Now & then: The two faces of Vidya Balan

Back then, she was a wispy, unaffected girl next-door trundling around town, attending kebab festivals and music conferences. Glamour and oomph had not been a part of Vidya Balan’s personality when she was in Calcutta to shoot her first feature film Bhalo Theko four years ago.

This January, the city will see a new Vidya coming back to shoot her second Bengali film, Mukti, for Bhalo Theko director Goutam Halder.

“I was very satisfied working with Vidya in Bhalo Theko. She exudes a rare charm and has been doing wonderful work in Bollywood. Vidya too has fond memories of working in Bhalo Theko and when we approached her she readily agreed. As we can’t afford what she earns in Mumbai, I’m grateful that she has agreed to do the film for peanuts,” says Halder, who has based his script on Moti Nandi’s short story Bijolibalar Mukti.

Mukti will also see the coming together of Tanuja and Soumitra Chatterjee, the romantic pair of Teen Bhubaner Paare, though in a different relationship.
In Mukti, Vidya plays Hasi, a married woman with a kid who is a tenant of Bijolibala (Tanuja).

Bijolibala is a staunch Hindu widow who lives with her elder brother (Soumitra) in a north Calcutta mansion. She is an endearing grandmother to the entire neighbourhood and soon grows fond of Hasi. One day she lets Hasi perform Lakshmi puja in her house, which marks the turning point in the film. “For the role of Bijolibala, I wanted someone with a lot of authority and Tanuja fit the bill,” says Halder.

“Mukti also revolves around the rigid caste system in our society. I wanted to address this issue through Bijolibala and Hasi’s relationship,” adds Halder.

Produced by Soumya Ganguly’s Chivach Media, which had co-produced The Bong Connection, Mukti has a budget of Rs 90 lakh. The film hits the floors in mid-January. Arindam Sil is part of the cast which is in the process of being finalised.