Vidya Balan once revealed how director Priyadarshan’s unexpected gesture and a simple three-word cue helped her transform into Manjulika for the iconic Bhool Bhulaiyaa climax.
Vidya Balan’s haunting performance as Manjulika in the hit movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa remains one of the most iconic roles in modern Indian cinema. Years after the film’s release, fans still talk about the thrilling climax where her character completely loses control in a spine-chilling dance.
In a throwback interview with Mashable India, the actress once looked back on filming that famous scene and shared how director Priyadarshan helped her get into character with almost no instructions at all. Instead of long meetings, it took just one unexpected action and a simple three-word tip to create a movie scene that people still talk about today.
Vidya said she had no long talks with Priyadarshan before shooting the climax. He simply gave her the scene and trusted her to do a good job. Right before the camera started rolling, Vidya was sitting with her hair neatly combed. Out of nowhere, Priyadarshan walked up and pulled her hair apart to make it messy. Her makeup artist, Shalaka Bhosle, ran over to fix it, but the director stopped her. He said that because the character was possessed by a ghost, her hair needed to look wild and messy.
Right after ruining her hair, Priyadarshan gave Vidya just one piece of advice: “Imagine you are an animal.” That was the only cue he gave her for the whole scene. Vidya followed those words and acted like a wild animal in every move and expression. She shared how much she loves directors who can give the perfect advice in just a few words. Even though the scene looked scary on screen, Vidya said shooting it was actually a lot of fun.
Touted to be a psychological horror-comedy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa tells the story of a skeptical husband who brings his wife to his ancestral palace, only to uncover eerie secrets and a haunting tied to her mysterious behavior. The film features Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja, Ameesha Patel, Paresh Rawal, and Rajpal Yadav.
