Vidya Balan to play Suchitra Sen in biopic, who will be her Uttam Kumar?

More than once, Vidya Balan has played the role of a Bengali woman onscreen so convincingly, you’d be forgiven for thinking she is Bengali. But can Balan up her game to play one of Bengali cinema’s most beloved actresses, Suchitra Sen?

According to a Hindustan Times report, Balan has been signed to play Sen in a biopic of the actress. Wasting no time in trying to get her act right, Balan has already started training in Kathak from Pt Jayu Raman. However, we can’t help wondering whether Balan, as gifted an actress as she may be, can actually transform into Sen onscreen.

Talking about Balan playing the role of Sen, a source told Hindustan Times, “since it’s a biopic, she (Balan) wants her portrayal to be authentic.”

“After the makers informed her that she will have Kathak dance sequences in the film, she asked them to arrange for a teacher,” added the source.

However, while we have no doubt that Balan’s intention are truly genuine, this biopic on Sen sounds like it could be another Mary Kom in the making.

To begin with, Balan doesn’t look a thing like Sen. Although Balan is undoubtedly the better actress, it’s going to be an uphill task for Balan to look like Sen. Aside from Sen’s natural grace and beauty, their facial features are entirely dissimilar.  Also, imagine Balan’s face in those curious close-ups that showed Sen striking dramatic expressions for the camera in her films, and try not to giggle while you’re at it.

One Bollywood actress who has been likened to Sen is Madhuri Dixit, primarily because the two had similar smiles. However, Dixit is now, no doubt, too old to helm a biopic that will probably span Sen’s life from when she debuted as an actress till her later years.

While little is known about the biopic so far what we are more worried about is the casting of Uttam Kumar, Sen’s onscreen hero. The two of them remain Bengali cinema’s best-loved romantic pair. It’s difficult to imagine any one of the current crop of actors as Kumar, who continues to make hearts flutter. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that Emraan Hashmi doesn’t get that part.