Vidya Balan recalls waiting all day in Film City to audition for Hum Paanch, had nearly given up hope of getting called

Vidya Balan’s fearless choices in Bollywood make her a one of a kind actress in the industry. Once again ready to wow the audiences with an intriguing act in Sherni where she plays a female forest official. One of the biggest stars in Bollywood today, Vidya looked back at her initial days revealed all about her first audition and first salary in an interview.

Talking to Zoom Digital Vidya revealed how she earned Rs. 500 as her first pay for simply posing next to a tree. "My first ever salary was ₹ 500 for a state tourism campaign. Four of us - my sister, me, and a cousin and a friend I think went along - and each of us got paid 500 bucks. We had to just stand beside a tree, a swing, and just smile,” she recalled.

Well, landing her debut acting job wasn’t as easy though. Vidya recalls spending a day in a long queue of 150 people to audition for her first ever TV show. The actress starred as Radhika in the popular ‘90s sitcom Hum Paanch.

"My first ever audition was for a television show, my very first television show. I remember I had gone to the film city with my mother and sister, and we had to wait all day. There were some 150 people that were being tested, it was crazy," she revealed.

Vidya had nearly given up hope when she learnt she had bagged the part. "By the end of it, I thought okay forget it, I am not going to do this... At that time, I got called,” she added.

Moving from TV to films Vidya finally made her space in Bollywood as an actress who knows her mind and is often headlining projects with a strong female lead. Her latest project Sherni which was shot during the pandemic is now releasing on Amazon Prime Video.