Vidya Balan says she nonetheless has an extended strategy to go: ‘Hope the universe sends better stories my way’

The pandemic has led to elementary modifications within the leisure enterprise in India, making it a extra aggressive market and democratising the expertise pool, in keeping with actor Vidya Balan and Abunduntia Entertainment’s Vikram Malhotra. The actor and the producer have collaborated on three back-to-back profitable movies in Shakuntala Devi, Sherni and the just lately launched Jalsa, all streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Pandemic has modified issues drastically for everybody round however one added bonus, says Balan, is that there at the moment are a number of avenues to create and launch content material. “It’s a great time for audiences because there’s something for every taste. We are exposed to content from across the country and the world. People are watching films from different parts of India with subtitles. With competition, our content is only going to get better. It is a very competitive market already,” the actor informed PTI in an interview.

Vikram Malhotra, whose firm has tasks equivalent to Hush Hush, Ram Setu and Chorri 2 lined up for launch, mentioned the pandemic modified the worldwide leisure enterprise irreversibly.

“I wish to consider the enterprise in India has modified for an enormous quantity of incremental good. We’ve at all times had a robust exhibition enterprise, the theatrical facet of movies, a big TV enterprise and now we now have a 3rd display to go to – streaming. I don’t assume it’s at the price of something however it’s additive. The actual ones to profit are the shoppers and audiences.

“There’s never been a better time to be a producer, writer, director, actor or to be a part of the media and the entertainment industry, especially films and series. The volume has gone up, there is democratisation of talent, opportunities have grown and international players have come in. So, there are only positives to take away,” he mentioned.

Asked what led to their collaboration on three consecutive movies, Vidya Balan mentioned she solely hopes the affiliation with Vikram Malhotra continues. The actor has beforehand labored thrice with producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who launched her in Parineeta (2005), and went on to forged her in Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and Eklavya (2007).

“Each movie has been so completely different from the opposite and that itself is proof of the truth that they’re pushing the envelope when it comes to the content material they’re creating and the tales they’re telling.

“There’s also a certain amount of professionalism that I respect beyond this. They are fully committed from the get-go when it is just a one-line idea to getting the right people, the right atmosphere on the sets to right release,” she mentioned.

Malhotra, who first labored with Balan on Kahaani, mentioned the actor is not only an amazing artiste but in addition an amazing workforce participant. The producer mentioned she can be most likely the one actor who has delivered three consecutive hits in three years.

Recalling their collaboration on Kahaani in 2012, Malhotra mentioned they had been discussing field workplace numbers and stored saying “touch wood”, an expression they now usually use throughout their conversations to beat back dangerous luck.

“Kahaani shattered the myth that women-led films don’t do well and before that Vidya’s The Dirty Picture had already done that. It was the film that first shook the system and Kahaani opened the floodgates and we haven’t looked back since then,” Malhotra mentioned.

According to the producer, the biopic on math genius Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, a couple of lady forest officer, and Jalsa, centering on an upright journalist caught in an moral dilemma after she is concerned in a hit-and-run case, have been business in addition to artistic successes.

Vidya Balan mentioned it’s a greater time to be a feminine actor than a male actor due to the roles which can be coming her manner.

“It’s an exciting time to be a female actor, especially me as an actor. It has been fulfilling to be working with different directors who explore a different facet of your personality through their characters so that you know yourself a little more with every film. I have said this before that it’s a better time to be a female actor than a male actor.” Asked whether or not it was her most creatively satisfying part as an artiste, the National Award-winning actor mentioned she nonetheless has an extended strategy to go.

“I hope that it gets better. Whenever I say how can this get any better, the universe sends even better stories my way. I don’t know whether I would qualify it as my most creatively fulfilling phase but my career has been extremely fulfilling and I feel so grateful for that but I have still a long long way to go,” the actor mentioned.

Jalsa, additionally starring Shefali Shah in a key position, is directed by Suresh Triveni.