Vidya Balan is one of the mainstream Bollywood actresses who is making the OTT platforms her own. Her previous two releases, Shakuntala Devi (released in 2020) and Sherni (released in 2021) both skipped the theatres and premiered directly on OTT --- Amazon Prime Video, to be precise.
Her upcoming release Jalsa is also taking the same route. The makers dropped the first look of the film today and announced that Jalsa would start streaming from March 18 on Amazon Prime Video.
"The real story hides beneath her smile. Super excited to announce #Jalsa streams on 18th March (sic)," Vidya Balan tweeted today.
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Vidya Balan is pitted against Shefali Shah
this is exactly what the edge of your seat was made for 👀#JalsaOnPrime releasing March 18@vidya_balan @ShefaliShah_ #SureshTriveni @TSeries @Abundantia_Ent @vikramix @ShikhaaSharma03 #BhushanKumar pic.twitter.com/okQwGzzEX4February 28, 2022
Vidya Balan is joined by another powerful performer Shefali Shah in the leads. The two are collaborating for the first time in a film. Vidya plays the character of a television journalist while Shefali shoulders the role of a cook. The film is said to be social drama-thriller about class differences. What happens when Shefali's son dies in an accident is said to be the crux of the story.
Jalsa is directed by Suresh Triveni of Tumhari Sulu (2017) fame. The film is written by Prajwal Chandrashekar and Suresh Triveni, with dialogues by Hussain and Abbas Dalal.
T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment have collaborated to produce the film which also stars Rohini Hattangadi, Iqbal Khan, Vidhatri Bandi, Gurpal Singh, and Surya Kasibhatla, with Manav Kaul in a special appearance.
Jalsa is a detailed narrative of complex human psyche and emotional triggers showcased against the premise of an incident that changes lives of so many, according to Vikram Malhotra, founder and CEO of Abundantia Entertainment.
Manish Menghani, head, content licensing, Amazon Prime Video said: “At Prime Video, a key tenet when selecting stories, is to look for authenticity and freshness. Stories that are nuanced and beyond conventional storytelling are finding viewership across the length and breadth of the country. In a fine blend of drama and thrill, Jalsa offers a truly differentiated story, made better by performances from a brilliant cast.”
Amazon Prime Video's previous big-ticket Bollywood release Gehraiyaan, starring Deepika Padukone in the lead, had a mixed response.
Aside from Vidya Balan, only Malayalam stars like Prithviraj Sukumaran and Fahadh Faasil have had such consecutive direct releases on OTT.
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