Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is an Indian film actress, who appears in Bollywood films. After graduating in sociology, she began her career starring in many music videos, soap operas and many commercials, before appearing in feature films.

Balan made her debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Thekoin 2003. She later made her Hindi film debut withParineeta (2005), her performance in which earned her aFilmfare 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 withRajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and 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 in R. Balki's Paa, her portrayal of a single-mother of a progeric child in the film got her high critical acclaim and eventually her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.