Narayanan proud that Vidya hails from his native town

Kolkata: National award winning Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has found a new admirer in West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan with both hailing from the same native place in Palakkad district of Kerala.

"I come from the same small town (Ottapalam) of Kerala where she was born. Like her I have spent most of my childhood there. Now I go back there from time to time," Narayanan said at a function here today. He said he is "doubly privileged" to present the Prabha Khaitan Award to Vidya as his native Ottapalam town has got a new star. "So far there were only diplomats, doctors, chartered accountants and Governors, but now we have produced a new star. I feel proud that Ottapalam is reaching dizzying heights," the Governor said. Among the large number of diplomats who hail from Ottapalam are the present National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and former Foreign Secretary K P S Menon. Vidya, who has always proudly proclaimed West Bengal as her second home, said, "We both hail from the state of Kerala and we both belong to the state of West Bengal". Showering praise on the 34-year-old actress, who was conferred with the National Award as best actress for her role in "The Dirty Picture", Narayanan said through her acting prowess she has created a new idiom to send powerful messages through the medium of Cinema. "She is graceful but her simplicity has not changed over the years," he said.