I was apprehensive about abusive lingo in ‘Ishqiya’: Vidya

Mouthing expletives for her role in “Ishqiya” embarrassed Vidya Balan as she says she never uses foul language in real life.

“Oh! I was very apprehensive while using those slangs. I have never used them in my real life but I had to because the script demanded. When you will see this movie, you will understand that it is justified. The movie belongs to a certain terrain where slangs are part of their lingo,” Vidya told IANS in an interview.

The actress also revealed that she never rehearsed on the sets because of the heavy dose of slangs in the dialogue.

“I never rehearsed on the sets as I used to feel awkward. So I used to come prepared on the sets and once the director used to say action, I used to forget everything and everyone.

“All my inhibitions used to go away and I used to deliver my dialogues perfectly. This is what happens to me when the camera starts rolling,” said Vidya, who was in the capital for the launch of designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s first store here.

Set in eastern Uttar Pradesh, “Ishqiya” is a tale of romance between individuals caught in a web of crime, suspense, passion and deceit. Directed by first time director Abhishek Chaubhey and produced by Vishal Bharadwaj, the film also stars Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah.

In “Ishqiya”, Vidya is paired with Arshad and plays a village woman.

“As I am playing a rural girl, my look is very much deglamourised so that I look like my character Krishna. It is an interesting role with many shades,” said Vidya.

Dismissing rumours that some parts of “Ishqiya” are being re-shot, she said: “I don’t understand where people get these baseless news. It is complete nonsense.”

The actress, who has featured in movies like “Parineeta”, “Heyy Babyy” and “Bhool Bhulaiyaa”, will soon be seen in “Paa” in which she plays superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s mother and Abhishek’s wife.

Talking about the movie, Vidya said that she thanks director R. Balakrishnan for convincing her to do this role.

“It was Balki’s (Balakrishnan) conviction to convince me to do this role. When I read the script, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do this. But all thanks to Balki, I am proud that I am a part of this project,” she said.

Releasing Dec 4, “Paa” is an emotional story of a father-son relationship and Amitabh will be seen as Abhishek’s 13-year-old son Auro who is suffering from a rare disease, progeria, which accelerates ageing.

Sonia, Rahul Gandhi all set to campaign in East UP

Lucknow, Mar 31 (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi will be campaigning for party candidates in eastern Uttar Pradesh from April 3 onwards.

Uttar Pradesh will go to Lok Sabha polls in the first phase.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi will be addressing election rallies at Maharajganj, Kushinagar and Robertsganj on April 3 and Sonia Gandhi would be campaigning for party candidates in Basgaon, Salempur and Varanasi on April 5.

Both Rahul and Sonia are likely to file their nomination papers from Amethi and Rae Bareilly constituencies on April 4 and April 6 respectively, sources said.

While Union Minister of state for small and medium industries Mahavir Prasad is contesting from Basgaon seat, senior party leader Bhola Pandey is contesting from Salempur.

Ramadhar Joseph, Harshvardhan and RPN Singh are contesting from Robertsganj, Maharajganj and Kushinagar seats respectively.

Sitting MP Rajesh Mishra would stand for the Varanasi constituency.

The elections in Uttar Pradesh would be held in five phases: April 16, 23, 30 and May 7 and May 13. (ANI)

Polluted River Ami poses an environmental threat to people of eastern UP

Gorakhpur, Mar 15 (ANI): People in Gorakhpur have lodged complaints about several ailments that they suffer from because of the polluted Ami river that flows through the district.

The industrial waste and chemicals flowing in the waters have not only proved lethal for animals, but also to villagers living on its banks.

“Earlier, we used to take bath, wash our utensils and cook food using this water. But now we will die if we drink this water. All the animals have started dying after drinking this water. A lot of diseases have spread due to this water,” said Vishwa Vijay Singh, a resident.

The waters of the Ami River flows across eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Siddarthnagar, Basti and Gorakhpur Districts.

It has been referred to in Buddhist era texts, and said to be on the verge of extinction. Units located in the Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA), which do not have purification plants, are the main cause of pollution in the river.

“Among all the rivers in our area, Ami’s water is the most polluted. Common diseases like diarrhoea are caused due to polluted water. Therefore Ami’s water is really harmful for the people of that area,” said Trilok Ranjan, a doctor.

Several campaigns were initiated in the past to save the Ami, but the continued apathy of the authorities has resulted in further deterioration of the river.

Residents allege that the government’s pollution control bodies have taken no initiative. Industrial units attached to GIDA provide employment to a section of villagers who do not raise their voices against the pollution.

Other villagers have formed committees to make the river pollution-free and this campaign is gathering momentum. (ANI)