Vidya Balan believes that if demonetization had not occurred, her 2016 movie Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, the sequel to the 2012 film Kahaani, would have attracted a larger audience. The film premiered on December 2, just under a month after the Indian government declared the demonetization of all 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes.
The suspense movie, in which Vidya performed Durga Rani Singh, who is accused of kidnapping and murdering a young girl with dysfunction, received mixed reviews. However, it failed to demonstrate Kahaani's critical and commercial success. Vidya, who was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress award for Kahaani and was nominated for the same award for her work in the sequel, wishes the second film was seen by more people.
Vidya was recently asked by Bollywood Hungama about one of her films that she truly wanted more people had seen. In reply, the actor named Kahaani 2. She says “ there was something that happened at that point of time, around that release, demonetization, so people didn't go to the theatres.” However, the actor expressed doubt that the motion picture would have performed well if not for the currency devaluation. She laughed and said, “I don't know if they would have been to theatres, but it's comforting that there's an excuse."
Vidya can currently be seen in Jalsa, an inquiry thriller starring Shefali Shah. On March 18, the Suresh Triveni-directed film was made available on Amazon Prime Video. Vidya plays a famous journalist in the film, while Shefali Shah plays her chef, whose daughter is wounded in a hit-and-run accident.