Actress Vidya Balan, celebrated for her captivating performances, recently shared a fascinating anecdote about the beginning of her Bollywood career. She revealed that her debut film, Parineeta (2005), was offered to her in the most serendipitous of settings – amidst the electrifying atmosphere of an Enrique Iglesias concert in Mumbai back in 2004.
Recounting the memorable night to Bombay Times, Vidya painted a vivid picture of how destiny intervened. “My friend Pavitra and I were at Enrique’s concert in Mumbai in 2004, when director Pradeep Sarkar called me to offer Parineeta,” she shared. “We were trying to inch closer to the stage; my phone was off, and Enrique had gone off the stage between the songs. We were hoping to get to the front by the time he comes back to perform, and hoping he pulls me on stage.” It was then that Sarkar, unable to reach her directly, contacted Pavitra. “He asked her, ‘Vidya kahan hai?’ Pavitra handed the phone to me,” Vidya recalled.
The conversation that followed was pivotal. Director Pradeep Sarkar informed her that Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted to speak with her. Initially hesitant due to the concert’s noise, Vidya was urged by Chopra to find a quieter spot. “By then, Mr Chopra came on the line and told me, ‘Vidya Balan, you need to get out of that venue and reach a quieter place where you can speak,’” she said.
As fate would have it, as Vidya and Pavitra made their way towards the exit, Vidhu Vinod Chopra delivered the career-changing news: “You are my Parineeta.” Simultaneously, Enrique Iglesias returned to the stage, performing his hit song Hero. The coincidence was not lost on Vidya. “For me to receive this news when that song played, I couldn’t stop crying. My hands and legs were trembling. It is undoubtedly one of the most special moments of my life,” she expressed.
Reflecting on the experience, Vidya found a poetic symmetry in the events. “I got my big movie break at Enrique’s concert,” she laughed. “It almost felt like the birth of me as a heroine happened at his show while he sang Hero.” If she were to dedicate a song to her idol, she’d choose “Piyu Bole” from Parineeta, calling it “poetic justice.”
Meanwhile, Enrique Iglesias is set to return to Mumbai for concerts on October 29 and 30, marking his first performance in India in over a decade, much to the excitement of fans nationwide.