Kahaani starring Vidya Balan is one of the most celebrated movies. It is also said to be a turning point for filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh when his previous movies didn’t perform well. The film was made on a short budget and Vidya Balan had to change outfits in an Innova. Sujoy Ghosh opened up on the challenges he faced especially ones that affected lead actors. 

Sujoy Ghosh reflected on the difficult phase while making Kahaani released in 2012. He mentioned the big issue of budget constraints that they couldn’t even provide vanity to lead actors at least. Vidya Balan who headlined the thriller mystery often changed her costumes in a Toyota Innova covered with black cloth. Despite a limited budget, the film turned out to be a hit. According to Sacnilk, the movie made on a budget of Rs 15 crore minted Rs 79.20 crore globally. 

Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh expressed his gratitude for Vidya Balan in an interview with Mashable India. He praised her dedication and commitment to the project. He said, “After the failure of Aladin, Vidya could have easily said no to Kahaani. But she is a person of her word. That generation of actors, from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan, are very zubaan ka pakka (true to their word). Vidya also falls under that category. She stuck to Kahaani.” 

He went on to add, “You have no idea. We didn’t have any budget to even afford a vanity van. We didn’t have the luxury of pausing shoot because we were on a tight budget. So, every time she had to change, we used to cover her Innova with a black cloth, in the middle of the road, and she used to change inside and come out for shoot.”

On the work front, Vidya Balan is returning to the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise after the successful original horror comedy featuring Akshay Kumar. She is said to be reprising her iconic character of Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 starring Kartik Aaryan. The third installment of the horror-comedy series is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 1, 2024, during Diwali festivities.