Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has been supporting education amongst underprivileged girls by helping NGO Nanhi Kali, which currently supports 37,000 girls in urban, rural and tribal areas. She has helped to launch two new animated characters, Fafa and Juno, who will appear on the Spacetoon TV channel and associated merchandising. Spacetoon claims to have 200 million viewers worldwide. Vidya will also be supporting some girls herself through the programme. “I am not comfortable talking about it but yes I do plan to finance the education of a few girls,” she admitted, “It’s amazing how many girls can get educated for a measly sum of money. It’s a small thing to do especially when I have been given so much.”
Kerala-born Vidya has a remarkably busy schedule ahead of her this year, including some fascinating films such as Ishqiya with Naseruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi and Chenab Gandhi. This latter film stars Amitabh Bachchan and is about the Pashtun pacifist and freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, often referred to as the Frontier Gandhi. It’s rumoured that John Abraham might play the role of the younger Khan.
Vidya is also having a whale of a time at the moment shooting for Pa which includes both father and son Bachchans. “I have been shooting for Pa. We did a shooting schedule in Mumbai and outside it had Mr Bachchan and Abhishek. They’re keeping me busy,” she confirms.
