Vidya Balan is one of the highly talented actresses of her generation. She has worked in a number of films and simply mesmerised her fans with her simplicity. However, time and again, she has also faced bullying, and now, we stumbled upon an old interview of her, wherein she talked about one such instance in her life. Meanwhile, Vidya was last seen in the film, Do Aur Do Pyaar, co-starring Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ileana D'Cruz, and Pratik Gandhi in lead roles.
A Reddit user shared a video from Vidya Balan's interview with Samdish Bhatia for his podcast, Unfiltered, wherein she was heard talking about her experience of getting bullied at an award show. She was clearly pointing out at the 2008 Filmfare Awards, wherein she was presented the Na-Real award (a coconut-shaped award) by Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan after the release of her film, Heyy Babyy. She was awarded the Na-Real award for her dressing in the film. However, when she revealed her wish to name the film's designer and director, she was also asked not to do so, which made Vidya feel vulnerable. In her words:
"When they told me they're going to give me the Na-Real award, I said, ‘Why me? My clothes are not just my choice, and at that point, more than ever, I was too new to have an opinion on anything. So they said, ‘No, we’re just doing this fun segment so we're going to give you this award.' So I said, ‘Fine, but I’m going to share it with the costume designer and the director, and they said, ‘No, you mustn’t do that.' And that, I think, is not nice."
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In the same podcast, she continued by saying that she was ready to play along until she realised that the other actress being nominated had backed out. Thus, the actress soon realised she was the only one who was being targeted during the fun segment. Vidya shared:
"Before that they said this is a fun segment and some Na-Real award. See I was taught. You think my clothes were not good, you give the Na-Real award. Its fine. But when I reached the award function I realised what it was. How another actor, whose name has been mentioned to me. She has also been receiving it. Her name had been cancelled out at that last minute because she said, 'I'm not gonna accept it.' So then I said I don't wanna end up looking like a fool. Then, I said 'I'm not gonna accept it' then you give it to the all three of us- the director, the costume designer and me. And they said no no, when I said I'll go and mention it, they said no no. I still mentioned it and that got me into trouble. Later, there were reactions from within the fraternity or whatever. They supported their friends."
On the same podcast, Vidya recalled that she was completely shattered after the incident. Moreover, she talked about the difference between being an insider and an outsider in the film industry. She shared:
"On that night, I was shattered. I was shattered because I was very alone. I realised that yes, it does make a difference when you don't come from a film family. Because no one outside you is looking out for you. It felt like bullying to me. It was, it undoubtedly was. Just because I don't come with a certain shield, you can't. I thought it was a joke so it was okay. But when I realised I was the only one being made fun of, it wasn't funny any more."
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Check out the video, here.
As soon as the video surfaced on social media, netizens started reacting to it. A section of social media users bared their hearts out, mentioning how outsiders are bullied in the film industry. Some even asked Vidya to name them, who asked her not to name Sajid Khan and Manish Malhotra for taking up the responsibility of her clothes in the film.
It was during a fun segment at the Filmfare Awards in 2008 when the event's hosts, Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, were seen presenting the 'Best Wardrobe Malfunction' award. Initially, they showed the nominations, which included Vida Balan's attire for her film, Heyy Babyy, and Rani Mukerji's hairstyles in the movie, Tara Rum Pum. Then, SRK and Saif were seen handing over the Na-Real award (a coconut-shaped award) to Vidya, after being seated among the audience and indulging in a fun conversation with her. While giving her acceptance speech, Vidya said, "I was asked to trust Sajid (Khan) and Manish (Malhotra)." Moreover, she also pulled the legs of the two actors by mentioning that they looked like waiters at the event.
To watch the video, from the Filmfare 2008 night, click here.
What do you think about Vidya's revelation? Let us know!
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