Vidya Balan walks out of Meena Kumari biopic as script is too ‘sensationalised'

Actress Vidya Balan has opted out of the Meena Kumari biopic project as she wasn’t happy with the content of the film.

Talking to DNA, Balan said that she would have loved being a part of the film since she admires the late actress. “No, I’m not doing the Meena Kumari biopic anymore. It didn’t quite work out. I love Meena Kumari. If I had a girl crush on somebody, it would be her. If she was alive, I’d probably land up to see her all the time. I am that fascinated by her. I always wanted to play her,” she said.

Explaining the reason for her exit, she said that the script of the film focussed on sensationalism. “The script has to do justice. It can’t just be a sensational account of her life, even if she is not around. It has to present different episodes of her life and not just the ones that will grab eyeballs. So, I decided not to do it,” added Vidya.

She added further, “Also, biopics are very sensitive and they need to be done for the right reasons. You can’t make a biopic on Meena Kumari just because you feel sab dekhenge. Even if the person is not around, I have too much respect for her as an artiste, to just present a one-sided story of hers.”

Vidya also agreed that she did The Dirty Picture which was a sensational account of Silk Smitha. “I did The Dirty Picture. There was sensationalism in that, but that was Silk. But for everything, you can’t just focus on the sensational bits of a person’s life. I am happy to do the controversial bits as long as it’s a well-rounded perspective,” she explained.

The film is being directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. His last film Raag Desh was released earlier in the year.