Vidya Balan opens up on the pressure she felt as a result of people’s expectations; says, “People were constantly trying to put me in a box and put label on it” : Bollywood News

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has given several versatile performances since her debut film Parineeta and continues to do so. In an interview, she opened up on she was expected to show herself as a girl onscreen after her debut film. She also spoke on how the content matters more than the hero or heroine of the film.

Vidya Balan opens up on the pressure she felt as a result of people’s expectations; says, “People were constantly trying to put me in a box and put label on it”

In an interview for Mojo Story with journalist Barkha Dutt, Vidya discussed how people sought to shape her into a particular type of heroine. She said, “I think there was a lot of pressure to be a certain kind of heroine, which I am not. I am still discovering who I am, but I did not fit into the mould. People were constantly trying to put me in a box and put label on it.”

Talking about her debut film Parineeta, Vidya revealed that she was asked to exhibit herself as a girl after she portrayed the role of a married woman in the film. She said, “Someone told me, ‘Oh what a great break in Parineeta, but you came in as a woman, now people need to see you as a girl.’ I was a woman; I was 26 then.”

Vidya emphasised the industry's shifting times. She said, “There is a bigger chance that the male led films will work compared to the women led films because that is still a big phenomenon. Maybe because we don’t want to take a chance, but it is frustrating because more than ever it has been proved now that it does not matter who the hero is as people are only coming in for content and entertainment.”

On the professional front, Vidya has carved a niche for herself in women-centric films and achieved success. Some of these movies include, The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Tumhari Sulu, Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, etc. She was last seen as a TV journalist in the Amazon Prime Video film Jalsa, featuring alongside Shefali Shah, Rohini Hattangadi, Manav Kaul and others. She will now be seen in Neeyat and another untitled movie directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta.

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