Subhash K Jha (DNA; December 13, 2016)

Things are not really going well for Bollywood’s ‘female Aamir Khan’, as she has been labelled.

Vidya Balan’s pile-up of failed films at the box-office just got bulkier, with the eagerly awaited Kahaani 2 under-performing at the box-office. This is Vidya’s sixth flop in a row as a leading lady. Earlier, Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar in 2013, Saket Choudhuri’s Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Samar Shaikh’s Bobby Jasoos, Mohit Suri’s Hamari Adhuri Kahaani and Ribhu Dasgupta’s Te3n also failed to ignite the box-office.

The film industry’s faith in her copious talent has not translated into footfalls at the theatres. All eyes are now on Begum Jaan (Srijit Mukherji’s Hindi remake of his own Bengali blockbuster Rajkahini) where again Vidya plays the central role. The film opens in March 2017. Srijit says, “Every film has its own destiny. I am not worried at all. Besides, I hear Kahaani 2 has broken even.”

Trade expert Atul Mohan has a pessimistic opinion on why Vidya’s career is on the downslide. “Vidya’s choice of films can be debated. Some — actually many of them — were bad.” Film critic Raja Sen jumps to Vidya’s defence. “I think Balan is a fine and respected actress who has chosen a few exceptionally poor projects. I think the answer lies not in questioning her status but in her doing more films more frequently. The hits will come, but we definitely need her on screen more often.”

But trade analyst Amod Mehra is harsh in his judgment of VB’s career prospects. Dismissing her career as extinct, Mehra says, “The only role she can now play is that of the late Jayalalithaa. Only a miracle can save her career now.”