Vidya Balan on how ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ paved way for unconventional roles: 'Ishqiya' came after that

Mumbai: Actor Vidya Balan, who returned to the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise with the recently released third part, says the success of the first film helped change the perception of her, as filmmakers realised that she could handle more complex and unconventional roles.

Balan, who starred as Avni/Manjulika opposite Akshay Kumar in Priyadarshan’s 2007 hit "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", said the movie opened up new opportunities for her.

“People realised that there was another facet (to me). I don’t know if it was prompted by that, but "Ishqiya" came to me after that. When people see you do different things, their minds open up with possibilities.

"It was a huge commercial success, so I’m sure it must have impacted people’s decisions,” Balan told PTI in an interview.

The actor said her father still has a complaint -- that Balan didn’t win any awards for her performance in the movie.

"I was like, ‘It’s okay.’ But four years in a row after that, I picked up the Best Actress awards in most places. So, things always balance out," Balan said, referring to her wins for Paa (2010), Ishqiya (2011), The Dirty Picture (2012), and Kahaani (2013).

Despite the popularity of the first part, Balan and Kumar did not appear in the sequel, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which was released in 2022. Directed by Anees Bazmee, the movie featured an almost entirely new cast, with Rajpal Yadav being the exception, and became a major box office hit upon its release.

Balan made a comeback to the franchise with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which debuted in theatres on November 1 and has minted over Rs 160 crores at the domestic box office.

"Both Priyan and Anees bhai are directors who trust their actors... When I read it, I thought it was so fun. With Anees bhai as director, I knew it could only get better," she said.

Having worked with the two filmmakers, the actor said both of them are "similar in a lot of ways yet they are different." "Both of them do comedy very well. I think Anees bhai is the kind of director who knows how to grab the audience's attention and keep them engaged in every scene. I’ve enjoyed watching him work on every scene.

"Even in the edit, he is so gentle, he knows how to keep it tight, and how to keep the audience engaged and entertained. It’s been great," she added.

Balan revealed that she rewatched Bhool Bhulaiyaa after she was offered the third film.

"I was like, ‘Let me revisit this.’ It had been 10 to 15 years since I watched Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and I enjoyed it. I do watch my films once in a while. I watched my films before and after the release. I watched Tumhari Sulu and Parineeta last year after Dada (Pradeep Sarkar) passed away," she said.

Asked about the mixed reviews to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Balan said it is not a "critics' film".

"Someone told me, ‘Have you read the reviews?’ I said, ‘No.’ Anyway, I didn’t read it and this time I’m not reading it because it’s not a film that you read reviews for," she added.

Post Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, the actor said she is looking for a comedy as she is a fan of the genre. She also wondered about the lack of "comedy films driven by women".

"When was the last time, Tanu Weds Manu, Piku, and Tumhari Sulu—just three films? We’ve had films like Seeta Aur Geeta and Chaalbaaz, I’m dying for those films," Balan said, adding that these days "women are not comfortable making fun of themselves."

"... Especially given the culture that we are in today, the sensitivities are so high. I think comedies require you to bend the rules, you’ve got to make fun of yourself and therefore of others. We need to take ourselves less seriously," she added. Balan also called for a shift in the way women-centric films are approached. She believes the current landscape has become somewhat repetitive.

"We girls are having fun and that should be seen on screen. We are stuck in a rut sort of thing in that space, it requires some reinvention... I want us to own our space. I hope there’s lots of exciting content, varied characters, and genres, for us to be able to tell our kind of stories." The actor also said that she often doesn't enjoy seeing women in action avatars.

"If it’s part of the story, then it’s fine. Anyway, I don’t enjoy action films. Women-led action films have to have more substance. Some things are unique to us and we should embrace that," she said.