Is it possible for two actresses to become and remain friends? Ask Vidya Balan and Raima Sen who are as thick as thieves.
The friendship, which started during the making of Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta, has been cemented further during the long outdoor shooting of Eklavya in Rajasthan.
Says Vidya: "There are undercurrents of hostility when two women work together in any profession. And why just women? Even men are very competitive. But with Raima I shared an absolutely cool relationship. We hit it off like a house on fire from day one during Parineeta.
"During Eklavya in Rajasthan, we both had a lot of free time on hand. Raima and I got a chance to spend a lot of time together. I can tell you one thing for sure, Raima is the only friend I have in the industry. All my other friends are from outside the film industry."
While Vidya thinks it is almost impossible to make friends within the industry, Raima disagrees.
Says Raima: "Of course, two actresses can be friends. Jealousy and insecurities do crop up between two actresses. But Vidya and I trust each other and feel comfortable working together. I got along very well with Aishwarya Rai during
Chokher
Bali
. In fact I have lots of friends within the industry. But Vidya is my favourite.
"There is no jealousy between us at all. She believes whatever has to come her way will come no matter what. She is, therefore, not competitive at all with me. We know we have our own places. We love working together. Vidya loves and pampers me. We are alike in many ways. We do a lot of childish stuff together."
It is not the first time two actresses have got along so well together. Esha Deol and Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta also used to be friends... until they became professional rivals.