Vidya Balan who’s a born Tamilian, has a soft corner for
Bengali culture
and traditions. She’s played a Bengali woman on screen multiple times so much that many think that she hails from the state. In a recent chat with us, Vidya opened up about how she got influenced by the culture in her 20s and also began to speak Bengali quite well.
The actress also loves Bengali music and when it comes to traditions, she loves the sound of dhak.
As we caught up with her recently to celebrate Durga Puja, the Bhool Bhulaiyaa actress picked up a
dhak
and learnt to play it from the dhakis who had arrived from Kolkata there.
About her love for the musical instrument, Vidya said, “I love the sound of dhak, not just during pujo, but any time of the year. I was shooting an ad film in Kolkata recently at Rajbari Bawali and in the evening they had the aarti in the temple. I was tired and done for the day, yet I ran out of my room to see what was happening. The sound of the musical instrument infuses one with so much energy and I always want to dance to the dhak.”
Talking about her love for all things Bengali, Vidya had earlier told us, “There’s something about the Bengali culture that just feels very familiar. I visited Kolkata for the first time only in 2003, but the moment I went there, it felt like this was also home. I’ve also shot a lot of important films of my career including Bhalo Theko, Parineeta, Kahaani, Kahani 2 and Te3n in Kolkata. I think Satyajit Ray also has a role to play in my love for Bengali culture. I’ve watched a lot of Bengali films. I couldn’t have imagined that my film debut would be in the land of Ray. I didn’t get an opportunity to work with him, but I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I look like one of his favourites, Madhabi Mukherjee (laughs)!”
