Vidya Balan is currently basking in the massive success of her recently released film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Also starring Kartik Aaryan, Madhuri Dixit, and Triptii Dimri, the film has become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, even after facing tough competition from Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again. In a recent interview, Vidya, who is known for delivering films such as Ishqiya, Kahaani, and The Dirty Picture, opened up about the challenges of mounting a woman-led film in today's industry. 

Vidya Balan on Challenges Faced by Woman-Led Films

For the uninitiated, Alia Bhatt’s Jigra hit theatres recently but turned out to be a box office disaster. Despite being led by a National Award-winning actress like Alia, the film failed to perform well. Addressing this issue in an interview with ETimes, Vidya said, “It was easier before the pandemic; now it is a bit tough to mount a woman-led film, which is unfortunate because I think we have gone a few steps back. In 2008, when I did Ishqiya, there were no real women-led films being made. There was only a Black (the Rani Mukerji starrer) that had been made.”

The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 actress further explained that for a while after 2008, women-led films began to gain traction and performed well at the box office. However, according to her, things changed after the pandemic. “But now it is not that easy. I’m sure it is a phase, and just like how cyclical things are in nature, the time will come once again—sooner rather than later—when we can tell the kind of stories we want to tell in the women-led space,” she added.

Vidya Balan’s Role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Meanwhile, with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Vidya Balan reprised her role as the iconic character Manjulika. Her performance has been highly appreciated by both critics and audiences alike.

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