India, Oct. 15 -- Vidya Balan is set to appear alongside Rajinikanth in the Tamil film Jailer 2, and said in an interaction with SCREEN that she was once labelled a ‘jinx’ in South cinema and was replaced before shooting. The comments were reported in a Hindustan Times Entertainment article updated on Oct. 14, 2026. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on Oct. 15.
Early career setbacks in South cinema
Vidya Balan said she had “a lot of misses in both Malayalam and Tamil films” at the beginning of her career and recalled being labelled a jinx, which made her reluctant to take up South Indian films.
She said her Malayalam debut Chakram opposite Mohanlal was among projects that were shelved midway through production.
In her remarks...