Vidya Balan Recalls Being Called A 'Jinx' In South Cinema: 'I Was Replaced Before Shooting'

Vidya Balan has opened up about a difficult phase in her early career when she was labelled a ‘jinx’ in South Indian cinema. The actor said she faced several setbacks in Malayalam and Tamil films, with some projects being stopped midway and others dropping her from the cast before filming began. Years later, she has a different view of those experiences and believes they were simply a matter of timing. She will next be seen alongside Rajinikanth in Jailer 2, which is set to release in theatres on October 15, 2026.

 

In an interaction with a webloid, Vidya spoke about her wish to work in films made in different Indian languages. However, her early experiences in South cinema made her hesitant to take up projects outside Hindi films.

She said, "My dream is to do films in all the Indian languages over time. But definitely because I’m a Tamilian, I’m excited about Jailer 2. I’m also ready for this. I had a lot of misses in both Malayalam and Tamil films at the beginning of my career. I was replaced even before the shooting because of that whole ‘jinx’ thing. So, for a while, I wasn’t mentally open to doing films in any language but Hindi."

 

Vidya’s Malayalam debut, Chakram, starring Mohanlal, was among the projects that did not reach the finish line. These experiences affected her confidence and made her stay away from films in other languages for some time.

However, the actor said her outlook changed as she gained more experience. She no longer sees those setbacks as something that should stop her from exploring different kinds of roles.

"But over time, I’ve matured and realised that was just the time. It doesn’t have to do with anything else. And as an actor, we’re hungry to do good roles," she added.

 

Vidya also spoke about filming a scene in Jailer 2 in which she had to smoke in front of Rajinikanth. She revealed that she started trembling while shooting with the superstar. However, the reaction was not simply due to nervousness. She explained that the nicotine affected her because her body was not used to it. She also felt conscious about blowing smoke in Rajinikanth’s face.

Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, Jailer 2 is the sequel to Rajinikanth’s 2023 hit Jailer. The actor returns as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian in the upcoming action entertainer, produced by Sun Pictures. The film also features Ramya Krishnan, Mithun Chakraborty, S J Suryah, Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff in important roles.