Vidya Balan (born 1 January, 1978) is an Indian actress, who appears in Hindi films. After graduating in sociology, she began her career starring in many music videos, T.V shows and many commercials, before appearing in feature films.
Balan made her movie debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko in 2003. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), which earned her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She subsequently essayed a variety of character roles, receiving her first commercial success with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). She followed it with Heyy Babyy (2008) and Bhool Bhulaiya (2008), the latter earning her another nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In 2009 she appeared as a single mother of a child suffering from progeria in R. Balki's Paa, her performance in which ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. 2010 saw the release of Ishqiya, starring Balan in a role for which she was praised and awarded.
In 2009, Balan played the role of Vidya, a young independent gynecologist who is also a single-mother struggling with her 12-year-old son's Progeria syndrome, in Paa. Amitabh Bachchan played Balan's son Auro. The film was received well by critics and so was Balan's performance. Sukanya Verma from Rediff wrote, "Vidya Balan slips into the skin of a doting mom with such ease without the mollycoddling tone Bollywood's young mothers often resort to. Balan is poignant yet restrained and projects an impressive figure of grace and integrity, reminiscent of Dimple Kapadia in the 1980s."; Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India noted, "Balan lends a rare dignity to the image of the Bollywood mom. With her quiet grace and controlled emotions, she is Mother Courage incarnate." Her portrayal ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress, among other awards.
Balan next acted in the 2010 drama Ishqiya, a feature directed by first-timer Abhishek Chaubey and co-starring Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. Balan's role was that of Krishna Verma, a 30-year old widowed village woman. Her character was described as a femme fatale, and her performance was applauded by critics, with NDTV's Anupama Chopra writing, "Balan’s smoldering looks scorch the screen even as her eyes hint at tragedy. She proves that she is miles ahead of the cookie cutter Barbie dolls that clutter Bollywood and that sensuality has very little to do with showing skin."
Balan first release in 2011 was in UTV Spotboy's No One Killed Jessica alongside Rani Mukerji. She has also said she will be appearing in Chenab Gandhi, directed by Vibhu Puri and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, which centers around Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Frontier Gandhi. As of January 2011, Balan is scheduled to appear in Dirty Picture, a biopic based on the life and death of Indian actress Silk Smitha.
