Vidya Balan is a Bollywood actress. She was born on 1 January 1978 in Kerala. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. Vidya Balan grew up in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She completed her schooling from St Anthony Girls High School, Mumbai. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St Xavier’s College and Mumbai University. 

Her father, PR Balan works as the Executive Vice President of Digicable. Her mother, Saraswati Balan is a homemaker. She has a sister, Priya Balan. 

She is married to Siddharth Roy Kapoor.

Vidya Balan’s favourites

Her hobbies include reading and travelling. 

She likes to eat Thai food. 

Her favourite actors are Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit, Kate Winslet, Julie Delpy, and Julia Roberts. 

Her favourite films are, Golmaal (1979), Before Sunset, and Before Sunrise. 

She admires the works by directors, Rishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar. 

Her favourite colour is red. 

She loves to listen to songs by Zakir Hussain, Michael Jackson, and Enrique Iglesias. 

Her favourite perfumes are by brands, Issey Miyake and Elizabeth Arden.

Her favourite travelling destinations are New York and New Zealand. 

Vidya owns a Mercedes E Class car. 

Interesting facts about Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan started her acting career with the role of ‘Radhika Mathur’ in Ekta Kapoor’s popular comedy television show ‘Hum Paanch.’ The first episode aired in 1995 on Zee TV.

She worked in several commercials before making a mark in Bollywood. 

In 2003, Vidya Balan was seen in a Bengali film ‘Bhalo Theko.’

Vidya Balan’s Bollywood debut

In the year 2005, Vidya starred in her first Bollywood film ‘Parineeta.’ The film was widely liked and received critical acclaim.

She is a huge fan of writer, Paulo Coehlo. In an interview, she shared that she has read every book by the author. 

Vidya Balan is fluent in many languages like, English, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, and Hindi. 

Vidya Balan’s filmography

Some of Vidya Balan’s popular films are, Salaam-E-Ishq (2007), Ghanchakkar (2013), Guru (2007), Bobby Jasoos (2014), Paa (2009), No One Killed Jessica (2011), Shaadi Ke Side Effects (2014), Chup Chup Ke (2006), Kismat Konnection (2008), Sherni (2021), Heyy Babyy (2007), Ishqiya (2010), Jalsa (2022), Tumhari Sulu (2017), Shakuntala Devi (2020), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), Kahaani (2012), The Dirty Picture (2011), and Mission Mangal (2019).

Awards

In the year 2012, Vidya Balan was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Actress for the film ‘The Dirty Picture.’ She also received Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the same film. 

In 2013, she received Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film ‘Kahaani.’

In 2014, she was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the Government of India for her contribution to Indian cinema.