Although she eventually came to be known as one of the finest actors of her generation, Vidya Balan’s entry into the industry, let alone her rise to the top, was no cakewalk. Despite getting the chance to make an enviable acting debut, opposite Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, in screenwriter-director AK Lohithadas’ Chakram, the opportunity slipped through her fingers as the project was shelved after a few days of filming. This also caused her to lose the other Malayalam projects she had signed. Though she then tried to make her foray into cinema through the Tamil industry, these efforts also proved unsuccessful. Even the Malayalam film she completed, Kalari Vikraman, failed to reach the screens, thus crushing her spirits totally. The movie remains unreleased to this day. Even for her Hindi film debut, she was asked to get a nose job by producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Thus, before eventually making her debut in the Bengali film Bhalo Theko (2003) and getting her big break in Parineeta (2005), Vidya endured many setbacks. Among the heartbreaks that she faced, the one that stung the most was being coerced to give up her last name. Maintaining that she was pressured into rechristening herself as “Vidya Iyer” during her initial days trying to make her debut in Malayalam, the actor revealed that the project, however, didn’t take off eventually, sparing her from having to adopt a name against her will.
“During a Malayalam film, they suggested I drop ‘Balan’ and use my community’s name — like Manju Warrier or Samyuktha Varma. I changed it to Vidya Iyer… and cried. My parents reminded me I’d always be Vidya Balan. That film didn’t happen anyway. That’s when I knew: if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not meant to be,” she told Filmfare.
As the chat progressed, she also revealed that renowned filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra wasn’t entirely impressed by her face and asked her to get a nose surgery. “Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, ‘Your nose is too long, let’s get a surgery done.’ I refused. I’ve never had anything done to my face — just the odd facial. I’ve always believed in keeping my face the way God made it,” Vidya stated. It may be recalled that Parineeta was produced and co-written by Vidhu.
Vidya Balan’s debut was meant to be Malayalam film Chakram with @Mohanlal and Dileep. Film got shelved. pic.twitter.com/3IloCu70kR
— CinemaRare (@CinemaRareIN) October 16, 2017
Opening up about her career after receiving widespread recognition with Parineeta, Vidya admitted that the journey ahead wasn’t as easy as all had expected it would be. “Parineeta was a massive success. Top directors started calling. But at photoshoots, they’d say, ‘Let’s try something new with you,’ and I’d think, ‘What have you even seen of me to want something new?’ They’d say, ‘Let’s make you look younger and sexy.’ I was open to experimenting, but after a while, it got frustrating,” she added.
Vidya, who bagged the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in director Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture (2011), was last seen in the horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024).
