A powerful film can make an actor explore new facets of themselves, helping them learn things about their art along the way. For Vidya Balan, who has built a rich filmography over the years, Sherni (2021) is one such project. Director Amit Masurkar’s realistic style of filmmaking was admittedly a new process for the actor. “Sherni made me unlearn a lot of things as an actor. Amit’s approach is different from other [filmmakers]. There were times when I wondered whether I was doing enough, whether I was getting the scene right. So, it’s gratifying when people compliment me for Sherni,” says Balan.

The actor’s measured performance as divisional forest officer Vidya Vincent has won her a nomination in the Best Actor (Female): Film category of the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. In telling the story of the protagonist’s struggles to save a tigress from hunters and release her into the national park, the director highlighted the man-animal conflict. It was only when Balan immersed herself in the movie’s universe that she fully understood how humans take the environment for granted. “I was also indifferent [towards wildlife conservation]. We’ve read about global warming and climate change, but none of that has impacted me as much as this story has.”