Vidya should avoid pitfall of only doing central parts: Shabana

By Hindustan Times

Shabana Azmi liked Vidya Balan's performance in Kahaani so much that she could see glimpses of herself in her. At the same time, she feels the young actress should avoid the pitfall of accepting only central parts.

"Somewhere I feel Vidya has made the daring but right career choices. I see glimpses of my own involvement with my roles in Vidya Balan," say Shabana appreciatively after watching Balan in Kahaani.

Shabana is currently playing a wily politician in Rajkot for Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. She took time off from her shooting to watch Sujoy Ghosh's masterpiece that is still going houseful.

"I had to watch Kahaani because of Vidya. I was bowled over by her performance. As an actor, I could see she was making all the right moves throughout the film. There was not a single artificial note in her performance," said Shabana, known for powerful performances in Arth, Masoom, Fire and Godmother.

But Shabana sounds a note of caution in the euphoria surrounding Vidya's rise to the top.

"If she continues to dominate her films, she might very soon face a scarcity of co-stars. Heroes might be apprehensive about being paired with her," said the 61-year-old who faced that situation when films featuring her in the central role co-starred Vinod Mehra or Marc Zuber.

In Kahaani, Vidya found the Bengali star Parambrata Chatterjee sportingly supporting her heroine-centric presence in the film. But would she run out of co-stars in her future efforts at hero-giri?

"Vidya should avoid the pitfall of only doing central parts. She should also enjoy doing peripheral parts as much as the pivotal ones. Being the centre of attention could be addictive. She must learn to also be part of a cinema that doesn't focus on her but has something important to say," suggested Shabana.

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Aamir Khan wants to work with Vidya Balan!

Foxy Kangana Ranaut at an event!

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Script is my hero: Vidya Balan

Foxy Kangana Ranaut at an event!

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Vidya Balan takes a detox break!

Hrithik-Suzzane spooted with brood!

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Designing for Vidya was refreshing: Niharika Khan

By Hindustan Times

A tight budget, a difficult theme and a curvy actress to dress! Stylist Niharika Khan worked with all odds in The Dirty Picture, but says her struggle to make Silk, played by Vidya Balan, look more silky than vulgar in the hit movie has paid rich dividends in the form of a National Award.

"I must admit that the feeling was overwhelming and it has not sunk in yet," Niharika told IANS in an interview.

"I would have liked to receive the National Award but I didn't think it would happen so soon in my career and definitely not for this film... now I have to do better and that leaves me very little scope for errors and misjudgements," said the designer, who is just five years in Bollywood.

Niharika was named best costume designer with Neeta Lulla at the 59th National Awards.

If Vidya set a benchmark with her dare-bare act in Milan Luthria's directorial venture, Niharika too raised the bar by enhancing the curvy actress' sensuous retro look with her designs - which proves right her theory that fashion should suit the body.

"Designing for Vidya was refreshing. As a designer I always suggest that women need to be proud and happy for what they are and not for what they are not. And the acceptance of a full-figured woman in the days of size zero only further consolidates my belief that design and fashion are made to suit the body," she said.

"The movie had a script which was woman-oriented and a strong brief to support it. Yes, there were challenges within the period as the movie was a blend of south India for a north Indian audience. Also, there was a constrained budget to do work within, but things finally paid off," said Niharika, who is married to actor Ayub Khan.

It was 2007's period film Khoya Khoya Chand that marked her entry into the showbiz and in the short time since then she has done interesting films like musical Rock On!!, romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat and adult comedy Delhi Belly.

Thanks to the eclectic mix of projects, she has made a mark for herself with her quirky yet chic fashion sense. Having styled some of the leading actors, Niharika, however, feels a sense of style is missing in Bollywood.

"Most of the heroes and heroines in the past had a distinct sense of style, which is missing today. However, I am happy to say that we are seeing a renaissance of styling in Bollywood today and I am thrilled to be a part of it," she said.

What's next in your kitty?

"I am working on David Dhawan's Chashme Buddoor and styling Arjun Rampal's look for Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine. Very soon I will start working for Abhishek Kapoor's film, a big screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller Three Mistakes of My Life," she said.

Though she is enjoying her role as a stylist with films, Niharika restrains herself from participating in fashion weeks.

"I am not strictly a designer. I like dabbling with designs and storylines. I like to design for a purpose. A (fashion) designer does a collection normally; I do an assimilation of designs and that excites me," she said.

Bollywood designers like Manish Malhotra, Vikram Phadnis and Neeta Lulla often participate in fashion events, and Niharika said, "I am open to runway shows but not yet. I will build my body of work before I consider runways. But doing a line of clothing does excite me."

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Vidya Balan on winning first National Award!

By Hindustan Times

Actress Vidya Balan, who was declared the best actress for playing a sex symbol in The Dirty Picture at the 59th National Awards on Wednesday, said she is still trying to believe that she has won the prestigious trophy.

"I want to believe it..long cherished dream has come true.... my first...I don't know what to say....I want to thank director Milan Luthira for giving me this film. This is really unbelievable...It is the biggest honour of the ocuntry...it is very speical...every award is special," Vidya, 33, told CNN-IBN after winning the award.

Produced by Ekta Kapoor, the unofficial biopic of the southern sex siren Silk Smitha not only rocked the box office and set the cash registers ringing, it also won the maximum popular awards.

