Vidya Balan will be slipping into the shoes of a detective for her upcoming film Neeyat. Vidya is not new to playing detective-oriented projects, having worked in suspense thrillers like the Kahaani franchise, Bobby Jasoos, and No One Killed Jessica. While we have complete faith in Vidya, putting her best foot forward, the film’s trailer has been reproached by some social media users, who have pointed out that it bears an uncanny resemblance to Hollywood actor Daniel Craig’s crime mystery, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Now, Vidya Balan, in an interview, has finally broken her silence on the issue.
In an interview with News18, Vidya Balan reacted to the comparisons between Neeyat and Knives Out. Unfazed by the constant chatter about the two films being similar, the actress justified that it was because both belonged to the same genre. “That’s a great thing! Almost all murder mysteries and whodunits have certain familiar tropes and then it’s all about how you use them and in what combination and that’s what makes a film interesting. They look similar and that’s okay," she clarified.
Vidya Balan found her supporter in her Neeyat co-star Shahana Goswami. In an interaction with Bollywood Hungama, Shahana refused the claims that Neeyat is similar to Knives Out. “The only similarity is that a bunch of people come together in a mansion and a murder takes place,” she said. According to Shahana, the difference lay in the characterisation and narrative in Neeyat. She firmly opined that when the audience is going to watch Neeyat, they will find out that the story “does not play out” like Knives Out.
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Speaking about her expectations from Neeyat, Vidya Balan shared that she wishes the film “does well” in the theatres, especially since it is her first film in four years to be released theatrically after Mission Mangal (2019). “It’s also a visually stunning film. It’s the kind of setting that you need to enjoy on the big screen,” added Vidya.
Helmed by Anu Menon, Neeyat revolves around a murder of a billionaire at a mansion, filled with family, and relatives. Vidya Balan as detective Mira Rao will be using her skills to unravel the murder mystery and find the culprit among the guests, who have their own web of secrets and ulterior motives. Neeyat will start streaming on Amazon Prime Video on July 7.
