Vidya Balan is well-known in the Indian film industry as an actress willing to take an unconventional approach to her work.
“Vidya is I think, one of the few Bollywood stars slash actors that we’ve had, who has done amazing, meaningful work, which has a lot of depth and substance, and yet been very commercially successful as well,” said Festival Director, Mitu Bhowmick-Lange.
“When Vidya says something, it makes news, everybody talks about it, everybody discusses it.”
She portrays strong female protagonists and though she believes the intention isn’t to impose her films on anyone, she is clearly happy the underlying message is getting through.
"I veer towards women who live their lives on their own terms, the way they want to, unapologetically.”
“If a character or a story feels compelling to me, then I want to tell that. I veer towards women who live their lives on their own terms, the way they want to, unapologetically,” Vidya said.
“It’s also boring when you preach. If it happens along the way, that’s great. But I think it always happens, when you’re just responding instinctively.”
So it’s no surprise then, that Vidya has been chosen as the ambassador of this year’s Melbourne Indian Film Festival, whose theme is “Equality”.
“Whether it’s disability, gender equality, any kind of stereotyping which could be a sort of impediment, is being addressed now,” Vidya said.
“We can’t have myopic views of things anymore. We have to be aware, first. And awareness is the first step to action.”
Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick-Lange says the programming will reflect the theme.
“Equality of gender, sexuality, disability, and race… the diversity that defines us, needs to be celebrated."
And at a time when violence against women has been making headlines in India – and around the world – it’s hoped themes on the silver screen can help drive cultural change.
“The format of the Indian film is changing. Previously people wanted to watch an Indian film because they wanted to watch the colour and the splendour... but today I think there’s a certain universality in the language, the idiom, of film.”
“Art, culture, film, they’re all ways and means, to bring people together and that can only happen with change occurs.”
The Melbourne Indian Film Festival will be held between August 14 – 27, this year coinciding with India’s Independence Day on August 15th.
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