“There will be no second Bhalo Theko as Gautam da is no longer alive. If he was alive, maybe there could be talks about another Bhalo Theko” said Vidya Balan at the 30^th Kolkata International Film Festival.

The actress was in Kolkata for the screening of the film Bhalo Theko under the Special Tribute section.

Bhalo Theko was directed by Gautam Haldar.

The cast consisted of Vidya Balan, Soumitra Chatterjee, Joy Sengupta, Parambrata Chatterjee, and others.

“I had no plans whatsoever of becoming an actress. I was shooting for an ad film when I got this chance. I did the film and did not think I would get any more offers. But God has been kind and I have been able to continue with this amazing journey of working in films” said the actress.

Vidya Balan wore the saree that Gautam Haldar had gifted her many years ago for the screening of Bhalo Theko.

Speaking about her love for Bengal, she said “I love Kolkata and I am a Bengali from my heart. Whenever I come to Kolkata, I visit the Kalighat Temple. And if I cannot do that after some time, I feel something is missing. So I make it a point to come back and go to the Kalighat Temple. That gives me peace”.

On speaking about the ups and downs of stardom, the actress said “I have seen it all. I have seen the highs and lows. Just like life, your stardom will have its ups and downs. Some films worked well while some did not. But all of them are special to me. It is because of the films that I have been getting so much love from the people”.

When questioned whether she would be directing films in the future, the actress said “I cannot work as a director. I turned producer and till that I am ok. I want to continue working as an actress”.

The actress concluded the press conference by wishing everyone Bhalo Theko and by singing a few lines of a Bengali song.

Priyanka Dutta