Actress Vidya Balan recently revisited a challenging chapter in her career when she was once tagged as “jinxed” following the unexpected shelving of a major South Indian film with superstar Mohanlal. An old video of the actress discussing the distressing episode has resurfaced online, shedding light on her struggle during that time.

In the video clip, Vidya recounts how, despite landing several promising projects, her initial experiences in the South Indian film industry were marred by unforeseen setbacks. “In the South, for one and a half years, no matter what I did, it never seemed to materialize,” Vidya says in the video. “I was labelled ‘jinxed’ after signing two major Malayalam films, both of which were halted midway, with 50% of the shooting already completed.”

The unfortunate turn began with her debut in a Malayalam feature film alongside Mohanlal, a project that garnered her several other film offers after her first schedule. However, the film was shelved before it could be completed, casting a shadow over her early career. “Not only did the film get shelved, but I was also replaced in all the other films. I was labelled jinxed after that,” she explains. “My confidence was deeply affected when I was replaced in all those films. I was even thrown out of a very big Tamil film at the time.”

Vidya eventually shifted her focus to Bollywood, making her official debut in the Bengali film Bhalo Theko in 2003. Her Bollywood breakthrough came two years later with Parineeta, directed by Pradeep Sarkar. This musical romantic drama earned Vidya widespread acclaim, setting the stage for her successful career in the Hindi film industry.

The National Award-winning actress went on to star in a string of commercially and critically acclaimed films, including Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Paa, Ishqiya,