Thank You Vidya Balan, For Keeping it Real

If you try looking for Bollywood actresses who have defied the stereotypical body type, good luck! It tells you a lot that your best chance is artificial intelligence (AI): Earlier this year, digital content creator Sahid SK used AI to create images of some of Hindi cinema’s biggest heroines, as though matching stature to size. Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Ananya Pandey, Kiara Advani and others were given bellies, double chins and bat-wing arms, and placed on a red carpet. The comments to the post show a predictable divide. Many found the sight of fat women funny and it inspired in them ‘jokes’ like “Jacque(Lean) Fernandez!” and “Malai-khaa Arora”. Others were left feeling uncomfortable, unable to pinpoint what it was about the post that made it feel like an exercise in fat shaming but sensing negativity in its intent . Did it say more about the viewers than the AI creator when the sight of heroines as large women left people feeling either defensive or triumphant?  

The scarcity of actresses who don’t conform to the mould of thin and statuesque is telling of how unforgiving show business is when it comes to following the rulebook. This is not unique to Hindi cinema, but this industry does have a reputation for being more demanding than many others. The ideal Bollywood body for women is confined to a narrow range and to attempt to broaden it is seen as a death knell for the career. 

And then there’s Vidya Balan. Beautiful, talented and defying the standard body type. Balan is a trailblazer who has embraced her body rather than forced it to fit the demands of the industry, becoming an advocate for body positivity that isn’t skin deep. 

Despite the prevalent fatphobic narratives circulating in the media and the relentless scrutiny placed on the female body, Balan has stood her ground and emphasised the importance of real women, both in terms of how the character she plays is written and how she looks. 

Beauty is as Beauty Does

In an interview with Film Companion for Begum Jaan (2017), Balan described herself as a tigress on a prowl driven by an insatiable hunger for more. Since her debut in Parineeta (2005), she has consistently portrayed characters who lead the film and when she appeared in The Dirty Picture (2011) as the Silk Smitha-inspired Reshma, the fact that she was a larger woman and that she was revelling in projecting a lusty persona felt like a powerful swipe at the film industry’s sexism and narrow-minded take on beauty. 

Balan's roles, from the assertive Avni in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) to the scheming Krishna in Ishqiya (2010) and the resolute Sabrina in No One Killed Jessica (2011), have been characterised by substance and complexity. They’ve resonated with the audience because of the compelling narratives they tell and the interiority that Balan brought to these roles. It also helped that Balan ensured these looked credibly real — not plain, not frumpy, but beautiful with real bodies, rather than sculpted, artifice-rich perfection. 

Balan's dedication to bringing characters with substance to screen has played a key part in pushing the Hindi film industry to write better roles for women. While it’s true that we have a long way to go when it comes to writing women for the screen, it’s equally true that we’ve come a long way from the stereotype-ridden, inherently sexist flatness that underscored Hindi film writing in the past, particularly in the Eighties and Nineties. Yet, when it comes to how the on-screen women looks, the demands have become arguably more rigid over time.  

The industry underwent a significant shift with the entry of Zeenat Aman in 1971 who brought forth a "modern" and "Western" body type, introducing fitness as something that lent sex appeal and a broader theme of modernisation. The exercise routines of actresses would become a favourite subject for women’s magazines. A watershed moment in our adoration of thinness came with Tashan (2008), when Kareena Kapoor Khan’s figure ushered in the size-zero craze. The next shift came with Katrina Kaif, and her sculpted ab lines. Choreographer and director Farah Khan is said to have put Kaif on a stringent diet before shooting the song, "Sheila Ki Jawani" (Tees Maar Khan, 2010) and the popularity of that song paved the way for "Chikni Chameli" (Agneepath, 2012) and "Kamli" (Dhoom 3, 2013). Kaif eventually debuted her washboard abs in "Kaala Chashma" (Baar Baar Dekho, 2016). In addition to being unachievable for most mortals, these new benchmarks of fitness arguably shifted the focus away from the actresses’ acting performances. 

Pioneering Plus-Size Representation

Balan's Silk Smitha-inspired role in The Dirty Picture redefined the industry's idea of what “works” and cemented Balan's stature as an actor who is both bankable and talented. Balan put on weight to look voluptuous, trained in different dance styles and worked hard to capture the essence of the iconic Southern siren in a way that didn’t reduce her in any way. 

Balan's performance was called “bold” not just because of the sexual content, but because it dared to talk about what lay in the underbelly of the glitz and glamour. The Dirty Picture made history by becoming the first female-led film to cross Rs. 100 crores mark at the box office. It proved that audiences were ready for narratives that placed the female protagonist at the forefront. The film not only celebrated Balan's exceptional acting prowess but also marked a turning point in Bollywood, opening doors for more diverse and women-centric storytelling. 

Balan's impact shines even brighter when you throw other actresses into the mix who briefly flirted with breaking the mould. Remember Sonakshi Sinha's debut Dabangg (2010)? The buzz was real — finally, a leading lady with some curves. But lo and behold, Sinha underwent a dramatic transformation, and suddenly, the talk went back to the worn-out "fat to fit" celebration. Then there was Huma Qureshi, who made a splash with Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). But she found herself typecast into smaller films, leaving us wanting more. Qureshi has given some memorable performances like Monica, O My Darling (2022), but she is far from being a bankable star. Just last year, Sinha and Qureshi collaborated on Double XL to celebrate plus-size bodies. Spoiler alert: they weren't exactly "plus-size," and the film stumbled on basic technical grounds. 

Meanwhile Balan, a true chameleon, has stuck to her mantra. She effortlessly transforms, morphing into characters without bowing to the whole "fat to fit" drama. Whether she’s an innocent house-wife who becomes an RJ for a late-night show in Tumhari Sulu (2017) or an influential journalist in Jalsa (2022), these women power narratives and look real. 

Be the Change

Despite many women challenging the norms of conventional beauty in the business of glamour — we've got Lily Gladstone and Da’vine Joy Randolph rocking the Oscar nomination list this year — and delivering powerhouse performances, the resistance to platforming non-thin bodies as beautiful is surprisingly staunch. Given there is not one plus-sized or even overweight heroine in mainstream Hindi cinema, Bollywood has clearly been slower to adapt than Hollywood. Balan stands out because she’s refusing to play the punchline and demanding roles that remind both the industry and audiences what beauty looks like in real women. 

Balan's journey in Bollywood has been nothing short of extraordinary, proving a woman's talent is more impactful than the superficial standards imposed by society. The society is changing, and thankfully, Balan is right there, leading the charge.