Vidya Balan Was Called ‘Panauti’, Later the Same People Asked for Her Dates

Vidya Balan once faced a tough time when she was labelled a 'panauti' or bad luck. After a Malayalam film got shelved, she was dropped from 9 movies! But she bounced back to become a huge star with hits like 'Parineeta' and 'The Dirty Picture'.

Bollywood Beauty Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is famous not just for her acting but also her bold statements. She starred as a strong woman in five back-to-back hits: 'Pa' (2009), 'Ishqiya' (2010), 'No One Killed Jessica' (2011), 'Kahaani' (2012), and the biopic 'The Dirty Picture' (2011), which won her a National Award. She later balanced family life with films like 'Tumhari Sulu' (2017) and 'Mission Mangal' (2019), her highest-grossing movie. She also gained fame with Amazon Prime Video films like 'Shakuntala Devi' (2020), 'Sherni' (2021), and 'Jalsa' (2022).

Actress Gets the 'Panauti' Tag

But can you believe it? Vidya Balan was once called a 'panauti' (bad luck) and thrown out of a whopping 9 films! She recently opened up about this in an interview, talking about the challenges she faced in her early Bollywood days and how she was dropped from 9 movies overnight.

The Unlucky Actress

Superstitions about good and bad luck are a big deal in the film industry too. Vidya Balan, who is a huge multi-lingual star today, was once called an unlucky actress. Because of this tag, she couldn't get any film offers. The actress herself revealed this in a recent interview, and the video has now gone viral.

Out of Films

This whole 'unlucky' tag started in the Malayalam film industry. Vidya Balan was cast opposite superstar Mohanlal in a Malayalam film. But even though the film was scheduled, the shooting never began. Everyone started blaming Vidya, calling her a 'panauti'. The Malayalam industry then started dropping her from their projects.

No Films Were Offered

Vidya herself shared the story. After being cast in that film, she got offers for seven or eight other movies. But soon, she was kicked out of all of them. Rumours spread that she had an 'iron leg' and was bad luck. For three whole years, nobody had the guts to cast her. Vidya said she was so heartbroken that she would just sit and cry all the time.

Parineeta Hit

Crying became a daily affair for Vidya. But her life took a turn when director Pradeep Sarkar gave her a chance in his music video, 'Kabhi Aana Tu Meri Gali'. After that video's success, she landed an offer for the film 'Parineeta', which became a huge hit. After that, film offers started pouring in one after another for Vidya Balan.

The 'Dirty Picture' Craze

Vidya went on to deliver several blockbusters. The same actress who was called unlucky stunned Bollywood with her 'hottest' avatar in 'The Dirty Picture'. The film made her an overnight star. Later, 'Mission Mangal' also became a massive success. The actress recalls that the very people who had called her bad luck later stood in line, waiting for her dates.