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Vidya Balan may be a tour-de-force now, but she has faced her share of struggles in the Hindi film industry. These also include the evil that has been troubling Bollywood for years – nepotism. On the podcast Unfiltered with Samdish, Vidya revealed that she was the target of nepotism, especially when she received the Na-Real award at the Filmfare Awards 2008 for her costumes in Sajid Khan’s 2007 buddy comedy Hey Baby. (Also Read – Do Aur Do Pyaar: How Vidya Balan, Prateek Gandhi’s film normalizes infidelity without glorifying it)
what did vidya say
“When they told me they were going to give me the Na-Real Award, I said, ‘Why me? My clothes just aren’t my choice, right?’ At that time I was too new to have an opinion on anything. So they said, ‘No, we’re just doing this fun segment so we’re going to give you this award.’ So I said, ‘Okay, but I’m going to share it with the costume designer and the director,’ and they said, ‘No, you shouldn’t do that.’ And I think this is not good,” said Vidya.
Vidya said she was ready for the game when she realized upon reaching the venue that another actor, who was being given the Na-Real award, had backed out. So Vidya realized that only she was being targeted in this segment. While giving the award, he took the name of his director and costume designer, which later created an uproar. He faced opposition from his friends and supporters within the film industry.
She remembers it as her first major tryst with nepotism. “That night, I was devastated. I was devastated because I was so lonely. I realized that yes, it does make a difference when you don’t come from a filmy family. Because no one is looking out for you. It felt like bullying to me. It was, it was undoubtedly. Just because I don’t come with a certain shield, you can’t do that… I thought it was a joke so it was okay. But when I realized that it was only me who was being made fun of, it was no longer funny,” said Vidya.
What were the no-real awards?
At the Filmfare Awards 2008, co-hosts Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan presented the no-real awards, Bollywood’s equivalent of the Razzies. He went and gave the award (in the shape of a coconut) to Vidya who was sitting in the audience. Although she was initially hesitant, he encouraged her to become a sportswoman. During her acceptance speech, Vidya said, “I was asked to trust Sajid (Khan) and Manish (Malhotra).” Shahrukh and Saif joked that since he was Sajid, his costumes made sense.
Vidya gave this answer not only to her Heyy Babyy director Sajid Khan and costume designer Manish Malhotra, but also to Shah Rukh and Saif when they asked Vidya how they were looking. She famously replied, “When I came here and saw you, I said, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize Yash Raj had such good waiters.'” That year the Filmfare Awards were held at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai.
Vidya, last seen in Do Aur Do Pyaar, will now reprise her iconic role of Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
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