Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is known to stand out from the crowd however, it was not all hunky-dory for the actress initially as she was criticised for her looks and dressing sense and later, with time, was hailed as the hero of her films after she began choosing films with strong scripts.

However, in a recent interview, Vidya said that she felt like she was sidelined when it came to starring in films with male superstars. Vidya said, "At some point, I felt I’m not being considered for mainstream A-lister superstar films. But I was enjoying the content and being the whole and soul of a film so much that I did choose this over that. But look at it, Mission Mangal has happened and it’s not just a romantic lead. It’s a prominent role and this is how I’d like it anyway."

Though Vidya has collaborated with Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan earlier in her career but ever since she featured in Ishqiya alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi in 2010, Vidya appeared in films with comparatively smaller budgets.

It was not before last year’s Mission Mangal that she featured with an A list male actor. Based on India’s mission to Mars, the film was headlined by Akshay Kumar and had five female actors, including Vidya, in pivotal roles.

On the work front, Vidya will soon be seen in the lead role in a biopic on mathematician Shakuntala Devi. The film also features Sanya Malhotra and Jisshu Sengupta alongside Vidya and is directed by Anu Menon. She also has Amit Masurkar’s Sherni in her kitty.