I'm happy to be cast opposite anyone: Vidya Balan

Our last meeting was in another city. Five months on, Vidya Balan is still the same - only this time around, she has lost oodles of weight and is glowing. She still charms, is warm and flashes a smile ever so often. Her last films did not work well at the box office despite being appreciated. But if anything, the tough times have only served to make her get stronger. We get right down to it...

Your last three films did not work at the box office. How did that affect you?
It was disappointing for sure. I was devastated after Ghanchakkar! Before that, I had five huge hits back-to-back which not only brought in money, but critical acclaim as well. I was not used to this. But when Shaadi Ke Side Effects released and did not do as expected, I guess I dealt with it better. And with Bobby Jasoos, I dealt with it even better. But I also realised that by the time Bobby Jasoos released, nothing could have been done anymore. We did everything we could to make the film a success. We left no stone unturned and we have our satisfaction that we gave it our all. You cannot really do anything about it. It is heartbreaking when a film does not do well but I am okay with it now. Maybe I needed to go through these experiences too. (Smiles)

So, you're okay with failure?
No. That's not what I meant. But I feel it has helped me realise now that acting is not about failures or successes, hits or flops. I am doing it just for pure passion. But I am not stepping down anyway. I want all the films of mine to do stupendously well at the box office. I am as passionate as I was during Parineeta and will continue to be so

You are doing fewer films yet you seem sorted. Has marriage brought in some changes as well?
No, marriage has not brought in any changes I believe. I have always done one film a year and at the max, two films a year. So I don't think all these has anything to do with marriage. But with marriage, the changes which has come in is all internal. That much I guess everyone changes. But that has not altered my career choices or my style of working. I am doing Humari Adhuri Kahaani now and I am as involved and as neck-deep into it, as I always was. In terms of work, marriage has not yet changed.

But you went absolutely missing from action...
Yes, it was probably much before Bobby Jasoos, just after Shaadi Ke Side Effects got released. I was going through some major health issues. So I was not getting out that much. I was focusing on sleeping on time, eating on time and just keeping calm and happy. The most important thing for me was to avoid any kind of stress, which is why I had to opt out of a film also.

Was Sujoy's film the only one you had to opt out?
Yeah, but I had told Bhatt saab the same. I told him I won't be able to do the film. But what happened with HAK is because of Emraan's son's health, the film got pushed to the end of the year. Bhatt saab said that there's enough time for me to still do the film. If it's getting pushed anyway, then I will do it. But I never wanted them to wait for me and delay the film. We ended up starting in September. But I would have had to opt out of that film had it started in April.

But Mohit had clearly said that he would not have made the film without you...
I was not expecting anything like that from anyone, as a matter of fact. But Bhatt saab and Mohit were very clear and they had told me this, 'If you are not doing the film, the film is not happening'. The film got pushed, so I was able to do it. Bhatt saab is someone who I wanted to work with forever. He has been one of those few directors whose work I really enjoy. But he stopped directing even before I joined. So this is just another way of me getting to work with him.

What is HAK all about?
For me, it is an intense love story. A love story that I have been dying to do ever since Parineeta. It is the story that interested me and I hope people like the film because it is something that people have not seen me doing for the longest time. It has been a revelation for me as well. It is the strength of the role, the story and the fact that it's been written by Bhatt saab and directed by Mohit made me say yes.

Did you lose weight for the film?
Surprisingly, Mohit never asked me to. We never had any such discussions. I also read it somewhere and I was like, 'Okay, when did this happen?' If he had asked me to, I would have not minded it. I like to change my appearance for every film. But he did not ask me. That's the truth.

Tell us something about your character.
I can't tell you much now. But yes, I play a florist who works in a five-star hotel and (pauses) the fragrance of love fills up her life!

You have two heroes in the film - one is a commercial actor, the other an unconventional star. how different was it on the sets?
Not really. Rajkummar and I are working for the first time and he is an extremely exciting actor. All I can say is that he's an actor who is unafraid to look into his co-star's eyes while acting and I enjoy that. Very rarely do you come across actors like that.

Is HAK a love triangle?
Parineeta too was like a love triangle but not a triangle in that sense. But every love story has a triangle in it. That's all I will say.

Has the film wrapped up?
Almost. It releases this June.

Have you signed anything after HAK?
I am still reading scripts. I haven't fully decided which ones to say yes to. I'll decide soon, though.

Previously, you always said that a film with SRK, Salman or Aamir looked difficult because of the length and strength of the role of the heroine. Do you think you can take that risk now?
It is not difficult for me to say Yes to a film with them. A script has to have enough meat for me to be a part of the film. I am happy to be cast opposite anyone. The actor can be the icing on the cake but they can't be the reason I take up a film. If there's a good script coming my way which stars any of the Khans, then fine. Else maybe not!