Vidya Balan didn’t look in mirror for six months after director’s hurtful comment

Actor Vidya Balan, set to return to the horror-comedy franchise Bhool Bhulaiyaa, recently recounted a heartbreaking experience when a film director told her parents that she didn’t look like an actor. The incident affected her so deeply that she “didn’t look at herself in the mirror” for six months.
Speaking to Galatta India, Vidya, 45, recalled how she was replaced in a Tamil film early in her career after shooting for only two days. Unsure about what led to her ouster, Vidya confronted the director, only to be told she doesn’t have any acting or dancing skills.
“I did a Tamil film. I shot for it for two days, and then I got replaced. I went with my parents to speak to the producer at his office in Chennai. He showed us some clips from the film and said to my parents, ‘Dekho, kisi angle se heroine dikhti hai (Does she look like a heroine from any angle)? She doesn’t know how to act or dance.’ I was thinking, first let me act and dance; I hardly shot for the film,” Vidya said.
The director’s words affected Vidya deeply, and she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror for six months. She said, “For six months, I didn’t look at myself in the mirror because I felt ugly. If you want to reject someone, do that, but always be kind with your words because words have the power to be really damaging or nurturing. I will never forget that.”
However, after the incident, Vidya learnt the importance of being kind to others. “It was an early lesson in life to be kind to people because he really destroyed my self-image for six months,” the actor said.
During an appearance at the India Today Conclave in 2020, Vidya Balan remembered that she was replaced in several films after her project with actor Mohanlal was shelved, as she was labelled “jinxed.”
“I was heartbroken when I was replaced in all those films. I was thrown out of a very big Tamil film at the time. I couldn’t understand what was happening, and then I met Pradeep Sarkar, who cast me in Euphoria’s Kabhi Aana Tu Meri Gali, and that’s what changed my life,” Vidya recalled.
Now, Vidya Balan will return as Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. The film also stars Madhuri Dixit, Kartik Aaryan, and Triptii Dimri and will release on November 1.