I’ve yet to look my best in films: Vidya

She's back in town, hair styled short. Bhool Bhulaiyaa is her fifth release of the year. It's been pretty hectic, living in and out of hotel suites and suitcases. Aah, so now there is trade talk that she's cutting down on work and focusing on one project at a time. That has her gritting her teeth though. En route to a studio, Vidya Balan clears the air with Roshmila Bhattacharya.

With Halla Bol scheduled for release soon, that'll be your sixth for the year.. so how's it been?

It's a huge compliment to be compared to Aamir but please, it's not true. I've only just started out. It would be foolish to cut down on work at this point.

Why the fleeting appearance in Eklavya and the two-three scene role in Guru? Even Salaam-e-Ishq was just one track amongst six while Halla Bol is reported to be Ajay's Devgan's film.

I didn't want to miss out on the opportunities of working with Raj Kumar Santoshi, Mani Ratnam or my mentor Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Well, Vinod Chopra's Eklavya is off to the Oscars on a wave of controversy.

It's a matter of pride for any film to be in the contention for the Oscar. I hope we win. Mr Chopra's films have always been way ahead of the times, even Khamosh and Parinda. On the court case, I don't want to say anything much since the matter is sub judice, except that in a creative field, things are always very subjective. You can like Shah Rukh Khan and I could be an Aamir fan, but that doesn't make either of the Khans any lesser an actor.

Despite the denials, the references to Rajnikant's Chandramukhi or the original Malayalam film Mani Chitra Thazhu still crop up in connection with Bhool Bhulaiyaa? Your performance is bound to be compared with the National Award-winning one by Shobhana in the Malayalam film.

Meena Kumari was Bimal Roy's Parineeta, but no one dared to compare my performance with hers. It's the same with Shobhana. She's special, in a different league altogether.

If I can come up with even 10 per cent of what she did in Mani Chitra Thazhu, it'll be an achievement. We've tried to make a good film, and despite what everyone says it's original.

What was more difficult-the dancing or the acting?

The acting wasn't half as challenging as the dancing. Like any South Indian kid, I too had trained in classical dance, but then I lost touch. Priyan sir (director Priyadarshan) signed me on knowing this. I worked for a year with my guru Sharada whenever I could spare the time.