Choosing strong yet nuanced characters: an analysis of Vidya Balan’s roles

A single, working mother to a child with Progeria, an aspiring actress with humble beginnings and not-so-humble struggles, a mathematician with a life as complex as the equations she deals in, a grieving sister fighting for justice on behalf of her murdered sibling– might sound like a mix of characters too eccentric to fit a single list. However, they all fit one actress who has given us some of the most genuine, layered, and versatile female characters of Bollywood in recent times. 

Mostly known for some of her mass successes such as "Kahaani" and "The Dirty Picture", Vidya Balan has played a wide range of roles in many films over the years, although way less acknowledged and appreciated due to the lack of commercial spotlight. Her choice of stories that are empowering without marginalising certain groups of women and setting unrealistic standards is always a refresher. And they had been, even before Bollywood recently jumped on the bandwagon of pushing token feminism for the sake of reviving their largely misogynistic on-screen presence. 

In "Paa", "Tumhari Sulu", and "Shakuntala Devi", Vidya respectively takes on the role of a working mother with a special child, a full time homemaker and mother who later pursues a dream, and a full time mathematician who later becomes a mother. This idea of motherhood that she portrays under multifaceted circumstances, in turn creates a space for the kind of stories and journeys we don't generally concern with the typical mother in a movie/show because of the way they are conventionally represented. 

In "Shakuntala Devi", prosperous Shakuntala grows up hating her Amma who she deems 'powerless' and 'weak'. She's seen reflecting the same values on her daughter and failing to understand her all throughout her life. During the build up, this entire dynamic feels like a mother-daughter relationship at first, but then dives into the disparity between the struggles women from different social classes encounter, and explores it with prowess in regards to its generational continuity. 

"Tumhari Sulu", on the other hand, shows Vidya as curious, soft spoken Sulu as a mother and homemaker in a typical middle class family, constantly berated by her working sisters about her incapabilities. When she starts chasing something she loves doing while also managing her household, the same people turn against her and blame her for not caring about her family. It's stunning how subtly her presence as Sulu brought up the culture of constantly pointing fingers at women for every choice they make. 

Balan as Sabrina in "No One Killed Jessica", Vidya Bagchi in "Kahaani", and Silk in "The Dirty Picture" is just as memorable as the previous ones. Silk's headstrong, rebellious streak and the way she securely takes power in her own sexuality despite being a heavily sexualised icon in an evidently male dominated film industry, speaks volumes about the nuance of her character. Sabrina's fight for Jessica, brave as it was, also included the failures, the grief, and the helplessness of the situation; fairly devoid of any attempt to unrealistically portray an invulnerable character in the face of crisis.

The obsession with "Strong Female Characters'' on screen who are supposed to break out of the conventional box for gender roles is valid. Yet, impactful representation does not sprout from taking the female characters from one unrealistic template and dumping them in another un-relatable one. One that either defines a powerful woman as inhumanly immune to everything with no emotions, or uses her to put down other women with different choices.

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Vidya has played a mother, a daughter, and  a sister in almost all her films, and yet she was her individual self with a separate identity, one many often forget to associate with women in general; both on-screen, and mostly off-screen. Her characters are a prime example of the strong women we would love to see more of on screen; ones we can relate to, without having to see any part of their boldness or subtlety, strength or tenderness being downplayed.