, I don’t look back at any character and think, “Oh!”
Q) Your characters often carry social and emotional weight. Do you feel a sense of responsibility when you take on roles?
VB: To be honest, I’m actually against any kind of messaging. I believe that films are meant to entertain. If something in the film touches you and you take something away from it, that’s a bonus—but preaching or pushing a message? That’s never been my intention. Now, it just so happened that I was at the forefront of what’s now called “female-led” or “female-centric” cinema. Many of those films had a recurring narrative—a woman finding her voice. So I understand why people feel like those characters carried a message. But that wasn’t the point. I was just telling stories that moved me. And the truth is—life is full of such stories.
When I was in college at Xavier’s, I’d travel by train from Chembur. In the first-class compartments, I’d see working women discussing families in the mornings and cutting vegetables on their way home in the evenings. They’d go home after a full day’s work and still cook dinner. Their stories—full of fire, grit and resilience—inspired me more than anything else. When our first-class passes expired, we’d sometimes travel second class. The energy there was completely different—women were louder, more street-smart, more uninhibited. There was a raw fierceness, an edge. Different flames, but fire nonetheless. And I think that’s what many of these films tapped into—not by design, but by the very nature of the stories themselves. These women were always around us. Their stories were just waiting to be told. That’s why I say timing is everything. Maybe we were just ready, collectively, to celebrate these women.
I’m actually very wary of scripts that wear their messaging on their sleeve. That kind of cinema doesn’t interest me. But give me a character like in Mission Mangal, where the woman is a scientist, a homemaker and a mother who was helping her son who was a bit lost. Because those are the women I know. And they’re inspiring without even trying.
Q) What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind—as an actor and as a woman in cinema?
VB: None, honestly. I don’t think about legacy at all. In fact, when someone once asked me how I’d like to be remembered, I said—I don’t. Because once I’m gone, it really doesn’t matter. What matters to me is the love I receive while I’m here. And I’m so deeply grateful for that. I just want to enjoy what I do and live fully in the moment. Whatever I leave behind, or however it impacts people—that’s not something I control or something I work towards intentionally.
As you said, there might be a certain kind of film or image people associate with me—but that was never planned. It happened organically. I believe in being present. I want to make the most of the life I’ve been given. I’m a proud 46-year-old woman, and I say that often. Some people ask me why I keep mentioning my age—and I tell them, ‘because growing older is a privilege.’ Why wouldn’t I celebrate that? Why would I want to be stuck at the ABCs of life when there’s so much more to explore? You evolve, you learn, you grow. And that only comes with time. I’m not flaunting my age—I’m honouring the journey it reflects. I’ve lived, I’ve grown and I have something to show for it. Not to prove anything to the world, but simply to look back and say to myself: I’m happy. I feel grateful. I feel blessed.
Q) What other projects on the acting front and other spheres of your professional life are in the pipeline?
VB: You’ll definitely see me in some entertaining work—that’s for sure.