There should have been consultation with the students of FTII: Vidya Balan

Times are changing -both inside the film industry and outside as well. And actress Vidya Balan considers herself as an agent of that change. In a telephonic interview, she spoke to us about breaking gender stereotypes, her apparent connection to Bengal, views on the FTII controversy and more. Excerpts:
Be it the films you do or the brands you endorse, all of them give out a social message.Is there a conscious effort on your part to take up projects like that?
My work is an extension of my belief. I have always tried to stick to my beliefs. In our country , everybody is judged for what they are and what they are not. Women are often judged for their appearances. I have never restricted myself to the brackets that generations before us have specified as `Indian women'. In whatever I have done so far, I have tried to send out this message -`You are beautiful the way you are. Don't let judgment affect you.'
How cruelly have you been judged?
I usually tend to forget the cruelest judgments. I had to face a lot of criticism for wearing saris. The general mindset was that sari is less modern, less glamorous, and an actress donning the sari regularly will only lose out on glam roles. But I didn't care. I did not start wearing saris because I was trying to make a statement. I continued doing what I felt like and now, the sari is on everybody's mind. Also, I ended up getting a wide variety of roles which, for me, were really exciting.
Recently, you have featured alongside three Bengali actresses in a commercial.And Bengali women have always been perceived as beautiful. Do you think it is their appearance that helps them bag so many roles in Bollywood or is there real talent?
It's a combination of both. Look at Suchitra Sen, Rakhi Gulzar, Rani Mukerji... You only make a name for yourself only when you can connect with the audience. And these people have managed to do that. Surely , that wasn't just because they were pretty! Look at Madhabi Mukherjee... People tell me I resemble her in some ways. For me, that is one of the biggest compliments ever! So yes, Bengali women are pretty , but they are amazing actresses too.
How many times have you been told that you have Bengali facial features?
Oh, innumerable times. Right from the time of Parineeta, people have mistaken me for a Bengali. I have always taken that in my stride because I think Bengali women are really strongwilled. In fact, I have always been surrounded by such strong women, who have greatly influenced the choices I made in life.
Do you watch a lot of Bengali movies?
Absolutely. I have watched all of Ray. I have watched classics like Antony Firingee, Sanyasi Raja.... I have watched contemporary ones like Antaheen, Goynar Baksho et al. I try to watch most of Tony's (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) films. The last Bengali film I watched was Jaatishwar.
The raging issue that has rocked the film industry is Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the FTII chief. You are on the reconstituted council of the institution. What is your take on this?
To be honest, I really haven't received any communication from FTII except for an official letter informing me of my induction in the council. There was a meeting, but I couldn't make myself available for it. And I think, it will be very premature on my part to comment on this situation before I get a chance to talk to the council, the governing body or the students. But I seriously think there should have been some consultation with the students, the lack of which has triggered this agitation. I think arts should be associated with people. And as far as the appointments in the field of any arts discipline are concerned -be it theatre, film or music -it should be done in consultation with people from the arts fraternity . In this case, everybody has been throwing their opinions at each other. Before I give mine, I would like to talk to everybody involved in this.