Nobody better to play 'Bobby Jasoos' than Vidya: Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza, who has once again donned the producer's hat for thriller "Bobby Jasoos", is confident about her decision to rope in Vidya Balan to play the lead because she feels no other actor could do justice to the role of a detective.



"There is nobody better than Vidya who can play Bobby. I love Vidya as a human being. Her remarkable quality of being rooted with the truth is reflected in every performance. I don't believe anyone else can act, the way she does," Dia said in a group interview here.

Sameer Shaikh will direct "Bobby Jasoos" and it will go on floors Nov 15. The film will release in April next year.

Dia's production banner is named Born Free Entertainment and she co-owns it with Sahil Sangha. Their first film was "Love Breakups Zindagi" in 2011.

Surprising! Dia delaying her marriage because of Vidya

Multiple award winning actress Vidya Balan has excited Dia Mirza so much that the latter has postponed her marriage plans in order to produce Bobby Jasoos with Vidya.

Dia's beau Sahil Sangha has agreed to be patient and wait till the movie is completed in 2014.

`There is no time to tie the knot now ... it can only happen next year,` says the 31-year-old Hyderabad-born actor, who no more gets annoyed on being asked about her wedding plans.

`Annoyed? Why? I mean, I do want to get married, just that I'm too tied up with too many things!` she explains. Ask her how easy or difficult was it to convince Balan, who's known to be very finicky about scripts and Dia says that it's not been difficult at all. `I was very confident about the script and Vidya too loved it at the first go. She was the first and the only actor to whom the film was offered ... it was almost written keeping her in mind,` replies Dia.

Her last offering, Love Breakups Zindagi from her production house Born Free Entertainment in which she had cast herself alongside actor Zayed Khan, failed to create an impact at the box office. So did she choose Balan as a formula for sure shot success? `No. We went for Vidya because she's a fantastic actor, and fits the role best. Vidya owns Bobby Jasoos!` says Dia. Ask her if the character Bobby Jasoos is a take on the hit detective series Agatha Christie, and she dismisses it saying, `Not at all. It's based on a true story.

Vidya furious over her weight debate

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is furious over the debate going on in the media about her weight. `Whys is everyone bothered about my weight? Is it a national issue?` she asks.

In fact Vidya had put on some extra kilos to suit her role in The Dirty Picture (2011) but her new assignment with Emran Hashmi as a flourist requires a slimmer figure, hence she is shedding the extra kilos.

The 35-year old actress is too excited about her new upcoming film Bobby Jasoos in which she acts as a detective. A Sahil Sangha and Dia Mira production is being directed by debutant Samar Shaikh. The movie goes on the floor in November.

Vidya again brand ambassador for Indian film fest of Melbourne

Actress Vidya Balan has appointed the brand ambassador the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for the third time. The actress says it is a matter of pride.

"I am happy that I am the brand ambassador for the festival for the third time. It's a matter of privilege and honour to be part of the festival," Vidya told reporters here Thursday.

"It is very gratifying to get recognition and appreciation for our work and to have that form of a foreign audience in a foreign country makes it all the more special," she added.

Unlike other festivals, this one showcases films from various regions.

"The best part of the festival it doesn't focus on Bollywood... films from various regions are showcased at the festival." 

The festival of Melbourne, set to take place from April 28 to May 3 next year, will introduce four new awards Peoples Choice, Best Direction, Best Performance and Best Film. 

Besides Vidya, filmmakers Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Kabir Khan were also present at the event.

I am not Vidya Balan. I am a hardcore commercial heroine: Ileana

She wowed everyone with her understated performance in her Bollywood debut 'Barfi', but Ileana D'Cruz says she is more comfortable doing hardcore commercial roles

The 25-year-old actress's second film is Rajkumar Santoshi's action-comedy 'Phata Poster Nikhla Hero', which is a departure from her first Hindi film. Ileana feels Bollywood and glamour go hand-in-hand and she is no Vidya Balan to pull off roles like 'Barfi' on regular basis.

"I must admit that if you want to survive in Bollywood, you have to have a certain amount of glamour attached to you other wise it is difficult may be. I can't talk about other actresses but I have relied on glamour in films in the south.

It works. "If you look glamorous, dress well, it works in the film. You can pass off in a film by just looking good. I am not Vidya (Balan). She is great and does not need glamour. I cannot even compare myself to her," Ileana told in an interview.

The actress says she decided to be part of 'Phata Poster...' as she felt people had started taking her too seriously after her portrayal of Shruti in Anurag Basu's 'Barfi' and feared getting typecast.

"I think before 'Barfi' released, I had a feeling that people won't be able to accept me in such a serious role because they have never seen me do something like this before. After the film they started taking me too seriously and I didn't like it.

"I wanted them to understand that I am a commercial heroine. I have done hard core commercial films down south. I think I wanted to get into that space again," said Ileana, who has starred in Telegu superhits like 'Devadasu', 'Pokiri' 'Jalsa', 'Kick' among others. 

In 'Phata Poster...' the actress has been paired opposite Shahid Kapoor. The film will hit theatres this Friday. The film follows the story of Vishwas Rao, an aspiring actor mistaken as a super cop. It comes from the director, who has earlier made hit comedies like 'Andaz Apna Apna' and 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani'. 


"The film takes comedy to another level. Rajji (Santoshi) has got a punchline in every scene. He has got an impeccable comic timing and he is a fabulous actor. I always wanted to do something like that and it is more than I could have asked for," Ileana said. In the film, Ileana says her character finds problems in anything and everything around her and is hence addressed as 'Complaint Kajal'. 

"Kajal is the complete opposite of me. I am a very quiet person. Kajal is very talkative, she just does not know where to stop. She is a little boisterous. She is this self-appointed social worker. She has filed so many complaints that people are fed up of her and call her 'Complaint Kajal'," she said. Ileana has her hands full in Bollywood. 

After 'Phata Poster...', she will be seen opposite Saif Ali Khan in director duo Raj Nidimoru-Krishna DK's romantic comedy 'Happy Ending' and will share screen space with Varun Dhawan in his father David Dhawan's film 'Main Tera Hero'. 

When asked if working in films down south has taken a backseat, Ileana said, "There is no contract that I won't do south films anymore, but as of now I am very busy working here. Life has been pretty full on. "It is out of the question to do films down south. I think when the time is right, when I have some time off from Bollywood and there is some really good offer, I will consider doing films there," she said.