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15 years of Vidya Balan: Norms the actress has broken in her Bollywood journey

Vidya Balan made her Bollywood debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta. The film, which also starred Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, was a hit at the box office. The movie completes 15 years of its release today which means its 15 years of Vidya Balan in Bollywood.

Vidya has made a mark in the industry by starring in many super hit films and has also proved her mettle as an actress. She is undoubtedly one of the most talented actresses we have in the industry. But, there are a few things that make Vidya stand out.


So, let’s look at the list of norms Vidya has broken in her Bollywood journey in the past 15 years…

No slim-trim figure

It is always said that to become successful in Bollywood an actress needs to look a particular way especially when it comes to her body. One expects the actresses to be slim and trim. However, Vidya has proved that to be successful what matters is the talent and not the body. We love the way Vidya carries herself in each and every film and surely inspires many women to be happy with the body that they have.

Doesn’t need a big male star to make a film hit

Vidya has starred with big male stars like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, and others. But well, she has proved that she really doesn’t need a big name to make her film a hit at the box office. The Dirty Picture, No One Killed Jessica, Kahaani and Tumhari Sulu are the proofs. Also, Vidya is an actress who has not worked with SRK, Salman and Aamir, but has still survived in Bollywood all thanks to her talent.

Married actresses can be successful

Once an actress gets married, her career is over. This was a very famous saying for Bollywood actresses. However, many actresses have proved that after getting married also they can rule the silver screens. Vidya is surely one of them.

A-list actress taking up bold roles

While of course actresses were getting good roles, there was still the glass ceiling that was supposed to be broken and well Vidya did that. We have rarely seen films where actresses would be giving cuss words or mouthing some double meaning dialogues. But with films like Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture, and Tumhari Sulu in her filmography, Vidya is surely one of the very few A-list actresses who dared and did bold characters.

We are sure in the coming years, Vidya will be breaking more norms and will become an inspiration for many.

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Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Praised for visuals, but some criticised Western-style asura designs for not fully reflecting Hindu roots

Instagram/thenameisyash/YouTube

Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Highlights

  • Yash says he humanised Ravana to help global audiences relate to the character.
  • Asura designs in the first glimpse drew criticism for looking too Western-inspired.
  • Producer Namit Malhotra compares the film's tone to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.
Yash, who plays the demon king Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says his portrayal was shaped by one clear goal: making the character relatable beyond Indian audiences.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where the film was presented alongside major Hollywood releases, the actor said he worked to strip away the purely mythological reading of the role.

"I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times," Yash told Reuters.

"It is important for people to relate to him, and since we have global ambitions, we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well."

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