Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 9, 2016)

Vidya Balan who plays the madam of a brothel in Begum Jaan, the Hindi adaptation of National Award-winning filmmaker Srijit Mukherji's Bengali film, Rajkahini, started the second schedule in Delhi from Sunday. Mirror has learnt that the 38-year-old actress will take on the avatars of Rani Lakshmibai, Razia Sultana and Mirabai in an important sequence in the film which is relevant to the character and the narrative.

"No, it's definitely not for a dream sequence. Some portions of the sequence are already in the cans and the rest will be filmed over the next few days," says Srijit who is shooting in several historical places in the Capital and its outskirts.

Rick Roy has designed the costumes for the sequence and spent weeks researching the subject since the three characters are from different periods. Vidya too did her prep to get the body language right, reading up on all three heroines, besides doing the regular workshops. She has also taken horse riding lessons which came in handy for the sequence.

"I offered her to use a body double but she insisted on riding herself and has done a fabulous job with it," says the filmmaker who will be shooting with the actress for another week.

Begum Jaan delves into the lives of 11 women living in a brothel that finds itself divided by the newly-chalked LOC, with half of the house in India and the other half in Pakistan post the Partition.