'Shah Rukh Khan won hearts with his eyes, not just that pose': Vidya Balan

Time of India

7 hours ago

Vidya Balan
is one Bollywood star who loves to speak her mind. Recently the actress shared her thoughts on modern filmmaking trends. In a candid chat, Vidya opened up about how today's filmmakers are shifting away from what made
Indian cinema
magical for generations.
She noted that many young directors, influenced by international content, have forgotten the essence of 'our' style of storytelling.
Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, 'I may sound like too much of a senior when I say this,' she admitted, 'but they don't know what our kind of storytelling is! It is alienating, it is not engrossing me.'
Call For Emotional Connection
Vidya believes the emotional connection between a film and its audience is often lost without the intimacy of close-up shots.
'A lot of these directors don't even use close-ups. I find that shocking,' she said passionately. For Vidya, close-ups are where characters truly speak to the audience without words, allowing viewers to look into the soul of a character through their eyes. It is this simplicity that, according to her, makes 'masala' films enjoyable—they are unapologetically direct, emotional, and free from pretension, letting audiences truly 'feel' the moment rather than intellectualize it.
The
Shah Rukh Khan
Reference
Taking the conversation further, Vidya cited Shah Rukh Khan as the perfect example. Known for his arms-stretched-wide pose, SRK has greeted fans and won hearts with this iconic gesture for decades. But Vidya pointed out that it wasn't just the pose that made him the King of Hearts. 'Imagine if he was only doing this (imitates the pose), he won't be as loved,' she said, highlighting that it was Shah Rukh's expressive eyes and the vulnerability in his close-ups that made an entire nation fall in love with him.
VIDYA BALAN TURNS HEADS WITH CASUAL AIRPORT LOOK