Mission successful

Vidya Balan is a genre. She has turned every stereotype of the Hindi film heroine on its head. Right from the beginning, she’s been the woman among the girls, the actor among the stars. Refusing to be pigeonholed into the blinkered notion of an actress, she’s broken free from formula. Refusing to conform to the anorexic definition of beauty, she’s comfortable celebrating her curves. To those who believe married actresses are archival material, hers is a renaissance worth documenting. Her protagonists are about dreams and dilemmas. Of ordinary women who embrace extraordinary experiences. Wowing audiences as scientist Tara Shinde in her latest hit, Mission Mangal, she’s now prepping to play math wizard, the late Shakuntala Devi… Excerpts…

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