Seeing a promising actor comfortable enough to be vulnerable on screen as a character is a virtue that Bollywood is still working on, but Vidya Balan seems to have mastered it in her last few films.
In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, Vidya commented on vulnerability saying, “I just think that all of us have a self-image. And especially as someone in the public sphere as an actor, whose life is public, I think I want people to know me through my work and not so much through what I do outside the screen. But even there, you' re cautious. You want people to see you a certain way, which marries in with your self-image or which is an extension of your self-image. But I think something in me changed post the pandemic. And I realised that you can't really box people.
“There's no black and white. Most of it is gray. I think it is when I was open to embracing the gray me in Jalsa. I said I'm doing this because I was okay for people to see me even as an actor in a different light. Because I was willing to see myself differently.”
The trailer of 'Jalsa', her upcoming film on Amazon Prime Video shows some glimpses of issues, weaved within a thriller that may lead the audience to believe that the movie tackles prime gender-based issues, but Vidya says that’s not all.
“I think more importantly, here, when you watch the film, you'll realise that it happens to be an 18-year-old girl who meets with an accident, but it could have been an 18-year-old boy or a 45-year-old woman or a 60-year-old man, that is irrelevant. It's the fact that there's one person who meets with an accident. But there are many who come under that bus. If you know what I mean. It is a sort of
a cause and effect. It is how one thing sets into motion.
“So many things that we don't even realise, and it's the domino effect. And what are the choices that people make in such situations because it's very easy for anyone to sit in judgment and say that this person should have behaved a certain way or shouldn't have behaved a certain way? But who is to say what is right and wrong? Until you yourself are in that situation?” she told Asian Voice.
She further added, “I think that's probably the larger point it makes, if at all. Most importantly, it's a human story and there will be many takeaways, hopefully, different people will like you just related to London. And but it's not just about this happening to a girl. That was my point.” Vidya shares screen space with Shefali Shah in Jalsa. Talking about that, she said, “I'm glad that we got to work together. She's an actor I've long admired, and I'm glad I got to share screen space with her. It was wonderful.”
Vidya’s choice of films has been on point despite the OTT versus theatrical debate. With three OTT releases during the pandemic, Vidya seems to have cracked the code. She said, “The birth of the OTT has actually exposed audiences to all kinds of content, stories, and characters. So all kinds of
treatments and genres. I think we're there. Now we know that we don't have to stick to telling one kind of story with one kind of hero, male or female, we can just tell any story. The OTT platforms require you to be more personal and the stories to be more personal and intimate. It's more like an experience and it's not a collective experience, unlike in the theatre, I think that allows for the
exploration of different kinds of content.
“I don't know about that, honestly. I'm so grateful that we could release Shakuntala on Prime Video. And at that time, we didn't have a sense of how films would be received on OTT. Shakuntala received so much love from all over the world. And in a staggered way, it's not just about that weekend, or it's not just about that first week, or what happens in the theatrical releases, the reactions are concentrated, I still get messages about Shakuntala. So Prime Video has been amazing for me.”
Vidya further added, “I think the parameters of success have definitely changed because OTT is a different ballgame altogether. And you don't even have numbers to I'm sure the platforms have numbers, or the basis of the number of views, completed views, they can gauge but we don't get that information. But irrespective, I think the parameters have definitely changed and liberate you as
an artist. Honestly I'm enjoying this, but I know that when I have a theatrical I'll enjoy that also. I want it all. I want to have fans on OTT and theatrical releases too.”
'Jalsa’s' gripping trailer introduces us to the two lead characters – Maya (Vidya Balan) and Rukshana (Shefali Shah), a world with the chaos around them, secrets and lies, truths and deceit and a life-altering incident that ruffles the world around them. What follows is a duel of redemption and retribution. Backed with a riveting narrative, Jalsa thrives on stupendous performances and engaging storytelling that promise to leave you awed and spellbound. The drama thriller will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 18.