Vidya Balan is one of the most stunning actresses of her time. She has played a noteworthy role in several films. However, her debut role in Pradeep Sarkar’s 2005 film, Parineeta, has etched a beautiful place in the hearts of her millions of fans. Although this film gave immense stardom to Vidya, she was rejected 75 times before being finally cast in the role. Now, ace Indian lyricist, Swanand Kirkire, who got a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Lyrics for the song, Piyu Bole, in Parineeta, revealed some more unknown anecdotes about Vidya's difficult journey in the film, and these are simply unmissable.
In an interview with Mashable India, Swanand Kirkire recalled how the ace filmmaker, Pradeep Sarkar wanted to make Parineeta in a modern way, but the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra asked him to stick to its original era. Afterwards, when Pradeep had to present the idea of Parineeta to Vidhu, he shot the melodious song, Raat Humaari Toh Chaand Ki Saheli Hai, along with Vidya on one of the sets of his ads. However, Vidhu wasn't happy with Vidya's character and rejected her in the first place. Swanand said:
“Vidhu Vinod Chopra was quite impressed with it, and he told Sarkar, ‘This is amazing. You will direct my film. Shantanu Moitra will be the music director, and Swanand Kirkire will be the lyricist. But the girl will be somebody else.’ So, he rejected Vidya in the first place.”
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Following this, Pradeep, who was adamant about casting Vidya Balan only in the lead role for the film, made many attempts to accomplish his wish. Recalling the same, Swanand revealed that Pradeep did several tests on Vidya to convince Vidhu. Thus, Pradeep could finally convince Vidhu to cast her in the role, and we got such an iconic performance by the actress. Mentioning how Vidya's journey in the industry was not only difficult but also dynamic in comparison to them, the lyricist added:
“Dada (Pradeep Sarakar) did her several tests for Vidhu Vinod Chopra and finally cast her. Her journey was quite difficult and dynamic in comparison to ours. But she was so good.”
For the unversed, before making her debut in films, Vidya used to work in advertisements and music videos. She had worked with Pradeep Sarkar for the first time in Euphoria’s song, Kabhi Aana Tu Meri Gali. And if reports are to be believed, Vidya got the chance to show her acting prowess in Parineeta only due to her work in the music video. Following this, she formed a beautiful bond with Pradeep and his wife, Panchali. Once, in a 2013 interview with DNA, Vidya revealed how she considered the filmmaker and his wife her ‘guardians’ and had said:
“Without attaching labels, Dada (Pradeep Sarakar) and his wife are like my guardians. If I can depend on somebody, it’s him or her. I share a love-hate relationship with Dada. I fight with him, the way I fight with my father. He’s unaffected because except work nothing matters to him.”
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Music composer, Shantanu Moitra once recalled how Vidya Balan's patience while being finally cast in the role of Parineeta was quite inspiring. He revealed meeting her in a vulnerable state after being rejected 75 times for her role in the film. He said: "The fondest memory I have about Parineeta is that of an incredible girl who was sitting with us at Vidhu Vinod Chopra's office. We slowly became friends. I asked her what she was doing and she said she was here for audition. I'm talking about Vidya Balan. This story is for those people who think that enough is enough, let's give up. The girl auditioned about 75 times and got rejected every single time." Further, adding how Vidya did everything for the role, Shantanu had mentioned:
"Can you imagine her self-worth? Then Pradeep would tell Vinod to try a new look because the previous one wasn't working. At that time, many top actresses were giving the same auditions as well and calling him for a role. Think about the pressure on that girl! I still remember the day after getting rejected for the 75th time, there was a Bryan Adams concert in Mumbai and she said that she was going for it. At that time, Pradeep said that 'let's do one last audition' and around 3:30, she quickly came and gave the test with the belief that it won't happen and after her test, she left for the concert."
Well, Vidya's role in the film was indeed commendable. What do you think? Let us know!
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