Vidya Balan: BOBBY JASOOS is the fastest film I've confirmed

The last time when she played a rebel, she scored a
blockbuster with THE DIRTY PICTURE. She went on
to challenge the powers that be in KAHAANI and
emerged triumphant there too. Never mind her light
hearted takes in GHANCHAKKAR and SHAADI KE SIDE
EFFECTS, now that Vidya is returning in a central role
again, one expects BOBBY JASOOS to be special too.
You seem to be in a challenging mode all over again
by playing a female detective in a man's world.
Does that make me a rebel though? No, not all,
though perhaps I am being a non-conformist for
sure. To be playing a girl of marriageable age from a
modest Muslim household and being a detective, that
too amateur, is interesting for sure. I think all of that
makes the film different from typical detective films
for sure. Moreover, the film is set in the old city of
Hyderabad which has a very vibrant culture;
something which you would see in every frame. It
brings its own vivaciousness with it.
You just mentioned 'an amateur detective'. In a world
where 'True Detective' and 'Sherlock Holmes' are the
staple diet of many a television/film loving audience,
how does BOBBY JASOOS fit it?
This is the very USP of the film since Bobby is not
trained. She learns on the job despite the fact that
she is not the sharpest of them all. The best of it is
that she knows that too. Still, she has a childlike
innocence and enthusiasm in her when she is solving
a case. Every time she makes a discovery, it’s an
unbelievable moment for her.
Was it an easy choice for you to make through when
the film came your way? After all, the genre is still
pretty much unexplored in Bollywood.
Honestly, when Atul Kasbekar (his company Bling
handles my work) told me that Dia (Mirza) and Sahil
(Sangha) wanted to meet me for BOBBY JASOOS, in
my head I said to myself, 'Oh my God, they either
want me to play the lady love of a detective or turn
into a character a la Kitty of 'Karamchand'. Since I
have always shared such a warm equation with Dia, I
was scared how I would say no. She is such a lovely
girl and to say no to a known person is always such
a difficult thing. Of course, eventually I was hooked
though and said yes to them in one month flat. That
is also the fastest I have confirmed a film (smiles)!