Vidya Balan opened up about her experience of working in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta (2005) recently and recalled an instance when she gave 28 takes just to perfectly time a teardrop for a scene. The actor also shared some anecdotes from the film where she starred alongside Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan.
Speaking about director Pradeep’s attention to detail, Vidya said, “He could do a hundred takes, not just for performances, but even to get pigeons flying at the right moment or leaves falling outside the window at exactly the right time. He believed there was rhythm in everything. Once, I did 28 takes just to get a teardrop timed perfectly to a line in a song. That was the kind of precision he demanded. His guidance taught me to observe, to absorb, and to respect every detail in the craft. Even my hair stylist Shalaka, who’s been with me for 20 years, learned from Dada the importance of balance and detailing. That was his gift to all of us.”
She shared a funny anecdote from the set, about working on a scene with Sanjay. The two of them were sitting at a table, and just as Pradeep called ‘action’, the table began to tremble. Knowing that Vidya had a habit of doing so, the director told her not to do it. “Because he didn’t want to embarrass me in front of Sanju, he would quietly come and tell me, ‘You’re shaking your leg on camera.’ And I’d say, ‘No Dada, I’m not. I wouldn’t do that on camera.’ But he kept firing me—take after take, after 12 takes! Then something happened. I looked down and I saw Sanjay Dutt shaking his leg. I called Dada and said, ‘Tell Sanjay Dutt—it’s he who is shaking his leg, I’m not!’ It was so funny. Then Dada had to very cautiously go and tell Sanju, ‘Sir, you’re shaking your leg and the table is also shaking,” Vidya said.
Speaking about Saif, Vidya said that he used to sunbathe on the top of his van and she has the distinct memory of seeing him sitting there. The actor also recalled the time when Saif’s mother, Sharmila Tagore came on the set. “I absolutely love her. I was over the moon. We both greeted each other like we knew each other, and Saif—I’ll never forget his expression—he turned around and said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know you knew each other.’ And I said, ‘I know her, she doesn’t know me. That moment still makes me smile. Saif’s just got a crazy sense of humour. He’d crack us up with his one-liners, and I love that about him,” Vidya added.
As Parineeta completes 20 years, it is set to be re-released in theatres with a new restored version on August 29.
The film is produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, whose production house is the first in India to restore its entire film library in 8K resolution, with soundtracks remastered in 5.1 surround sound—a process that took over four years to complete. Part of this restoration work was carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, a globally acclaimed lab known for restoring cinematic classics.