A National Film and Padma Shri awardee, Vidya Balan is known for her acting skills and bold choices. From Dirty Picture and Kahaani to Ishqiya and Parineeta, the actor has moulded herself impeccably to fit the role and convincingly played her part.
But did you know that she got her big break in Bollywood during an Enrique Iglesias's concert? Ahead of the singer's concert in Mumbai, on October 29 and 30, 2025, Vidya opened up about the story of how she got the lead role in Parineeta with Bombay Times.
Vidya Balan Received Director Pradeep Sarkar's Call At Enrique's Concert
Recalling the incident, Vidya Balan said, "My friend Pavitra and I were at Enrique's concert in Mumbai in 2004, when director Pradeep Sarkar called me to offer Parineeta."
"We were trying to inch closer to the stage; my phone was off, and Enrique had gone off the stage between the songs. We were hoping to get to the front by the time he comes back to perform, and hoping he pulls me on stage," she added.
Around this time, Pradeep Sarkar called her, but he couldn't get through, so he called Pavitra. He asked her, "Vidya kahan hai?"
When Pavitra handed her the phone, Sarkar asked her to walk out of the concert to a quieter place where director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra could speak to her.
"VVC told me then, 'You are my Parineeta,' and by then Enrique had come back on stage and sang Hero. While the song was always special to me, this moment sealed the deal for me," she remembered.
"For me to receive this news when that song played, I couldn't stop crying. My hands and legs were trembling. It is undoubtedly one of the most special moments of my life," Vidya told the publication.
Vidya Balan Is Looking Forward To Enrique Iglesias's Concert
"I got my big movie break at Enrique's concert. So, when people ask me if I am going to his concert, I jokingly say...I completed 20 years in the movies. No wonder he's coming back to celebrate that!" the actor joked.
"It almost felt like the birth of me as a heroine happened at his show while he sang Hero. You feel these moments happen only in the movies, but it happened to me in real life," Vidya added.
"I am looking forward to reliving that moment when I watch him live again." Ask if she'd dedicate any song to him, and she adds, "If I were to dedicate one of my songs to Enrique, it would be Piyu Bole from Parineeta. That would be poetic justice." the actor concluded.
Ahead of Enrique's concert, reports are circulating that the singer would be meeting Shah Rukh Khan and indulging in Mumbai's iconic vada pav and every North Indian's favourite rajma chawal.
