“Women Like It, Want It, Need It As Much As Men Do”, Thank You Vidya Balan For Busting This Myth And Many More

When people saw the sweet and demure ‘new girl’ in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta back in 2005, there was a promise. Her acting talent shone through and there was indeed something different about her. Some bad films, some bad choices but never a bad performance, Vidya Balan was there but not noticed enough perhaps.

Then in 2011The Dirty Picture came and we knew nothing would be the same for Vidya or for Bollywood. From her incredible on-screen performances to her solid off-screen personality, from speaking up about body shaming to having opinions about sexuality and above all registering one box-office success after another on her own accord, there isn’t a glass ceiling in Bollywood for actresses that Vidya Balan has not shattered. As her Bollywood career turns 14 years, we remember every time Vidya Balan pioneered certain trend in Bollywood and gave us a role model we always deserved.

Women In Hindi Films

There has been a lot of chatter about ‘women-centric’ films in Bollywood recently. It is, of course, a reflection of the inherent misogyny in Bollywood which needs to curate separate films to give women some significance in the narrative. If there is one person who has managed to break through this, it is Vidya Balan. With Dirty Picture she brought in the trend that we now call successful ‘women-centric’ films and now every film that Vidya is a part of, she as important as the men in the films if not more.               

Sexuality And Desirability

In Parineeta she was sweet, in Dirty Picture she was sexy, in Kahaani she was real, in Ishqiya she was fierce and in every role she has ever done in her career she has been simply phenomenal and oh-so-desirable. Time and again she has been criticized for not fitting the cookie cutter body type that is revered in Bollywood, but she has been comfortable in her own skin and that is perhaps the sexiest thing about her.  “Sexuality, desirability has nothing to do with body type. It has to do with how you feel from within. I was at my fattest best in 'The Dirty Picture,' and I was called the most desirable. So there you go. I am quite well-endowed, so I have no complaints,” – not many actresses in Bollywood can say that and really mean it.

The Fashion Story

There is an unwritten rule that Bollywood actresses have to be trendy. Not stylish but fashionably trendy which sadly translates to wearing crop tops to gym and couture gowns at public events. There is, of course, no harm in actresses following trends given they are the idols from whom the population takes style tips but somehow Vidya has never been a part of this. She is usually seen donning eclectic and classy sarees and manages to look fabulous in them every single time.  “I enjoy the sari. I think it's the sexiest garment ever. It shows you the right amount, it covers the right amount, it's extremely versatile, it suits every body type, it suits every face,”- with this statement and more such statements she has not only exalted the status of sarees among youngsters, but she has managed to give style goals to real women with real, flawed bodies.  She is probably the only one among her contemporaries who can say, “I'm not fashionable, and I know nothing about fashion, but I have my individual style, and style is eternal. “

The ‘Age’Old Debate

Take any top-heroine in Bollywood right now and check the age in which they started their careers in Bollywood. From Katrina to Deepika to even Alia, all of them started their innings in their late teens or super early 20s. Vidya Balan was 26 when her first film released and she was 38 when her last release Tumhari Sulu did wonders at the box-office. For everyone who had diminished the status of an actress to that of a box of cereal or carton of milk by attaching ‘shelf life’ to their existence, Vidya Balan is perhaps the only answer they need.