‘Sridevi could do the most ridiculous films with complete conviction’: Vidya Balan

Actor Vidya Balan said that when she realised that she had ‘sleepwalked through’ two of her films, she developed a new respect for the actors who could do commercial films with utmost conviction. Vidya cited Sridevi as an example of someone who could seem perfectly at home in any kind of film. She also spoke about why she is hesitant about playing ‘sexy’ characters on screen again.
In an interview with Galatta Plus, Vidya said that she wasn’t feeling particularly passionate about the films Heyy Bay and Kismat Konnection, which she hasn’t had ‘the guts’ to revisit. But working on them flipped a switch in her mind, and she decided that she would only take up roles that excite her.

She said, “I also developed a respect for people who do the so-called commercial… go through that rigmarole, and do it with complete conviction. Look at what all Sridevi has done. But not in one film will you find that conviction waning. She could be doing the most ridiculous things.”
Vidya also spoke about having appeared in the Tamil remake of Pink, Nerkonda Paarvai, a decision that also has a Sridevi connection. “I didn’t even give it any thought,” Vidya said. “Sridevi had just passed away, and I met Boney ji, who said, ‘I want you to do a special appearance in my film’. He said that the film has Ajith, and it’s the Tamil remake of Pink. I said, ‘I don’t want to know anything’. I just did it out of love for Sridevi and Boney ji.”

Vidya in recent years has played a variety of diverse characters on screen, but she broke out in a big way after her starring role in The Dirty Picture. Asked if she’d want to play a Penelope Cruz-style glamorous role again, she said, “I’d love to play someone sexy. It’s been a while since I’ve played sexy on screen. There are people who can carry that off beautifully. I comes very naturally to them. I don’t think it comes naturally to me. I don’t know why. Unfortunately, the most glamorous roles, they tend to be not chewy. What I’m getting is very exciting, so why would I settle for any less. Unless somebody is able to offer me both; a glamorous role which is also chewy.”
Vidya was most recently seen in a trio of Amazon Prime Video films in three successive years–Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, and Jalsa.