NEW DELHI, Aug. 10 -- VIDYABALAN has earned many adjectives in her career but the actor says she does not want anything to define her.

The actor, who made her film debut at the age of 26, says she kept hearing that female stars had a short shelf life, a discussion that has, thankfully, become redundant with time.

"Change was underway and I became the face of that change because I was at the right moment at the right place... The age of 26 is normally the age when actors were packing their bags, getting married and settling down. When I entered I was like, 'Will my career be for few years?' And people would tell me that the career span of an actress is very short. I was like, I want to act all my life.

"I am 40 today and it's been 14 year...