Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who returned to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, recently shared behind-the-scenes tales from her time working with director Priyadarshan. In a candid interview with Mashable India, Vidya reminisced about Bhool Bhulaiyaa's climax scene when Priyadarshan surprised her with one simple move. 

“When we were shooting the climax of Bhool Bhulaiyaa (first part), my hair was neatly done. Suddenly, Priyan sir came and pulled my hair down,” Vidya Balan recalled. She explained the reason behind director Priyadarshan's action: “Wait! You know she is possessed; it has to be all over the place.” Vidya also shared the director's advice for the intense scene: “Imagine that you’re an animal.”

“I followed that cue for the rest of the scene. I find it amazing when directors give you just the right cues. We had so much fun. Akshay and I had a lot of fun, we get along very well,” she added. Commenting on his directing style, Vidya said, “There was no conversation with Priyan sir. We’d get the scene, and he trusted us to do it. He is a man of few words.” 

Vidya also reflected on her experience working with Malayalam actor Vineeth during Bhool Bhulaiyaa. “Last time, I had to dance with Vineeth, who has been dancing since the age of four. He was incredible and I had to match steps with him,” she said.

She admitted to feeling relieved about her solo performance in the third film. “I was happy that I was alone and could do whatever I wanted,” Vidya quipped.

Dancing with Madhuri Dixit

Vidya also recalled her experience of dancing alongside Bollywood icon Madhuri Dixit. “I used to dance in front of the mirror to ‘Ek Do Teen’ and from there to dance with her was insane. But I was also very nervous.” she said. 

Initially, Vidya was under the impression that she would perform the dance sequence solo. However, the filmmakers Aneez Bazmee and Bhushan Kumar later suggested adding Madhuri into the scene. “Though it wasn’t part of the original script, it was incredible but nerve-wracking,” Vidya admitted.

Vidya's connection to Kerala

The actress also opened up about her Kerala roots, tracing her family origins to Palakkad. “My father was from Puthur in Palakkad. He left his hometown when he was 16. My mother is from Guruvayur, so we visit once in a while,” Vidya shared.

She reflected on her visits to Kerala, saying, “Until the pandemic, we used to visit once every two years. Since then, I’ve travelled there once. And yes, Palakkad is my Naadu (hometown in Malayalam).”

When asked about the language she speaks, Vidya explained, “We are Tamilians from Kerala; we are Tambrahms from Palakkad. We speak Tamil, and it has a lot of Malayalam in it. Enikku Manasaalum (I understand).”