Vidya taking horse-riding & voice training lessons for 'Begum Jaan

Vidya Balan who plays the titular character in her next is prepping with horse-riding and voice training lessons.

Vidya Balan who plays the madam of a brothel in Begum Jaan, the Hindi adaptation of National Award-winning filmmaker Srijit Mukherji's Bengali film, Rajkahini, is prepping up for the film which rolls from June 18 in Jharkhand. The 38-year-old actress will take up horse-riding and is undergoing vocal training to modulate her voice to suit the character.

"Her character smokes hookah which makes one's voice grainy. Vidya already has a timbre of the voice but we want to make it grainier, hence the workshops with her during different times of the day to identify the right texture that will suit the character," informs Srijit who has been spending hours with the Kahaani actress developing a back story for Begum Jaan, including the character's attitude towards men and her thoughts on sexuality.

"We have been improvising on certain scenes which won't be in the film but will help Vidya get a better grip on the character and her life. In fact, she got emotional while reciting poetry about partition, the revolution and the pain, themes which are very close to Begum Jaan's character," asserts Srijit, who will shoot the film in Punjab and Delhi as well.

Vidya who will speak in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi has a trainer to help her out. "Her character hails from Punjab, so her look will be inspired from that region," he adds.