Vidya Balan is receiving widespread praise for her powerful performance as Badi Begum, also known as Tajul Mukkhidarat Badi Sahiba, in Raja Shivaji, directed by Riteish Deshmukh. However, reports suggest that she was not the initial choice for this role.
Two time national-award winning actress Tabu was considered for the role at first. As per the FPJ reports, Tabu was consider for the role, but due to date issue she declined the role and then Riteish approached Vidya who got on board immediately. At the trailer launch, the South-Indian actress said she couldn't resist the chance to take on such a challenging bilingual role (Marathi and Hindi).
Earlier, Tabu previously declined Bhool Bhulaiya 3, leading the filmmakers to Vidya Balan. Tabu's decision stemmed from her award-winning dual performance as Anjulika and Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiya 2; she felt reprising a similar role in BB3 offered no new challenge.
Consequently, the producers considered Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit as replacements. This constant shuffling between Tabu and Vidya Balan creates an interesting dynamic.