Begum Jaan: How Vidya Balan Transformed Herself For The Role Of A Brothel 'Madam'

New Delhi: Begum Jaan director Srijit Mukherji said that Vidya Balan completely transformed herself for the role of a brothel 'madam' in the film, reports news agency IANS. He further added, "Before we started shooting Begum Jaan we organised two workshops simultaneously. One with Vidya, another with girls, because Vidya is a jovial down-to-earth person and she easily mingles with everybody on set and I didn't want that. I wanted certain kind of distance with the girls from Vidya," IANS quoted Mr Mukherji as saying. Begum Jaan is the Hindi adaptation of 2015 Bengali film Rajkahini, which dealt with Partition, shifting the scene of action from Bengal to Punjab. The trailer of the film released today.

Watch the intriguing trailer of Vidya Balan's Begum Jaan:
 

Srijit Mukherji further told IANS, "Vidya used to ask many questions during the workshop like what the memories of Begum Jaan were when she was three, when she was first exploited or what happened when she got married. So at the end of the workshop, I had already completed writing four scripts- one Begum Jaan and others are the prequels and sequels. I had to keep ready all the backstories of Begum Jaan and the girls."

"After the workshop when Vidya entered the set, I saw Begum Jaan who is a fierce, manipulative no-nonsense kind of woman, walking in. There was no trace of Vidya Balan," Mr Mukherji told the IANS.

In the Bengali film Rajkahini, Rituparna Sengupta played the lead. Begum Jaan marks Srijit Mukherji's debut in Bollywood.

Vidya's castmates in the film are Naseerudin Shah, Ila Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Ridheema Tiwary, Ashish Vidyarthi, Chunky Pandey and Rajit Kapoor.

Begun Jaan will release on April 14.

(With IANS inputs)