‘Ate Chinese And Didn't Brush His Teeth!': Vidya Balan Recalls Her Worst Intimate Scene
Despite her early ambitions in South Indian cinema, Vidya Balan faced numerous rejections. Labelled 'inauspicious' and criticised for her appearance, she lost several film roles and was deeply affected; at one point, she even avoided looking in the mirror for six months.
However, her resilience paid off. Her portrayal of Silk Smitha in The Dirty Picture (2011) marked a turning point, earning her acclaim and redefining her place in Bollywood.
In a recent interview, Vidya Balan opened up about the advice and criticism she encountered as an actress. While many pushed her to lose weight, she maintained that she didn't see herself as flawed. Her sense of optimism, self-belief, and patience became key to her growth.
She also shared the challenges women face in the industry, including dealing with personal hygiene on set. Recalling an early experience, she mentioned shooting an intimate scene with an actor who hadn't brushed his teeth after eating Chinese food, an uncomfortable moment for her as a newcomer.
Vidya Balan made her Hindi film debut in Parineeta (2005) alongside Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. Her bold choice of roles, including playing a pregnant woman in the thriller Kahaani (2012), earned her immense respect in the film industry. With a career spanning over two decades, Vidya Balan remains one of Bollywood's most versatile actresses.
She was once cast in the Malayalam biopic Aami, based on the life of writer Madhavikutty, but later withdrew. The role was subsequently taken on by Manju Warrier. More recently, Vidya Balan made headlines with a bold photoshoot, once again demonstrating her fearless attitude and comfort in her own skin.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Review: The Wanderer by V Shinilal
Early on in the novel, the narrator-sutradhar, Karamchand, sees a travel guide, India, fall in muck and get rescued by a porter who then hands it over to a white man. He muses, 'India drops into shit. A labourer redeems it. A foreigner rewards him. As a Malayali, he was unable to ignore the politics concealed in those actions.' He thus invites readers to read into the politics of the goings-on in the train. The fact that the train, Sampark Kranti, is a metaphor for the country and humanity is also established early on. In The Wanderer, the train is a metaphor for the country (Shutterstock) 296pp, ₹599; Westland Karamchand is a writer while his co-passenger, the generic white man, John, is a wildlife photographer. Karamchand is, of course, named after Gandhi. So, we know his ideological standpoint from the very beginning and that we are meant to trust him. This despite Karamchand at one point echoing Dvi, the self-appointed people's leader-turned-despot. But there's a still a sense of whose words are to be heeded – Karamchand, maybe John, Kariman, the boy with no history, Sameera, Amanushi. The reader is told to recognise that Karamchand is to Dabholkar is to Govind Pansare is to Gauri Lankesh is to MM Kalburgi is to Sunil P Ilayidom is to Perumal Murugan is to KS Bhagwan is to Kamal Haasan is to Amartya Sen, among others. On the other side are the people in the black, the power-hungry despots like Dvi and Almeida, the railway authorities. They are all later besieged and their reigns ended – often violently. Even so, the hunter and the hunted do not quite cross over despite it happening symbolically and the narrator insisting that they do. We empathize with Kariman's acts but not with Almeida's. One is justified as revenge, anger and survival, the other was just an act that stems from sadism and the need to dominate. Almeida is served just desserts only when he is powerless. Before that, he has brutalised so many that the reader cheers his gruesome death. Then, there is the mob, 'an ogre-sized human'. It adjusts in the face of shortage, then revolts, turns it back on the weakest among them, appoints a new leader, obeys his every whim without question and then overthrows him too. But never do the white and black bleed into each other. In that, this is a novel of ideas alone and the people in it are just metaphorical, two dimensional. The reader is left wondering if everything that happens in it is actually all in Karamchand's imagination, just like the boy without history is. Karamchand is more chronicler than character. The novel is also a reflection on the power of literature. The narrator at one point, talks about how Train to Pakistan has stayed with him despite his having read it 20 years ago. This book is, in some ways, an update. While the Partition and the Emergency loomed large in the imagination of a certain generation of writers, for us it is rampant materialism, the invasiveness of social media, dependence on smartphones, the dream and disappointment in the promise of a better life and communal disharmony. The book references the past and comments on the present. Language and dialect changes as the topography outside changes with the train moving from south to west India. The translator does a commendable job of bringing out these changes. There's a reflection on the 'zha' sound which fails many north of the Vindhyas. However, The Wanderer was perhaps not the best choice for the title of the translation. The original Sambarkkakranti or Sampark Kranti was more apt as the book is both about connection and revolution. There are a few lines that seem to hew too closely to the original. 'Does a man carry his memories or do his memories carry him?' Karamchand wonders but the reader might wonder if a nation carries its memories or have its collective memories carried/shaped? As a nation, are we where we are because of our history? An amusing bit has the narrator wondering why Indians prefer arson as weapon of choice during protests and riots; is it because the Vedas prescribed fire in all purification rituals? Author V Shinilal (Courtesy the publisher) The same sense of meditation comes through in the reflection on sex and power play in different contexts – in rape, in the marital and the extra-marital. There is a surfeit of phalluses in the book. Train bogies decoupling and re-coupling seemed like another pun with a couple of bogies going their separate ways. If the intention was to show how arbitrarily relationships can be sundered by sudden lines, then Sameera's desire to fill Pakistan and India with mustard fields so as to erase those lines, does it more effectively. The women in the book flit in and out and are mere sites of action. Sameera, Lekha Namboothiri, and the Gujarati Nimesha Mehta reflect on the happenings around them but are like cardboard cut-outs without much agency or even the capacity to reflect too deeply. The heavy-lifting is all left to the men, though they don't quite save the day. Priyanka Sarkar is an editor, translator and writer.
