Gorgeous Vidya wows MF Husain

Actress Vidya Balan hopes to star in the artist’s film next year. Read on for more...

After Madhuri Dixit, Tabu and Amrita Rao, MF Husain has found a new muse. The 94–year-old artist has reportedly watched

Ishqiya

(2010) 12 times already — he had earlier seen Dixit’s

Hum Aapke Hain Kaun

…! (1994) 70 times—and is

fida

over the gorgeous Vidya Balan. He wants to paint her and wants her in his next directorial venture.

The actress admits that they have spoken and Husain has been extremely generous with his compliments. “I was so overwhelmed when I heard this, I remember reading about him painting Madhuri years ago. And a painting by Husain

saab

would immortalise me, though I don’t know how to react to the word ‘gorgeous’,” Balan laughs.

She admits that though she has been exposed to his art, she hasn’t seen his two earlier films,

Gaja Gamini

(2000) and

Meenaxi—A Tale of Three Cities

(2004). “But I will definitely watch both the films before we meet,” she asserts. “I’d love to work with him and I’m hoping we can get started on the movie by next year.”

Inspiring Sabrina

Meanwhile, Balan who is being felicitated at every award function for

Paa

or

Ishqiya

, has almost wrapped up

No One Killed Jessica

in which she is playing a character reportedly inspired by the late model’s sister Sabrina Lall. Lall, for 11 years, continued with her crusade for justice and was finally vindicated when the accused, Manu Sharma, was found guilty and got a life sentence.

Contrary to rumours, Balan says she hasn’t met Sabrina Lall yet. “She’s never visited the sets, I’d have known if she had, but she’s definitely the face of the Jessica Lall case,” Balan asserts. “Her fight has proved that you have to be the change you want to see in the world.”

In her own way, Balan points out, she too has fought to live and work on her terms. It wasn’t easy veering away from the

conventional stereotype and choosing to do films like

Paa

and

Ishqiya.

“But I defied the rules and today I am in a unique position where little kids address me as ‘

Paa ki maa’

and young men see me as Krishna whose ‘

gaalis

’ are sexy,” she laughs.