Balan quits Kamala Das biopic, director hints right-wing threat
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Popular Bollywood actress Vidya Balan has pulled out of a planned biopic on controversial poetess Kamala Das, a move the film’s director said could be linked to his own troubles with the Hindu right wing.
Das, a Kerala iconoclast who died in 2009, had embraced Islam towards the end of her life and changed her name to Kamala Surayya.
According to reports, a range of Hindu outfits, including the Shiv Sena, are opposed to Balan donning the role of the controversial figure known for her bold writings and utterances.
Director Kamaluddin Muhammed, also known as Kamal, said on Wednesday that Balan was initially thrilled to essay the role. But she changed the shooting schedule twice, citing inconveniences.
When contacted, a manager of the actress initially said the shoot dates had only been “slightly pushed” owing to a strike in Kerala.
But Balan’s official spokesperson clarified later that the actress, who turned 38 on Tuesday, has quit the film as she and the director had “divergent approaches to the process”.
Insisting that Balan respected the director, she has opted out of the film in the most amicable and professional manner. “Any other reason cited is untrue,” a source said.
Kamal, however, hinted that her decision could have something to do with run-ins with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP’s ideological fountain.
A national award-winning filmmaker with 48 movies to his credit, Kamal had courted controversy in December when RSS workers accused him of supporting some members of the audience who did not stand up when the national anthem was being played during the International Film Festival.
State BJP general secretary AN Radhakrishnan had urged Kamal to leave the country if he “continued to dishonour the anthem”.
The director said he had no idea whether Balan’s pulling out from his project had anything to do with his tiff with the RSS and BJP. “I don’t have any proof to buttress my point. But if someone clubs these two, they can’t be blamed either.”
He said Balan was a natural choice for the bilingual biopic.
“The Dirty Picture” star has her roots in Kerala; her parents are from Palakkad.