This Vidya Balan-starrer by Srijit Mukherji is an ode to woman power

Apowerful protagonist played by actor Vidya Balan, and an ensemble cast comprising other noted performers — the makers of Begum Jaan have all the reasons to be proud of their film. Vidya plays a brothel owner in Srijit Mukherji’s Hindi adaptation of Rajkahini (2015), the story of which is set against the backdrop of partition in 1947. Known for choosing fierce roles, Vidya is garnering compliments for her look in the film.

The starry cast boasts of names such as Ila Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Poonam Singh Rajput, Flora Saini, Ridheema Tiwari, Mishti Chakraborty, Priyanka Setia, Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vivek Mushran, Chunky Panday, Raviza Chauhan, Sumit Nijhawan, Pitobash and Rajesh Sharma, along with Naseeruddin Shah in a special appearance in this film that releases on April 14.

“Having these powerhouse performers is like having a balanced cricket team. There are powerful openers, some who will steadily carry the team through middle overs, some terrific finishers and some incredible bowlers who would run through hearts,” says Srijit. “It’s wonderful that none of them has done a similar role before. Yet, seeing them onscreen you realise that they fit their characters to the T. The women have a backstory and have faced adversities in life. I wanted actors who could understand the emotions... and that neversay-die attitude. These girls fit the roles perfectly,” he adds.

Having these powerhouse performers, who fit their characters to the T, is like having a balanced cricket team SRIJIT MUKHERJI, FILMMAKER