Five Vidya Balan roles that needed more attention and acknowledgement

The actress has a fiery persona and chews on the scenery with delicious characters, even in films that sadly don't get enough due.

Vidya Balan’s marvellous debut in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta showed how an actor was here to not only consolidate her clout but also conquer the marquee. As years passed by, there were some expected hits and erratic misses but Balan stood firm with impressive acting chops and commanding aura.

There’s barely any actor in the film industry that doesn’t face undeserving or unexplained failures, and Balan is no less. After a staggering period of game-changers like Paa, Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture, and Kahaani, the thunder began to lose its roar and the ground began to shake and almost crumble. Despite sincere efforts, films could not hit the bullseye or the Saand Ki Aankh. 

She has Sherni coming up in June on Amazon Prime Video. It’s an apt moniker, given how she prays and pounces on her roles, films and characters with elan and enigma. But she was just as good in her misses as she was in her hits. Here are some Vidya Balan films and roles that needed more attention and acknowledgement:

Ghanchakkar (2013)

Mixing comedy and tragedy can be challenging for any writer and filmmaker. Raj Kumar Gupta, after making the taut Aamir and the middling No One Killed Jessica, made the moderately entertaining Ghanchakkar. Balan, very similar to The Dirty Picture, was unabashed about her body weight. In one of the early dinner scenes, her mother-in-law suspects her of eating all of her son’s food. There were some charming moments that Gupta established between the couple but turned an otherwise engaging story into a thriller. Not a bad movie, but just not enough. But Balan was a hoot, as always. Purely for her, Ghanchakkar deserved better.

Shaadi Ke Side Effects (2014)

It’s argued that this sequel to 2006 hit Pyaar Ke Side Effects failed because of its second half. There are many successful films with awful second halves, singling out few names is a little unfair. Here, the actress played Trisha, earlier played by Mallika Sherawat. She’s now married to Sid (this time, played by Farhan Akhtar). It’s all a happy space till the couple embraces parenthood. Akhtar did most of the heavy lifting but Balan was an excellent choice for Trisha. She neatly depicted the joy and jadedness of motherhood and the fun and fury of what it feels to have a careless father and husband at home.

Bobby Jasoos (2014)

Detective stories always make for great viewing, both on television and in films. Before Jagga, we had another Jasoos called Bobby. And just like any other smart detective, she too was the master of disguise. A complex case excites Bobby and she uses both brain and brawn (in one scene) to solve the mystery. It may not have been a classic whodunnit like Kahaani, some portions were indeed a little more delightful, thanks to the colourful and contagious world of Hyderabad it portrayed. 

Kahaani 2 (2016)

Kahaani 2 is not a sequel so don’t be fooled by the name. It’s like the Golmaal series, with the same tone and actors in different worlds. Kahaani 2 was also a noir-drama, once again centred around Vidya Balan. Sujoy Ghosh surrounded her once again with tragedies and traumas, and in one scene, (almost) literally took her life away as she goes flying in the air after an accident. The twists this time didn’t enliven the narrative but what kept it afloat was the leading lady and a pulsating and haunting background score. 

Hum Paanch 

Not too many actors have successfully transitioned from television to films. Balan began with television with the very enjoyable show, Hum Paanch. The actress essayed the role of Radhika, a nerd who obviously wears glasses and keeps banging herself into doors and people due to her poor vision. The show is mostly remembered for Ashok Saraf, Shoma Anand, and Priya Tendulkar (his first and dead wife who communicated with her husband from her photo). If you plan to check this show out, spot Balan if you can. 

Also Read: Birthday Special: Vidya Balan's best performances till date

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