The actress, who was in Hyderabad recently for the shoot of an elaborate song sequence for the film, was down with flu

Vidya Balan loves getting into the skin of the character, but to essay Silk Smita in The Dirty Picture, she seems to be pushing her limits.

The actress, who was in Hyderabad recently for the shoot of an elaborate song sequence for the film, was down with flu. She, however, did not complain and continued shooting with co-actor Naseerudin Shah.

Says a source, "The song was being shot in a lotus pond and it was on a tight schedule. Filming had to be wrapped up within two to three days, as those were the only dates available.

It required Vidya to stay in the pond for over four to five hours during the sequence."

Adds the source, "Vidya started feeling ill on the first day itself as she was in water for so long. She developed high fever.

Though director Milan Luthria asked his leading lady to take a breather, she was keen that the shoot continue."

If shooting was stalled, the per day losses would have been huge for the producers and it would have also affected the crew who had been specially flown from Mumbai.

As a result Vidya did not want the filming to be affected.

Place your bets

During the Karnataka schedule, director Milan Luthria had challenged Vidya to address the gathered crowd dressed as Silk Smitha.

Unabashedly she walked up to the all-male onlookers and spoke to them like her character would.

Says a source, "Milan had a bet with Vidya that she would never be able to address the crowd without feeling awkward, but he lost the bet."

After the incident Milan thinks twice and warns the unit too, about placing bets with Balan.