Vidya Balan is basking in the success of her latest film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, directed by Anees Bazmee. Reprising her iconic role as Manjulika after 17 years, Vidya reflects on her experience. She shares her initial apprehension about performing a dance number alongside Madhuri Dixit, the significance of the film's success for her, and her hope to see “female-led films” become mainstream.
When asked about her feelings after the film’s success, Vidya said, “Better than I could have imagined and honestly I had not imagined this. I never imagined that after 17 years I would do a Bhool Bhulaiyaa again and bring back to life Manjulika. I had not imagined that I would get so much love for it. I am very happy, I am so happy that the film is doing so well.”
The success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 signals a remarkable comeback for Vidya Balan, following a series of box office challenges in recent years. Though she consistently earned acclaim for her acting, her post-pandemic releases either skipped theaters or failed to make a lasting impact. The sustained popularity of BB3 marks a positive shift, and Vidya is clearly enjoying the spotlight after this much-anticipated victory.
Speaking about Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, she shared, “The film is doing incredibly well, and I'm absolutely thrilled. This is my biggest success yet. Can it get any better?”
Vidya has even more reason to celebrate—not only did she get to revisit her iconic role as Manjulika, but she also had the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to dance alongside the legendary Madhuri Dixit, an icon in both dance and acting.
She explained, “I don’t really see myself as a dancer. But as an actor, if the role requires me to dance, I’ll put in the effort. And when you’re sharing the stage with Madhuri Dixit, you push yourself even more, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Just think about it—those who’ve danced with her before, like Aishwarya Rai and Karisma Kapoor, are all dancers. So, when I got this chance, I knew I had to work twice as hard. I thought, ‘Let’s just enjoy it and have fun,’ because there’s no point in stressing about matching up to her. I simply did my best.”
Vidya is approaching a major milestone as she prepares to celebrate 30 years in the entertainment industry next year. Her career began in 1995 with Ekta Kapoor's hit sitcom Hum Paanch, where she left a memorable mark as Radhika Mathur. Reflecting on her accomplished journey, Vidya speaks about the nostalgia and emotions that come with looking back on her remarkable path.
Reminiscing, she said, “I feel incredibly blessed. My only dream was to become an actor, and I’m living that dream. Plus, I’m earning (she laughs joyfully), receiving so much love, fame, glory—so much love... I absolutely love it, I thrive on it.”
Vidya Balan has played a pivotal role in reshaping the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema, thanks to her impactful performances in female-driven films like The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Kahaani 2, and Sherni. With Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, she steps back into mainstream, mass-appealing cinema—a shift from her recent film choices. When asked if this indicates a change in her future projects, Vidya responded, " “Oh absolutely! But I hope that the so called female- led films also become mainstream commercial films…” But why is that not happening? She says, “It will happen, it will slowly happen. Right now hume humari filmein mil rahi hai… But I think it’s time for us to take ourselves less seriously in the female-led space and to have more fun.”
She added, “There is a need for reinvention in that space at the moment. But I am very glad to have done Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and I think I want to do all kinds of films.”
Vidya recently ventured out to witness audience reactions to her film firsthand, an experience that left her thrilled. She’s still relishing the excitement of hearing viewers applaud as she appeared on screen and the collective gasp that echoed through the theater during Kartik Aaryan’s shocking finale.
When asked what makes the horror-comedy genre so successful, Vidya explained, “I think it’s the thrill and at the same time you break out into a nervous laughter. I think that’s what people are enjoying. People just want to watch light stuff because there is enough dukh dard (grief and agony) in the world, paise de kar aur tension nahi lena hai, aur stress nahi lena hai (people don’t want to pay to get tension or stressed). I am just saying that at the moment the world needs laughter.”
Also Read : Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Box Office: Horror-comedy becomes Vidya Balan’s highest opener
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