Mumbai: "Tumhari Sulu", an aspirational drama about a housewife, has ended Vidya Balan's dry run at the box office and the actor believes the film clicked with the audiences because its story is rooted in middle-class ethos. Vidya says it is not that she was not taking risks as an actor but somehow her experiments did not work until now. "Every time I tried something new, the films didn't work. It is the unfortunate truth," she says in an interview with PTI.
"When the films don't do well, it means not many people have seen it. But at the same time, whenever I have attempted to do something different, I have given my best. Thankfully, my work was appreciated always." The film, directed by Suresh Triveni, features Vidya as a housewife, who is full of business plans and one day lands herself the job of a Radio Jockey. The actor says the movie is a celebration of everyday woman and her indomitable spirit.
"A woman is balancing everything in life. Most of the time, women are not appreciated, unless they are achievers. You do not have to be Indra Nooyi (to be appreciated). Women should be appreciated for everything they do as they do it with commitment and dedication. This script does that." The film has been appreciated for its witty one-liners and Vidya's chemistry with Manav Kaul, who plays her husband. The actor credits Triveni for putting together a great story and successfully capturing the real-life emotions.
"There were some impromptu elements that we added during the shooting. I can't take the credit, I just followed what was in the script. Suresh sees humour in real life situations, in the mundanity of every life. This is one of the best scripts that I read and it just got better when we started shooting." The national-award-winning actor says the love that is pouring in for the film is primarily because the sensibilities between her and the director matched.
"It is difficult to say where an actor's job has ended and the director's had started. If I get credit for making the character look relatable it is also to the director's credit." The actor recently visited a theatre to gauge the audience reaction and found it heart-warming to see that people engaged with the story. "I do think rooted stories are doing well. Most of India lives in middle class, people tell me I capture little things of middle class life. I am like, I have grown up in a middle class family. I am grateful for life, for everything," Vidya says.
The 38-year-old actor says "Tumhari Sulu" once again proves that a good story will resonate with the viewers. "Good content always works. When a certain film resonates with the audience, they love it. Today no one type of film is working. The story has to connect with people." Produced by T-Series and Ellipsis Entertainment, the comedy-drama released on November 17.
