Despite her current status as a powerhouse in the Hindi film industry, Vidya Balan has encountered her fair share of challenges, including the pervasive issue of nepotism. During an episode of the podcast Unfiltered with Samdish, Vidya disclosed being a victim of nepotism, notably when she received the Na-Real award at the 2008 Filmfare Awards for her costumes in Sajid Khan's 2007 buddy comedy Heyy Babyy.
“When they told me they're going to give me the Na-Real award, I said, ‘Why me? My clothes are not just my choice, right?’ At that time, I was too new to have an opinion on anything. So they said, ‘No, we’re just doing this fun segment so we're going to give you this award.' So I said, ‘Fine, but I’m going to share it with the costume designer and the director, and they said, ‘No, you mustn’t do that.' And that, I think, is not nice,” said Vidya.
Vidya Balan initially took the Na-Real award in stride, but upon realising she was the sole target at the event, she spoke out, mentioning her director and costume designer when accepting the award. This action caused controversy and backlash from friends and supporters in the film industry.
