Is Vidya Balan still part of Kamala Surayya's biopic Aami? Here's the truth

Mollywood filmmaker Kamal had earlier announced that Bollywood actress Vidya Balan had been roped in to play the lead role in his dream project Aami, which in the biopic of poet Kamala Surayya aka Madhavikutty. The actress had also confirmed the news via her Twitter handle by sharing a photo on how she was preparing to tell the story of the well-known writer.

Read more: Vidya as Madhavikutty in Aami

However, recently rumours had it that Vidya has backed out of the project due to her ideological differences with Kamal. Reports cited that Vidya, who is a supporter of Narendra Modi, couldn't work with Kamal, who had openly criticised the Indian prime minister. Now, sources close to the actress have refuted these reports calling them fake news and confirmed that Vidya is still part of the biopic. 

"The film's dates have been pushed around a little owing to the film strike, but otherwise everything is going as planned. Vidya is very much part of the film, and she doesn't have any political allegiances," Vidya's PR Shilpi told the Times of India. Though Vidya had appeared in a guest role in the Malayalam movie Urumi in 2011, Aami marks her debut in the industry in a full-fledged role . The film is also rumoured to have Murali Gopy and Prithviraj Sukumaran in significant roles. 

Madhavikutty, an icon in the Indian literary world, was also a controversial figure for her honest treatment of female sexuality in writing. Born in a traditional Hindu Nair family, her conversion to Islam at the age of 65, also kicked up controversy.

Meanwhile, Vidya is currently basking in the success of her latest outing Kahaani 2, which is the sequel of the much appreciated Bollywood mystery thriller Kahaani, released in 2012. The movie has opened to positive response from the audience and has already broken a few records of the first instalment. She will next be seen in Srijit Mukherji's Begum Jaan, and the first-look poster that features her lying on a cot smoking a hookah with her sevikas around, has been well received by her fans.