Vidya Balan feels that she has a lot in common with the roles she essays onscreen. “I have a lot in common with the characters I play on screen. There’s a lot of angst in me, as a person and as a woman. I get angry very easily. My family will tell you I am short-tempered. I get angry if I am taken for granted, if people misbehave with others, if they don’t treat another individual as equal… Maybe, I am thin-skinned because I am an actor, I allow things to affect me.”
And so, the actor finds it difficult to play ‘diabetically sweet women’ onscreen. “But, I want to play real people who have their flaws, issues, aggression and passion. I like to know people’s stories and I like to tell such stories on screen. Strong women don’t have to be alike. The Durga I play in Kalimpong in Kahaani 2 is quiet and withdrawn. But Begum Jaan is nothing like Durga. Durga wanted to be invisible, Begum Jaan is unmissable,” she said.
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Balan says that even the most powerful women are not exempt from sexist questions. “Even the most powerful women find the need to negotiate their position. They are torn between conditioning and playing by patriarchal rules in order to survive in a patriarchal setup. For instance, I get asked how I balance home and work. But no one asks my husband that,” she added.
Balan’s stance on the wage gap is nuanced as she does not work with male stars. “But if the makers tell me they cannot make the film if they pay me that amount, I tell them don’t make it then. So now people don’t use that excuse with me anymore,” she revealed.