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Navas found dead in Chottanikkara hotel, police suspect he suffered cardiac arrest
Malayalam film actor and mimicry artist Kalabhavan Navas was found dead in a hotel in Chottanikkara, Kochi, on Friday evening. As per news agency PTI, the incident came to light when the staff of the hotel, where Kalabhavan (51) was staying for a film shoot, alerted authorities. Kalabhavan Navas earned acclaim as a mimicry artist, playback singer and actor in Malayalam cinema.(X/@ItsleoDas) Kalabhavan was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead, PTI reported, citing the police. Police suspect he suffered a cardiac arrest. As per a report in The Hindu, Kalabhavan's post-mortem will take place at Kalamassery's Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday to confirm the cause of the death. His body will then be handed over to his family. Kalabhavan's body has been kept at the SD Tata hospital in Chottanikkara. Kalabhavan was staying in the hotel as part of the shooting of Prakambanam, a Malayalam movie. On Friday evening, the actor was supposed to check out of his room. However, after he did not arrive at the reception for check-out, the hotel staff found him unconscious in his room. As per the police, nothing suspicious was found in his room. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled his death. A versatile entertainer, Kalabhavan earned widespread acclaim as a mimicry artist, playback singer and actor in Malayalam cinema. He debuted as an actor in the feature film Chaithanyam in 1995. He starred in several films and television serials, including Mimics Action 500 (1995), Hitler Brothers (1997), Junior Mandrake (1997), Mattupetti Machan and Amma Ammaayiyamma (1998), Chandamama (1999), and Thillana Thillana (2003). Kalabhavan was alo part of Chakkara Muthu (2006), Chattambinadu (2009), Senior Mandrake and Valiyangadi (2010), Veeraputhran (2011), Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty (2012), ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013), John Honai (2015), Mera Naam Shaji (2019), among many others. He was also a judge in reality shows such as Comedy Masters, Comedy Stars Season 2, and Thakarppan Comedy. Kalabhavan was also a singer.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Saiyaara' Box Office collection day 15: Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda's film maintains its hold amid competition from ‘Son of Sardaar 2' and ‘Dhadak 2'; mints over Rs 4 crore
The romantic drama 'Saiyaara', starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda , continues to charm audiences as it enters its third week in cinemas. According to early estimates by Sacnilk, the film collected Rs 4.25 crore on Day 15 (2nd Friday), taking its total to a whopping Rs 284.75 crore in just 15 days. This makes it one of the biggest box office hits of 2025. Two weeks of solid numbers 'Saiyaara' had a blockbuster start and has continued its steady momentum into the third week. The film collected Rs 107.75 crore in Week 2 alone, proving that it is still drawing big crowds well beyond its opening weekend Day-wise earnings so far Week 1: Day 1 (Friday): Rs 21.5 crore Day 2 (Saturday): Rs 26 crore Day 3 (Sunday): Rs 35.75 crore Day 4 (Monday): Rs 24 crore Day 5 (Tuesday): Rs 25 crore Day 6 (Wednesday): Rs 21.5 crore Day 7 (Thursday): Rs 19 crore Total Week 1: Rs 172.75 crore Week 2: Day 8 (Friday): Rs 18 crore Day 9 (Saturday): Rs 26.5 crore Day 10 (Sunday): Rs 30 crore Day 11 (Monday): Rs 9.25 crore Day 12 (Tuesday): Rs 10 crore Day 13 (Wednesday): Rs 7 crore Day 14 (Thursday): Rs 6.5 crore Week 3: Day 15 (2nd Friday): Rs 4.25 crore (early estimate) Total collection so far: Rs 284.75 crore Steady occupancy across shows On August 1 (Friday), the film had an overall 19.42% occupancy for its Hindi shows. Morning shows recorded 11.89%, while afternoon shows improved to 19.15%. Evening shows saw 20.24% occupancy, and night shows peaked at 26.40%. This steady attendance proves that audiences are still turning up in good numbers to watch the romantic drama on the big screen. Competing with fresh new releases Though 'Saiyaara' has remained strong, it now faces new competition. Ajay Devgn 's 'Son of Sardaar 2' and Triptii Dimri-Siddhant Chaturvedi's 'Dhadak 2' both hit cinemas on Day 15. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo According to Sacnilk, 'Son of Sardaar 2' earned Rs 6.75 crore, while 'Dhadak 2' collected Rs 3.35 crore on their opening day. These fresh releases may slow down the momentum of 'Saiyaara', especially going into the weekend. Another strong box office competitor is 'Mahavtar Narsimha', which has been performing well in recent days. As more options enter the theatres, it remains to be seen how 'Saiyaara' will hold its ground. Can it reach Rs 300 crore? With Rs 284.75 crore already in the bag, 'Saiyaara' is now inching closer to the Rs 300 crore mark. While the pace has slightly slowed down, all eyes are on the weekend. If numbers go up again on Saturday and Sunday, the film could very well hit the milestone.
