Vidya Balan cried when a Malayalam director told her to change surname

Vidya Balan’s Parineeta co-starring Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt recently clocked 20 years of release. To commemorate the legacy, the makers have announced re-release of the film. To note, the film was Vidya Balan’s debut and was directed by Pradeep Sarkaar and producer by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. In a recent interview, the actress recalled how she was advised to get a nose job done when she signed the film.

Vidya Balan on Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s nose job advice

In an interview with Filmfare, the actress recalls the moment she was left shaken before signing the film. She shares, “He (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) told me, ‘your nose is too long, let’s get a surgery done.’ I got scared. And I was like, ‘I’m not going to do this’. And I’ll tell you why, because to this day I have not touched my face. I get a facial done once in a while, and that’s about it. I’m very particular, ki jaisa hai waisa hai, Bhagwan ne diya hai, bohot achha diya hai (The way it is, that’s how it is. God gave it to me, and He gave it beautifully).”

She added, “So when Mr Chopra told me, I was like, main dar gayi, and I came back and spoke to Dada (Pradeep Sarkar). I told him, ‘Dada, aap sambhal lo…’ and he was like, ‘Nahi nahi, main manage kar lunga (‘Dada, you handle it…’ and he said, ‘No, no, I’ll manage it)’”

 

 

 

 

 

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Vidya on a Malayalam director telling her to change surname

Recalling another instance, she shared how she was recommended to change her surname. “During my Malayalam film, they told me there is Manju Warrier, there is Samyukta Varma, who used their community names as their surnames. So you should also be called Vidya Iyer, not Vidya Balan. I changed my name and I cried, but my parents told me, ‘You will always be Vidya Balan.’ But again, they didn’t know, right? The director and producer wrote to everyone saying, ‘You’re an Iyer anyway, so it’s okay.’ And then that film didn’t happen. So I was very sure—if there is something I’m not comfortable doing, then it will definitely not work out.”

Workwise, Vidya was last seen in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with Kartik Aaryan and Madhuri Dixit. She will next be seen in Riteish Deshmukh’s Raja Shivaji. The film is mounted on a large scale and stars multiple known actors from Hindi and Marathi cinema.