Vidya Balan to learn Malayalam!

She's sported Hyderabadi (Bobby Jasoos) and Punjabi (Ghanchakkar) accents for her films in the past and now Vidya Balan will add more to her repertoire by learning Malayalam. After finishing Begum Jaan by Srijit Mukherji and Kahaani 2 by Sujoy Ghosh, the actress will start shooting for the Kamala Das biopic, which will be directed by Malayalam filmmaker Kamal.

Apparently, the 38-year-old actress has hired a tutor to learn Malayalam to prep for her role. A source close to the development told a tabloid, “Vidya's family hails from Kerala but she was born and brought up in Mumbai so she only speaks a smattering of it. She is training every day for a few hours under SreeDhanya, a Malayalam actress.”

For those who are unaware, Kamala Das was a poet, columnist and a leading Malayalam author. She is also known by her pen name, Madhavikutty. She converted to Islam at the age of 67 and subsequently changed her name to Kamala Surayya.

Vidya will begin shooting for the movie by September-end in Kerala. “Vidya is one of the first actresses who portrayed female sexuality unapologetically in films like Ishqiya and The Dirty Picture. She was the perfect choice for the role since the beginning,” director Kamal was earlier quoted as saying to a tabloid.

A source informs, “Vidya is excited about recreating Kamala Das' intriguing personality on screen,” adding that the film will be shot abroad in countries like Germany, Spain and France, as Kamala travelled extensively in her quest for new-age poetry.