While some people still raise eyebrows over Vidya Balan‘s portrayal in ‘The Dirty Picture‘, most people have openly marvelled at the much-acclaimed actress’ bravado act. It was tough, it was bold, it was something that sent shock waves as it was hatke to her shy and demure girl image that she had sort of developed until then.

Talking about the film to ETimes’ Executive Editor Vinita Dawra Nangia, Vidya touched upon a very important aspect of the role that had still gone unasked: How did her parents react when they saw the film? Vidya said rather candidly, “I was worried about how they would react and was waiting outside the screening room during the interval. I hoped that they wouldn’t tell me: What the hell have you done? But when they came out of the screening, my father actually clapped and said he didn’t see his daughter anywhere in the film. And do you know that everyone around immediately agreed that it was okay to approve of this. As for my mother, she cried when the film ended. It was tough for her to see me die on-screen. More importantly, she said that not for one moment did she feel that I looked cheap, which was a huge compliment coming from her,” adding to point out, “There is a thin line between being sexy and sleazy. But I think, for that, I am grateful to the people I have worked with; they’ve managed to strike a fine balance.”

The fact that Ekta Kapoor’s gut and instinct of casting her in ‘The Dirty Picture’ paid off to amass over Rs 100 crore and Vidya won a National Film Award for it, must have only made the talented actress beam. She has a right to still keep beaming!