With his straight-faced jokes Farhan Akhtar found an easy bakra (scapegoat) in me, says Vidya Balan, his co-star in the upcoming film ‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’. “I love to laugh and Farhan loves to make people laugh so the ‘funda’ was very clear. He found an easy ‘bakra’ in me. I enjoyed his sense of humour. He has a very sharp mind. I have seen the film and I am glad that we got together for this one where the comedy is very true to real life,” Vidya told PTI in an interview.
Having been a fan of Farhan’s earlier films like ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Zindagi Milegi Naa Dobaara’, Vidya says they were well-matched in the Saket Chaudhary-directed comedy, a genre which is relatively new for both the actors.
“Farhan is one of those actors who are subtle even in comedy. It is effortless and yet it makes you laugh. He is supremely talented in a multi-dimensional way. “Acting is about reacting. This film would have suffered if any of us was out of tune but we were well-matched in it. We were completely tuned into each other which is great as an actor. We complimented each other.”
The 36-year-old actress, who got married to UTV CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur in 2012, signed up the film a few months after the marriage but she does not believe her marriage life influenced the character she is playing in the film. “I have played a married woman in many films. My first film was called ‘Parineeta-the married woman’. I don’t know whether I brought in my personal experiences into the film as it did not require that. Most love relationships are quite similar in many ways. Situations may differ but men and women tend to react in similar ways,” says Vidya.
After ‘Ghanchakkar’ it is second comedy for Vidya, who is often credited for bringing strong women roles in vogue in Bollywood with films like ‘The Dirty Picture’ and ‘Kahaani’.
Vidya, however, says her role in ‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’ is quite different from the loud, obnoxious and sartorially challenged woman she played in ‘Ghanchakkar’. “My character in this film is a regular working woman in a urban, two income household. It is very relatable because you have people around you who are like that. I did not have to prepare much for this film because we know so much about marriage and relationship from everyone around you. This was a familiar territory.”
The trailer has been a hit with dialogues becoming popular and Vidya gives the entire credit to film’s director and the other two scriptwriters –Zeenat Lakhani and Arshad Sayed. “There were two men and one woman to write the dialogues. But we must agree that one woman is equal to two men,” Vidya joked, adding, that the scriptwriters beautifully captured the man-woman perspective in the film. “I think Saket has done a study or has been a detective who has gone into other people’s houses. He has been present at every argument that a couple had,” she said.
The film, a sequel to Saket’s 2006 film ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’, is slated to release on February 28. (PTI)
