Actor Vidya Balan has opened up about the tough early years of her career, revealing how she was called “jinxed” after her debut Malayalam film with Mohanlal, Chakram, was shelved. In a candid conversation with Rodrigo Canelas on the YouTube channel Something Bigger, Vidya recalled facing a wave of rejection that left her crying herself to sleep every night. Despite the emotional toll, she said she never gave up hope.
Vidya shared that when she first entered the film industry, she was flooded with offers. As a South Indian girl doing a Malayalam film—at a time when most actresses in South films were Punjabi—she stood out, and many filmmakers approached her. “People would call me and narrate the story, discuss remuneration and dates,” she said, revealing she had said yes to eight or nine films.
But everything came crashing down when Chakram was shelved. “After it was shelved, I lost each of those 8–9 films. The actor and director had delivered eight hits together, and they were doing their ninth. So they said maybe it is the energy of this girl, and she is jinxed.”
Vidya described the phase as “a crazy time” and emotionally exhausting. “It was frustrating. My parents began to pray that just one film would work out. They could see the kind of rejection and frustration I was facing. I would go to bed crying, but I didn’t lose hope.”
Her breakthrough came in 2005 with Parineeta, which earned her widespread acclaim. Over the years, she carved out a strong position in Bollywood with powerful performances in films such as Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Guru, Paa, The Dirty Picture, and Kahaani. Most recently, she reprised her role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which went on to earn over ₹389 crore worldwide. Vidya has not yet announced her next film project.