Vidya Balan talks about being labelled a ‘jinx’ in South cinema ahead of ‘Jailer 2’ release: ‘I was replaced even before the shooting because of that whole jinx thing’

Vidya Balan will soon share the screen with Rajinikanth in ‘Jailer 2’. The actor has now recalled how she was branded a ‘jinx’ in South cinema early in her career, after several projects, including her Malayalam debut ‘Chakram’ with Mohanlal, were shelved midway.

Vidya Balan on returning to South cinema

Speaking to SCREEN, Vidya Balan talked about working in different languages. She said the ‘jinx’ label once made her unwilling to take up South Indian films. With time, she has come to see those setbacks as a matter of timing.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.”She added, “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.”

Vidya Balan talks about a smoking scene with Rajinikanth

Vidya also spoke about a scene in which she smoked in front of Rajinikanth. She said she began trembling while shooting it with the superstar.“I don’t know if it was inhibition. But it was my body having a reaction because the nicotine hit me. Then I began to get stressed because I had to steady my hand. So, I had a physical reaction. Of course, I was conscious that I was blowing smoke in his face, but I’m not shy about smoking on screen. It was just that my body wasn’t used to it.”

About ‘Jailer 2’

‘Jailer 2’ is the sequel to Rajinikanth’s 2023 blockbuster ‘Jailer’. Nelson Dilipkumar has directed the action entertainer, and Sun Pictures has produced it. Rajinikanth returns as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian.Vidya Balan joins a cast that includes Mithun Chakraborty, S J Suryah, Ramya Krishnan, Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff.The film will release in theatres on October 15, 2026.