Vidya Refuses To Gain Weight To Play Silk Smitha

Mumbai: There has been a change in No One Killed Jessica actor Vidya Balan's weight gain plan for her role in Milan Luthria's Dirty Picture. In the film, Balan plays 1970s South bombshell Silk Smitha. The weight will be faked, we are now informed. Make-up artistes and cosmeticians have been called in to make Balan look voluptuous. The reason? Real weight gain is out of the question because Balan's "sensitive metabolism" won't allow her to lose it in time for her next project.

The Dirty Picture, a biopic on Silk Smitha, is being produced by Ekta Kapoor. Kapoor, said a source, "has an exact mental picture of what Vidya should look like, since she has seen her father Jeetendra shoot with Silk Smitha." "Vidya needed to put on a considerable amount of weight but now that seems out of the question since she has no time to gain weight for the part and lose it before she starts her next film. Also her sensitive metabolism doesn't permit a rapid loss or gain of weight," the source added.

Ekta Kapoor confirmed the change in plan. "We are (Balan and Kapoor) meeting as soon as I return to Mumbai. We might decide to use prosthetics. Unfortunately, there's no time for Vidya to put on weight. Her dates needed to be matched with Naseeruddin Shah's, Emran Hashmi's and Tusshar Kapoor's, and we cannot wait for her body to change naturally," said Kapoor, from Chandigarh.

However, Kapoor is certain that Balan can pull of a Smitha, even without actual weight gain. "Vidya is one of the most talented actors today. She has the ability to play characters she does not physically match. Vidya doesn't look anything like Silk Smitha, yet she's the only one I could think of while casting for the role. I think Smitha was liberated and possessed no guile. She was totally oblivious of her sexual power. She never knew what she did to men. She just did what came naturally to her. That sense of innocence and vulnerability is unique. Vidya can project that innocent sensuousness best," said Kapoor.

Kapoor also aims to comment on South Indian cinema's penchant for sleaze, especially back in the '70s. "I think The Dirty Picture will be India's Boogie Nights. It should win a lot of awards. It is different from other biopics in that it isn't just about being inspirational. Most biopic characters are super achievers, so the audience can't identify with them. In The Dirty Picture, however, the audience will feel for Silk Smitha and her vulnerability. It's the chinks in her armour that make the character human."