Vidya Balan Breaks Silence on Neeyat, Glass Onion Comparisons: 'They Look Similar And...' | Exclusive

Vidya Balan is all set for the release of her first film this year titled Neeyat. Set in Scotland, the murder mystery revolves around the murder of a billionaire and sees Vidya playing a detective. The trailer of the film drew quite a bit of attention for its uncanny resemblance to Daniel Craig starring Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Some even compared the milieu and template of the film to Agatha Christie’s novels.

In an exclusive chat with News18, Vidya reacts to these comparisons but remains unfazed about the same. Looking at the silver lining, she tells us, “That’s a great thing! They all belong to the same genre. Almost all murder mysteries and whodunits have certain familiar tropes and then it’s all about how you use them and in what combination and that’s what makes a film interesting. They look similar and that’s okay.”

Last year, Vidya had expressed her joy about how the success of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi was key in putting an end to the dry spell at the box office in the post-pandemic world. And with Neeyat, Vidya has been expecting a similar reaction. “I hope that it does well. That’s the hope with every film I do. I haven’t had a theatrical release in four years now since Mission Mangal. So, I’m excited for people to see Neeyat on the big screen. It’s also a visually stunning film. It’s the kind of setting that you need to enjoy on the big screen,” she points out.

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Having set a precedent for women-led narratives in the Hindi film industry, Vidya wishes for her upcoming outing to work wonders at the ticket counters. “I don’t think you can use the same parameters to measure success on OTT and theatres. Having said that, I’m hoping that people really go to the theatres in large numbers to watch the film. Agar unki neeyat achchi hai, toh woh zaroor jaayenge theatre mein (laughs). I’m hoping for it to be a huge success,” she adds.

The last time Vidya played a detective was in Bobby Jasoos (2014). But the worlds that Bobby Jasoos and Neeyat belong to are strikingly different. With detectives and spies being widely glamourised onscreen, the 44-year-old is happy to be playing a detective who is rooted to reality. Talking about it, she shares, “I think it’s unusual and that’s what is exciting. She’s not snazzy like a lot of other detectives. She belongs in the world of books, numbers and coding. Spies tend to be a lot more glamourous. Detectives are more flamboyant. They have this I-know-it-all look but Mira Rao doesn’t. She’s quirky, socially awkward and unusual and you can even call her a geek. She’s not your usual detective though it’s a classic murder mystery.”

Neeyat is directed by Anu Menon, who last directed Vidya in Shakuntala Devi (2020). Apart from Vidya, the film also features Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Neeraj Kabi, Amrita Puri, Shahana Goswami, Niki Walia, Dipannita Sharma, Shashank Arora and Prajakta Koli. It is slated for a release on July 7.