Vidya Balan – The Amazing Changeover From Hot to Dirty in 16 Years

Vidya Balan is hot property in Bollywood nowadays. Her journey can be summed up as: She came, she saw and she conquered. In between, there have been several episodes of bad wardrobes, curtain-like dresses and spats with top dress designers. But that is now a thing of the past. With ‘Dirty Picture’ releasing on 2nd December, 2011, Vidya Balan is one of the leading actors of Bollywood today!

Vidya Balan is definitely one of the most sought after actors for strong, female-oriented roles that require powerful performances.

Parineeta – Vidya Balan’s incredible debut in Bollwood

We first sat up and noticed her in Parineeta, which amazingly is still one of her best performances. There was no first-time awkwardness, no rawness, only pure charisma. Ooh Lala, did she look hot in it?

The success rally in Bollywood continued with Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Her next movie, Heyy Baby, which, by the way was a big hit, brought her all the ignominy she did not want and could have done without. Her weird and utterly disastrous dresses made her the butt of many jokes, so much so that she had a falling-out with Manish Malhotra, who had designed the dresses for this movie.

The resultant criticism, her weight gain and childish labels such “Vidya Aunty” began to hurt her career and overshadowed her innate talent. With these weighty issues on her mind, Ms. Balan decided to take control of her life and take some tough decisions. She lost weight, got herself a new designer and changed her overall appearance.

Vidya Balan – The Emergence of a hot new actor

It is obvious that she took all the right decisions. She re-emerged as a very Indian, yet hot lady (not a babe, mind it) who could look sensuous in a 6 yard long sari. From Bhool Bhulaiya to Paa, she’s looked very much in control of her role and has worked with many top actors of Bollywood.

There were many movies which flopped, among them Salaam-e-Ishq (you can’t blame Vidya for that one),and Eklavya (again, none of her fault), but she has emerged as a winner despite it all. She has garnered attention from all quarters and gained a great fan-following.

Ishqiya – The Turning Point

Even though her talent has been evident right from the start, yet the one movie that turned her fortune around was Ishqiya. As the earthy yet sensuous Krishna, Vidya Balan put the screen on fire with her stunning looks. Her ease of performance and easy pairing with Arshad Warsi as well as the much older Naseeruddin Shah, scored her points.

To be in the same movie as the versatile Mr. Shah and hold your own is difficult. To be applauded for the performance in equal measure, is rare.

It also, however, raises the question – For widescreen acclaim in Bollywood, do actresses need to shed their clothes and reveal their bodies?

When I see Vidya Balan in Dirty Picture, her next Bollywood flick, a picture of raw sexuality comes to mind. Contrasting this with Parineeta, is the answer yes?

Up until now, Vidya Balan had never been seen in revealing outfits, so you’ll probably never see her listed as one of the 10 hottest bikini babes of Bollywood, yet she is there on the top of the list of 10 hottest kisses in Indian cinema.

Her uninhibited scenes in Ishqiya were performed with a great deal of energy and had the certain rawness which has been missing in most Bollywood lovemaking scenes; yet you could not term them as crass or vulgar. That was the beauty of her performance. Playing the role of a sex siren in Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan might just shake the entire nation.

Factors which work in Vidya Balan’s favor

1. Perfect Fit, Instant Hit: Vidya Balan’s greatest asset are her mellow looks. She looks like the elder sibling to most heroes of the younger pack, which makes her a perfect fit for older actors. She may not be considered a good fit for the younger guys, but it is they who stand to lose rather than she.
2. Earthy looks: Born to a respectable family in Kerala,Vidya Balan has been blessed with the classical Indian face – Round, wheatish and absolutely gorgeous. Her “Indian-ness” is another factor which draws audiences to her films, even from rural India.
3. Take her to your mom: Without looking like miss-goody-two-shoes, Vidya Balan qualifies as the perfect woman whom you’d want to take home to your mom, who would definitely approve of her as her bahu. Even in western outfits, which she wears with ease and style, she manages to retain a predominantly Indian look.
4. Powerhouse of talent: Even though this is a factor which should not have been listed so low down, sadly this is something that takes a backseat while casting females for a role. Her acting talent has been appreciated and noticed, and the audience is beginning to look forward to her roles and films.
5. Choice of projects:Vidya Balan has been very circumspect in her choice of movies and even though she has been offered top of the line projects by talented and acclaimed directors and production houses, she has chosen her roles keeping in mind her persona and the script. Her last movie was ‘No one killed Jessica’ – a blockbuster at the Bollywood box office. Vidya Balan will be seen next in the controversial movie based on the life and times of Silk Smitha, Dirty Picture. Silk Smitha, by the way, was a South Indian porn star who led a tragic life.

Vidya is all set to conquer the world. Her powerful acting in “No One Killed Jessica” have shaken up the topmost actors of Bollywood. Now, with a ‘dirty’ roled lined up as Silk Smitha in Dirty Picture, we are expecting another great performance.