By Subhash K Jha

As Vidya Balan turned a year older on New Year's day she brought in her birthday the way she liked best... in the company of her family.

She was In Delhi visiting her sister. Her parents joined the sisters. And Vidya had herself what she considers a perfect birthday.

"I've great faith in myself. I'm happy to get what I do.Of course there're tough times. But God has brought me to them he'll take me through them. That's what keeps me going. Last year there were lessons to be learnt.

Professionally I've learnt to say no to projects I don't want to do. I'm no longer apologetic about voicing my opinion.I guess I've become more confident and therefore assertive. At times I didn't know how to say no to a filmmaker.

I'd wonder how they'd react to me rejecting their creativity. Now that painful process has become less difficult. If I say no to a project I don't see that as a rejection of an inividual's creativity. I just see the project as as being non-relatable with me."

In 2008 Vidya is looking at something different to do. "At the same time I want to have fun. My two releases in the first-half this year Halla Bol and Lucky Charm are very different from one another. For this year I've only signed a Bengali film so far.I like where I am."

She laughs her musical laughter when her Lucky Charm hero Shahid is mentioned. "I've been linked with practically every co-star I've worked with.

I get along famously with all of them. And I am single. So people are looking for masala to make my life and theirs, more interesting," she laughs heartily.

"Spice apart, I got along very well with Shahid during our schedule in Toronto. People just wanted to say there was more to our dosti than meet the eye. Honestly even I like to gossip. Most of us enjoy it.

Someone must have reported that we laughed a lot together on the set. It's like saying, 'If an actress gives a really good performance she must be having an affair with the director.'

Likewise if Shahid and I were having so much fun we must be a couple."

So what is Vidya's rapport with Shahid? "The way Aziz Uncle (director Aziz Mirza)'s team worked was very very friendly. Everyone in the unit went for dinner together.

All of us went for walks together. I guess the two of us were high-profile. So....But Shahid never shared confidences with me."

What about Vidya playing hostess to Shahid's screenings of Jab We Met?

Vidya groans loudly. "Oh God! I went to one screening of Jab We Met. Over there I met my Heyy Babyy writer Milap Jhaveri and had chai nashta with him.

The next day when reports of Shahid and me came out Milap wondered how this could be true when I wasn't anywhere near Shahid throughout the evening."