Shefali Shah and Vidya Balan, two powerhouses of talent and co-stars in Amazon Prime’s Jalsa, recently sat down with Film Companion’s Anupama Chopra to discuss their movie and the opportunities that are given to women actors, among other topics.
At the beginning of the interview, Vidya says that she was not convinced that she wanted to play Maya Menon because she found it morally conflicting. However, with time, she learned how not to judge the character.
It was a revelation for herself, as she has always thought she is empathetic – but things were more complicated in the case of her character because it did not function based on the conventional binaries of good and bad.
The two then expressed their appreciation for each other’s works and that they did not get the time to figure out the other actor’s ‘method’. Vidya says that was probably for the better.
Beyond the film, they also discussed how being married to producers affects people’s perception of them as actors. As Vidya, who is married to Siddharth Roy Kapur, puts it here.
Meanwhile, Shefali who is married to Vipul Shah, said that her husband makes movies and that affects their family in bigger ways, so she cannot be selfish and ask him to give her a role for personal gain.
The two further discussed how women actors are getting better roles in the current times because better, more layered roles are being written for them. In an interesting observation, they noted how male actors are still catering to the image of a “hero”.
They finally touch upon the cultural impact of watching movies on the big screen and if it is larger than when they are released on OTT. This is what Vidya had to say about it.
Their insights are both, important and intelligent. You can watch the full interview here.
H/T: Film Companion