And Metrolife took the opportunity to talk to the pretty lass about her Kabul days, new-found Bollywood career and her controversial life.

With her trademark stunning blue-green eyes, looks that showcase best of both worlds and a warm personality, Vida puts one at home instantly. Vida came to Bangalore for a photoshoot with designer Deepika Govind and to watch the match. So one could not help but enquire on her “love” for cricket or probably cricketer! But Vida watchfully dismisses any such basis for her visit. Prod her and she puts it at her diplomatic best. “Sports and glamour go hand-in-hand. I have befriended a couple of cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Akhtar and Saurav Ganguly. They all are very nice. I am being safe because I am scared of the media. Every move I make creates a controversy” smiles Vida warily.

One cannot deny her apprehension towards people as Vida’s each step two years ago was watched, criticised and condemned. Her participation in the Miss Earth beauty pageant in 2003 was condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court, saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture. Traditionalists objected to her appearance in a red bikini during the pageant's press presentation, a sharp contrast to the beliefs of the former Taliban regime, which demanded that women wear ‘burqa’ or ‘hijab’ from head to toe when in public.

The 27-year-old replays, “Many thanked me for opening the doors for Afghan girls. There were others who sent me stinker mails. Some relatives don’t reply to my emails. Afghan NGOs refuse to take any kind of donation from me. I am advised not to step into Kabul again. I want to but I cannot let my parents cry for some craziness. It hurts.”

Vida adds that her father was unaware that she was participating in a beauty pageant and caught her on CNN. “I told my father that I was attending a gathering. He saw me on TV and was shocked. My mother had a clue. They weren’t too happy. Even though I belong to a liberal family, we are ‘pathans’ who are overprotective about women and their country. Although I was too stressed about the participating in the pageant, I went for it. I am stubborn,” she states.

Vida was born in Kabul and her late grandfather was the right arm of King Zaher Shah. Recalling her life in Kabul, Vida says with a glint in her eye, “It was beautiful and a free city. My mom never wore the hijab. She used to wear short skirts, tights and shorts. Our dad never stopped us from wearing tank tops, serve and sit next to male guests or go for walks at night. There were clubs serving alcohol. There were public swimming pools. Tourism was flourishing. Kabul was known as the second Paris in the 70s.” She sighs at the state of her country that has deteriorated due to Talibanism.

The family left for USA for better education. It’s here that Vida got an opportunity to participate in Miss Afghan-America 2002 and the rest is history. Vida also studied speech, communication and international studies from California University of Fuller Term, Orange County.

So, did Vida face any lifestyle change on moving from Kabul to USA? “Culture shock! Like other Asian countries, we don’t make eye contact as respect to elders. In America, it’s etiquette. Women are the bosses of the house unlike in Afghanistan,” says the banker-turned-pageant winner, adding that Afghanistan and India share common ground on moral value system.

Today Vida has made India her base and is busy doing Bollywood. “I play an Afghan girl in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Black and White’. Ghai said ‘you make the crew clap for you and will make the audience cry for you’. I was supposed to do ‘Kabul Express’ but they found me too glamourous for the role of the terrorist’s daughter,” explains Vida who would love to act opposite Hrithik, Salman and will do any role to be in the same frame as Amitabh Bachchan. 
Charity work also keeps Vida occupied. “Vivek Oberoi has introduced me to this NGO in Chennai. Two months ago I received an award from President Bush for putting 4000 hours of voluntary work,” says she.

But what is the significance of her name Vida? She says, “My father, who studied at Lucknow University, named me Veda - a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. But I changed it to Vida for easier pronunciation.”

Crusader for Afghan women, Vida with her many battles has emerged as some form of a revolutionary, displaying courage, intelligence and confidence - something she hopes every woman from her war-withered country will stand upto someday.