Jalsa: Vidya Balan says filmmakers who rejected her for 13 projects, now want her in their films

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan is gearing up for the release of her next OTT film, Jalsa. Also starring Shefali Shah, Jalsa will release on Amazon Prime Video on March 18. Balan is one of the prominent actors in the industry, known for her critically-acclaimed films like The Dirty Picture, Tumhaari Sulu and Kahaani.

Recently, the Sherni actor opened up about facing rejections by several producers in the industry. She also recalled how one of the filmmakers called her 'ugly', which shattered her self-confidence. The actor further said she now gets calls from these filmmakers. 

Balan was speaking to Prabhat Khabar when she said that she now receives calls from producers who have earlier replaced her with other actors in films, but she politely refused to be a part of their films. She said, "I was kicked out of 13 films. When one producer replaced me in a film, their behaviour with me was very bad. They made me feel so ugly that for six months, I could not gather the courage to look at myself in the mirror."

She recalled an incident from 2003. She said she had signed two films with K Balachander but she was later replaced in those projects, without so much so as an intimation. She said the makers did not even inform her about replacing her and this angered her so much that she walked from Marine Drive to Bandra. She said she later realised that she was walking for hours and had a breakdown. "Those memories are hazy now but whatever I touched in those three years, turned useless," she added. 

Vidya Balan was earlier seen on Amazon Prime Video film, Sherni. Now, her next film is Jalsa and it will be out on March 18. The film is directed by Suresh Triveni and also stars Iqbal Khan, Manav Kaul and Rohini Hattangadi in supporting roles, apart from Balan and Shefali Shah in lead roles.