Vidya Balan (born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi films. She is known for films centred on strong women that were also commercial successes, at a time when this was rare in Bollywood. After her debut in Parineeta (2005) she starred in Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, and The Dirty Picture won her the National Film Award for Best Actress. She has won seven Filmfare Awards and received the Padma Shri in 2014.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Vidya Balan |
| Born | 1 January 1979, Bombay (now Mumbai), India |
| Age | 47 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Education | St. Xavier’s College (BA Sociology); University of Mumbai (MA Sociology) |
| Spouse | Siddharth Roy Kapur (m. 2012) |
| Known for | Parineeta, Paa, Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 |
Early Life and Education
Balan was born in Bombay into a Tamil Palakkad Iyer family and grew up in the suburb of Chembur. She studied sociology at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and later earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Mumbai. She trained in Carnatic music and classical dance. The actress Priyamani is her second cousin.
Career
At 16 Balan played a role in the TV sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). She then spent several years appearing in advertisements and music videos while several South Indian film projects fell through. She made her film debut in the Bengali film Bhalo Theko (2003).
Balan’s Hindi debut was Pradeep Sarkar’s period drama Parineeta (2005), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She followed it with the hits Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). She played the mother of Amitabh Bachchan‘s character in Paa (2009) and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Balan then made a series of acclaimed films led by women. She played a scheming widow in Ishqiya (2010), and the sister of a murder victim who fights for justice in No One Killed Jessica (2011), alongside Rani Mukerji. In The Dirty Picture (2011), inspired by the life of the South Indian actress Silk Smitha, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress. In Sujoy Ghosh’s thriller Kahaani (2012) she played a pregnant woman searching Kolkata for her missing husband. The film was a sleeper hit and won her another Filmfare Best Actress award.
Balan won praise for playing a housewife who becomes a late-night radio host in Tumhari Sulu (2017), and she appeared in the space drama Mission Mangal (2019). She played the mathematician Shakuntala Devi in a 2020 biopic and a forest officer in Sherni (2021). She later starred in Jalsa (2022) and Do Aur Do Pyaar (2024). She returned as the ghost Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024), which became the highest-grossing film of her career.
Personal Life
Balan married the film producer Siddharth Roy Kapur on 14 December 2012. She is a vegetarian and has supported campaigns on sanitation and women’s health. In 2021 she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Vidya Balan born?
Vidya Balan was born on 1 January 1979 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India and is 47 years old.
What is Vidya Balan known for?
Known for: Parineeta, Paa, Ishqiya, The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
Featured image: Vidya Balan at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards, Mumbai, February 2023. Photo by Bollywood Hungama, licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