"As the role is concerned, it really required mentally to be totally uninhibited...the film's success has opened a lot of opportunities especially the kind of roles for the female actors. It is very nice to see that the line between so called meaningful cinema and commercial has blurred," said the actor.

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Vidya Balan face of Victoria's Indian Film Festival

By Hindustan Times

Actor Vidya Balan has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Victoria's Indian Film Festival to be held in Melbourne this year. "I am delighted to be named as the brand ambassador for the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. I love the format of the festival and the wide range of films
screened," Vidya said in a statement.

"It not only showcases the best of Indian cinema but also provides a platform for young, upcoming film makers through its short film competition," she said.

"When I was in Melbourne, I was smitten by the city and its love for films and its multi-cultural spirit. I am sure the festival will contribute greatly to add to that spirit," Vidya said.

Premier Ted Baillieu said strengthening ties with Indian cinema is a chance for Victoria to showcase what they have to offer in the arts.

"India's burgeoning film industry offers opportunities for Victorian co-production projects that build on our state's strengths in the creative arts," Baillieu said.

"Our government seeks to promote Victoria as a place that has the skills and infrastructure to work in film production, and where film producers can find a variety of people who can speak a range of languages and possess a cultural understanding."

"The festival will celebrate Indian cinema and create bonds of greater understanding and experience between the communities of Victoria and India," he added.

The 10-day festival will take place in mid-2012 and showcase the depth and diversity of the Indian film industry.

Louise Asher, minister for innovation, services and small business, said India is one of the largest film industries in the world and it makes sense to develop ties between our film industries.

"The festival complements a range of initiatives to develop ties between the Victorian and Indian film industries, including a Victoria/India Co-production Initiative which will see ten Victorians travel to FICCI Frames in Mumbai in March," Asher said.

"The initiative will also support up to three Victorian companies to develop a feature film, television or digital media project as a joint venture with a production entity based in India," she added.

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Vidya Balan face of Victoria's Indian Film Festival

By Hindustan Times

Actor Vidya Balan has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Victoria's Indian Film Festival to be held in Melbourne this year. "I am delighted to be named as the brand ambassador for the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. I love the format of the festival and the wide range of films
screened," Vidya said in a statement.

"It not only showcases the best of Indian cinema but also provides a platform for young, upcoming film makers through its short film competition," she said.

"When I was in Melbourne, I was smitten by the city and its love for films and its multi-cultural spirit. I am sure the festival will contribute greatly to add to that spirit," Vidya said.

Premier Ted Baillieu said strengthening ties with Indian cinema is a chance for Victoria to showcase what they have to offer in the arts.

"India's burgeoning film industry offers opportunities for Victorian co-production projects that build on our state's strengths in the creative arts," Baillieu said.

"Our government seeks to promote Victoria as a place that has the skills and infrastructure to work in film production, and where film producers can find a variety of people who can speak a range of languages and possess a cultural understanding."

"The festival will celebrate Indian cinema and create bonds of greater understanding and experience between the communities of Victoria and India," he added.

The 10-day festival will take place in mid-2012 and showcase the depth and diversity of the Indian film industry.

Louise Asher, minister for innovation, services and small business, said India is one of the largest film industries in the world and it makes sense to develop ties between our film industries.

"The festival complements a range of initiatives to develop ties between the Victorian and Indian film industries, including a Victoria/India Co-production Initiative which will see ten Victorians travel to FICCI Frames in Mumbai in March," Asher said.

"The initiative will also support up to three Victorian companies to develop a feature film, television or digital media project as a joint venture with a production entity based in India," she added.

View the original article here

Vidya Balan face of Victoria's Indian Film Festival

By Hindustan Times

Actor Vidya Balan has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Victoria's Indian Film Festival to be held in Melbourne this year. "I am delighted to be named as the brand ambassador for the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. I love the format of the festival and the wide range of films
screened," Vidya said in a statement.

"It not only showcases the best of Indian cinema but also provides a platform for young, upcoming film makers through its short film competition," she said.

"When I was in Melbourne, I was smitten by the city and its love for films and its multi-cultural spirit. I am sure the festival will contribute greatly to add to that spirit," Vidya said.

Premier Ted Baillieu said strengthening ties with Indian cinema is a chance for Victoria to showcase what they have to offer in the arts.

"India's burgeoning film industry offers opportunities for Victorian co-production projects that build on our state's strengths in the creative arts," Baillieu said.

"Our government seeks to promote Victoria as a place that has the skills and infrastructure to work in film production, and where film producers can find a variety of people who can speak a range of languages and possess a cultural understanding."

"The festival will celebrate Indian cinema and create bonds of greater understanding and experience between the communities of Victoria and India," he added.

The 10-day festival will take place in mid-2012 and showcase the depth and diversity of the Indian film industry.

Louise Asher, minister for innovation, services and small business, said India is one of the largest film industries in the world and it makes sense to develop ties between our film industries.

"The festival complements a range of initiatives to develop ties between the Victorian and Indian film industries, including a Victoria/India Co-production Initiative which will see ten Victorians travel to FICCI Frames in Mumbai in March," Asher said.

"The initiative will also support up to three Victorian companies to develop a feature film, television or digital media project as a joint venture with a production entity based in India," she added.

View the original article here