Every little struggle or challenge that you overcome is a Jalsa, says Vidya Balan

In her next film Jalsa (2022), Vidya Balan reunites with her Tumhari Sulu (2017) director Suresh Triveni. The actress played a housewife-turned-radio jockey in Triveni’s directorial debut and won her fourth Filmfare trophy.

For Jalsa, she plays a journalist named Maya who has to make tough choices after a tragic accident involving the daughter of her cook Rukhsana (Shefali Shah) as it becomes a news story she can’t ignore.

Vidya explained why this film is special for her, and why it is titled Jalsa. “Jalsa is a very important title for me, it is a celebration,” she shared. “And, I think, we keep talking about you should celebrate yourself, you should celebrate your womanhood, your life every single day.

“In that context, at the end of the film, you feel like once you have been through something and once you emerge on the other side, it is like a celebration. When you have been through the wringer and emerge on the other side, every little struggle or challenge that you overcome is a Jalsa, or calls for a Jalsa that is a celebration of life with its ups and downs.”

Also starring Manav Kaul, Rohini Hattangadi, Iqbal Khan, Vidharti Bandi, Shrikant Mohan Yadav, Shafeen Patel and Surya Kasibhatla, the film is due to be premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 18 March. This is Vidya’s third film to be premiered on the streaming platform after Shakuntala Devi (2020) and Sherni (2021).