A couple of years later after her debut movie Parineeta, Vidya Balan played dual roles in Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa. The film ended up becoming a box office hit and a turning point in the life of the actress. In an interview, she revealed that when the film came to her, she hardly took any time to say ‘yes’ to it. Moreover, it was because of an acclaimed Malayalam film actress that she agreed to play the part of Manjulika. Read on!
Vidya Balan revealed she agreed to lead Bhool Bhulaiyaa instantly
When filmmaker Priyadarshan offered the role of Manjulika to Vidya Balan in his 2007 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the actress agreed to do it without even reading the script. While in an interview with PTI, she recalled her meeting with the director. “He was shooting an ad with Sunny Deol in Mumbai, so he said, 'Can you come to the set and meet me?'” she narrated. The actress further shared that as a kid, she had already watched the original Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu on which Bhool Bhulaiyaa is based, and loved the performance of actress Shobana in it.
Hence, when she was offered to play the female lead in the movie, she jumped in joy. “I loved Shobana but I was also scared of her, and I've not watched the film ever again. But when he offered the film to me, I said, 'Wow, are you offering me that film?', and I said yes instantly. There was no script or anything because I had seen the original. It was probably the shortest meeting I had for a film and that was the shortest time I took to say yes to a film because I loved the original,” Balan revealed.
In the interview, she heaped praise on Priyadarshan’s effortless direction and how the movie was completed without any stress or pressure. She stated, “When I think back, I'm like, 'We didn't even realize how we did it'. But again, no one was taking themselves seriously. I think that's Priyan's direction for you, he just gave me the right kind of cues, I knew the lines, it was a small scene, so actually, I just read it up there.” Vidya will be next seen in Do Aur Do Pyaar. She is also currently filming for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
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