By now, we all know that how much Vidya Balan loves to take up challenges. Her varied (read 'diverse') repertoire of work is a testimony to this. Recently, Vidya Balan took up a challenge of becoming a coolie and picking up passengers' luggages. This time round, for a change, the challenge was not for a role in any film, but for an upcoming TV show titled 'Mission Sapne', the show in which a celebrity lives a commoner's professional life for one day, learning their skills along the way. After that, the said amount that the celebrity earns will then be multiplied by 100. The final amount earned will then be handed to the person by the celebrity herself.
For the episode, Vidya Balan had chosen to support the courageous Manju, who also happens to be Rajasthan's first female coolie. 'Extending' her support towards Manju, Vidya Balan went out of her comfort zone to turn coolie for a day, where she actually helped people unload their luggage. Speaking about this experience, Vidya Balan said, "As public figures/ privileged people, we sometimes forget that most people face hardships and struggle to make ends meet. Stepping into Manju's shoes has been an eye-opening and humbling experience for me. The difficulties she faces are tremendous, especially in a job which is completely dominated by men who believe that being a porter is not a woman's job. I am glad that, through 'Mission Sapne', I have been able to facilitate some change in Manju's life. I really hope that I have been able to make a sizeable contribution to help her in building her children's futures."
In the same breath, Smruti Shinde (Producer-Director of Sobo Films) said, "Vidya Balan epitomizes woman empowerment in every sense and redefined the way women were perceived in Indian cinema. That made her the ideal personality to support Manju, Rajasthan's first female coolie."