Vidya Balan says producers are afraid to make female-centric films: Alia's Gangubai had no man leading it but...'

Actress Vidya Balan is known for her roles in female-centric films such as The Dirty Picture, Begum Jaan, Kahaani, Parineeta, among others. She has showcased her acting prowess and impressed her fans with her versatility as an actress. Apart from her skills, she is also known for speaking her heart out without any filters.

Now, the actress recently talked about how the producers are afraid to make female-centric films. She also shared how Akshay Kumar was cited for the success of Mission Mangal because the other five actresses, that featured in the film, "are not being seen as having led the film". The film featured Vidya, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kirti Kulhari and Sharman Joshi.

Vidya was recently featured at the O Womaniya! 2022 by Film Companion and said, "It’s not Akshay Kumar and five other leading ladies, because we’re not being seen as having led the film in any way. But the story couldn’t have been told with just Akshay Kumar, and it wasn’t told with just him. Someone was talking to me about my last hits, and they didn’t mention Mission Mangal, and they said, ‘Woh toh Akshay Kumar…’ and I was like, ‘Did you not see me and four other female actors?"

She also pointed out at the "some kind of flux" that the industry is currently going through where a lot of films are bombing. Taking the example of Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi, she said that it "had no man leading it, but it was Alia and it did great numbers" compared to a lot of other films that had male heroes. She further added that it's frustrating because there is no logic in it.

"Our industry is going through some kind of flux where a lot of our films are bombing, terribly. And they are your so-called, male hero-led films. But who takes the beating is the female-led films," she was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, on the work front, she will be next seen in Neeyat alongside Neeraj Kabi, Shahna Goswami, Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose and others.