From the soft-spoken yet quietly defiant Lalita in Parineeta (2005) to the explosively unapologetic Silk in The Dirty Picture (2011), from the pregnant, vengeful Vidya Bagchi in Kahaani (2012) to the resilient forest officer in Sherni (2021), Balan's body of work reads like a masterclass in fearless storytelling. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she has consistently gravitated toward narratives where women propel the story forward, staking claims in terrains long monopolized by men. Her journey is not merely a career chronicle; it is a powerful chronicle of Bollywood's own evolution, a testament to the market viability of rich, layered, and imperfect female protagonists.

A masterclass in tension, this film saw her as a pregnant, vulnerable yet ferociously determined woman hunting for her missing husband in the streets of Kolkata during Durga Puja. The content was smart, suspenseful, and subversive. It proved that the "hero" could be a seven-months-pregnant woman in a saree, armed only with wit and willpower.