Vidya Balan: 'As a nation, we did not have a religious identity before, but now I don’t know why'

Vidya Balan, who is seen sharing screen space with Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy in the recently released film Do Aur Do Pyaar, shared her perspective about the growing religious polarisation in India and how people are desperately searching for a sense of identity, mentioning that our nation did not have a religious identity before.
During her interview with Unfiltered by Samdish, when Vidya was asked whether India has become more polarised in terms of religion, she said, “I feel we are definitely more polarised. As a nation, we did not have a religious identity before, but now I don’t know why… It’s not just politics, it is also social media, because we are all lost in this world and looking for an identity, which we don’t have organically, we are looking for things to attach ourselves to.”
Vidya went on to highlight the trend of people searching for affiliations to define themselves, whether through religion or wokeness. She noted that social media has played a role in making this polarisation even worse, mentioning that 'we are lonelier than ever.' "At a very superficial level, we are attaching ourselves to ideas and concepts conveniently… The world is polarised today, it is not just one country,” she added.

Despite her deep spirituality and daily puja rituals, Vidya revealed her preference for directing philanthropic efforts towards areas like healthcare, sanitation, and education rather than donating to religious institutions. She explained, “If someone asks me for a donation to build a religious structure, I never donate. I say if you are building a hospital, a school, or a toilet, I will happily contribute. But not to anymore religious institutions.”

Vidya also expressed caution regarding political commentary, citing concerns over potential backlash and the impact on film projects. “Politics se bohot darr lagta hai, phir humko ban-van kardege toh (I am very afraid of politics; they might ban or blacklist us). It hasn’t happened with me, thankfully, but now actors have are wary about talking about politics because you don’t know who will get offended. Especially around the release of a film, it is the work of 200 people at stake, so I just say keep me away from politics. This has been happening because of social media, people take offense over everything. They give their inputs even on matters they don’t know much about. So it’s best to zip your mouth and keep working," she remarked.