Bollywood luminary Vidya Balan recalled her initial encounter with nepotism in the industry, which took place during an awards ceremony following the release of her film ‘Heyy Babyy’ in 2007.
In a recent podcast conversation, Vidya Balan revealed that she faced nepotism in Bollywood when she was ‘bullied’ at the Filmfare Awards 2008, despite having a successful previous year.
Balan was awarded the ‘Na-Real’ award for her costumes in Sajid Khan’s ‘Heyy Babyy’, a decision she questioned as she felt her clothing choices weren’t solely her own.
However, Balan was the only one to receive the awkward trophy as a fellow actor who was supposed to share it backed out at the last moment.
She still chose to name the director and costume designer, which led to repercussions within the industry.
Reflecting on the incident, Balan admitted feeling shattered and alone, realizing the impact of not coming from a film family.
When asked if it felt like ‘bullying’, she affirmed, “Undoubtedly, it was.”
‘Heyy Babyy’, co-starring Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, and Boman Irani, was a critical and commercial success.
Currently, Balan’s new film ‘Do Aur Do Pyaar’, a rom-com directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta and featuring Ileana D’Cruz, Pratik Gandhi, and Sendhil Ramamurthy, hit theaters on April 19.
