Name: Vidya Balan
Profession: Actress
Country: Mumbai, India
Date of Birth: January 1, 1982
Sign: Capricorn
City: Palghat, Kerala
Country: India
Mother: Home maker
Father: PR Balan - Vice President of ETC Channel
Siblings: Older sister Priya
Marital status: Single
She was born January 1, 1982, in Palakkad, Kerala, is an Indian actress based in Mumbai, India. Vidya Balan started work as an actress in the Malayalam movie Chakram, paired against Mohanlal, however the film was abandoned mid-way through production. After making her debut in television advertising as a model for a Surf Excel advertisement in 1998, she proceeded to do over 25 TV ads, (mostly directed by Pradeep Sarkar), followed with a variety of acting stints in music videos (Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal and Pankaj Udhas), Hindi TV soap operas (Hanste Khelte and Hum Paanch) and a Bengali movie, Bhaalo Theko, for which she won the Best Actress Anand Lok Puraskar award in Kolkata. She was also in a Raza.com commercial played all over the world, featuring Shaan’s song “Tanha Dil."
In 2005, Balan debuted in her first feature film Parineeta, a Vidhu Vinod Chopra production in Hindi, directed by Pradeep Sarkar. The film met with widespread critical and commercial success. The film also led to a spate of movies being offered to the actress, most notably movies by leading directors including Mani Ratnam.
In 2006 she teamed up once again with Chopra and Sanjay Dutt for the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai.
Filmography
2007 Krrish 2
2007 Suryamukhi
2007 Halla Bol
2007 Chandramukhi
2007 Untitled Pradeep Sarkar/Yash Chopra Film
2007 Hey Baby
2006 Guru
2006 Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love
2006 Eklavya: The Royal Guard
2006 Lage Raho Munna Bhai
2005 Parineeta
Awards
2005, Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Parineeta
2005, Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female, Parineeta
2005, Filmfare Best Debut Award, Parineeta
2005, Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut, Parineeta
2005, International Indian Film Academy Awards - Best Female Debut - Parineeta
