Vidya Balan has been collecting Best Actor trophies for her portrayal as Krishna in Ishqiya at several recent film award ceremonies. From April, she starts shooting for Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture, in which she plays soft porn queen, Vijaylakshmi aka Silk Smitha, who worked in over 200 Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films before she was found dead in her Chennai apartment.
Her untimely death in 1996 was attributed to financial problems, disillusionment with love and alcohol. But in her short career, Silk Smitha became a cult figure with films like Moondru Mugam (1982) and Layanam (1989), that had her playing a bikini-clad super agent beating up king-size thugs.
“This film takes me into unexplored territory and I am pinning my hopes on Milan (director Milan Luthria) to carry me through what promises to be one of my most challenging roles ever,” admits Balan, who will reportedly get up close and personal with Tusshar Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. She has already shared some intimate on-screen moments with Naseer in Ishqiya last year.
“I can’t thank him enough for being such a rock during Ishqiya and am looking forward to working with Naseer saab again. I’m as excited and nervous as a schoolgirl but am sure I will be far more comfortable with him this time after having seen the chemistry in Ishqiya.”
Balan has also been asked to put on a few extra kilos so she can look as voluptuous as the south Indian actor. “These days, everyone from my director to my stylists have been telling me to stop dieting and start eating more. Silk Smitha wasn’t exactly reed thin,” she smiles, quickly adding that her character will be Luthria’s interpretation of the actor.
“Sabrina, my character in No One Killed Jessica was a very fulfilling experience as an actor, given that it was modelled on such a strong real-life personality (slain model Jessica Lall’s sister Sabrina). So was Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahani, which I filmed at a stretch in Kolkata last year, and has me playing a pregnant woman on a revenge trail. But The Dirty Picture is another story altogether. Like everyone else, I’m wondering what Milan’s Silk Smitha will eventually turn out to be like.”
They got intimate too...
* Neha Dhupia-Raghuveer Yadav My Friend Hitler, 2011
* Priyanka Chopra-Annu Kapoor 7 Khoon Maaf, 2011
* Rajesh Khanna-Laila Khan Wafaa: A Deadly Love Story, 2008
* Amitabh Bachchan-Jiah Khan Nishabd, 2007
* Amitabh Bachchan-Tabu Cheeni Kum, 2007
* Victor Bannerjee-Perizad Zorabian Joggers’ Park, 2003
* Manisha Koirala-Ranveer Shorey Ek Chotisi Love Story, 2002
* Rekha-Akshay Kumar Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, 1996
* Shah Rukh Khan-Deepa Sahi Maya Memsaab, 1993
* Rajesh Khanna-Sabiha Anokha Rishta, 1986