Vidya Balan’s Jailer 2 Entry As Kantha: From Silk To Manjulika, A Look At Her Unconventional Roles

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Vidya Balan does not need much dialogue to make a character memorable. In her first glimpse as Kantha in 'Jailer 2', she simply walks down a staircase in a blue sari, cigarette in hand, and lets her presence do the talking. The character introduction then shows her in a tense moment, blowing smoke as Anirudh Ravichander's energetic score builds the mood.

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The makers have revealed little about Kantha so far, but the introduction makes it clear that Vidya Balan is stepping into yet another distinctive screen persona. From playing an ambitious dancer to a determined woman caught in a mystery, the actor has repeatedly chosen characters that leave an impression. Here are four roles that show the range she brings to unconventional women on screen.

Vidya Balan As Silk - 'The Dirty Picture'

Silk was one of the roles that firmly established Vidya Balan as an actor willing to embrace characters far removed from conventional expectations. In 'The Dirty Picture', she played a woman who enters the world of cinema with ambition and an unapologetic desire to make her mark.

But Silk was not simply a glamorous or provocative character. The film also explored her vulnerability, loneliness and the exploitation she faced within the industry. Vidya played those contrasting sides without softening the character.

Vidya Balan As Vidya Bagchi - 'Kahaani'

In 'Kahaani', Vidya Balan once again played a woman who initially appears vulnerable but gradually reveals a much stronger side.

Vidya Bagchi arrives in Kolkata while pregnant, searching for her missing husband. Her appearance and circumstances make people underestimate her, but her determination keeps driving the mystery forward. The character's strength came from how much the audience was made to question what they thought they knew about her.

Vidya Balan As Shakuntala Devi - 'Shakuntala Devi'

Playing a real-life personality brought a different challenge. In 'Shakuntala Devi', Vidya portrayed the celebrated mathematician and mental calculator whose extraordinary abilities made her internationally known.

The film, however, looked beyond the numbers. It explored Shakuntala Devi as a mother, performer and ambitious woman navigating her relationships and career. Vidya brought an energetic quality to the role while also showing its more complicated emotional sides.

Vidya Balan As Manjulika And Avni - 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa'

Few Vidya Balan characters have become as instantly recognisable as Manjulika and Avni from 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa'. The performance required her to move between the seemingly composed Avni and the unsettling presence of Manjulika.

The transformation remains one of the film's most memorable elements, with Vidya using her expressions, body language and voice to create a striking contrast between the two personas.

Vidya Balan As Kantha Could Be Another New Turn

Kantha is still largely a mystery. What audiences have seen is a woman in a blue sari making an assured staircase entrance, cigarette in hand, before facing the camera with an intensity that suggests there is considerably more to her character than the brief glimpse reveals.

The makers have not officially disclosed Kantha's backstory or her precise relationship with the other characters. For now, that mystery is part of the appeal. And if Vidya's earlier unconventional roles are any indication, Kantha could become another memorable addition to an already varied filmography.