Rekha lauds Vidya Balan’s ‘atypical’ approach to talent and beauty

Rekha talked about her bond with Vidya Balan and recalled how she gave her first ever audition for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film Parineeta. 

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan’s Parineeta recently completed 20 years.

On Monday, veteran filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra organised a special screening to mark the occasion of film “Parineeta’ clocking 20 years of its release. It saw the attendance by Vidya, Rekha, Dia Mirza, and others. Amidst the event, Rekha lauded Vidya Balan’s ‘atypical’ approach to talent and her beauty and talked over the bond they share.

Speaking on bagging the song Kaisi Paheli Zindagaani in Parineeta, Rekha recalled that it was the first film in her life that she ever auditioned for. She wasn’t aware what it meant back then. Vidhu Vinod Chopra told Rekha that if she doesn’t audition, she was out. Honestly, Rekha revealed she was in the film because of Vidya. When she (Rekha) asked Vidhu who was in the film, he told her Saif Ali Khan Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan. and she asked, ‘Who is this Vidya?’ Then he said he would send her some footage and told her to watch it, and only if she felt like doing the film should she agree.? She called up Farzan her Manager, and told her they were doing this film.

Rekha further said she didn’t know the film had been made earlier too, but for her (Rekha) Parineeta is Vidya Balan and she got a daughter in Vidya. Throughout the making of Kaisi Paheli, she sat there without even blinking. After the whole song was done, she came to her vanity van, held my hand and kissed it, saying she had learnt so much. But watching this film today, she wants to say, she doesn’t think she has learnt as much as she learnt watching her.

Parinerta is Pradeep Sarkar’s directorial released in 2005 film, an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1914 Bengali novella of the same name. It featured Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, and Vidya Balan (in her Bollywood debut) in lead roles, with Raima Sen, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, and Dia Mirza in supporting roles. The film received positive reviews upon release and emerged success grossing  ₹30.29 crore worldwide. Marking Vidya’s Bollywood debut, Parineeta is set to re-release across select theatres in India on August 29 for a week.

News Edit KV Raman