Vidya Balan
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| Vidya Balan | |
 Vidya Balan in Parineeta |
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| Birth name | Vidya Balan |
| Born | January 1, 1982 (age 25) Ottapalam, Palakkad, India |
Vidya Balan (Malayalam: വിദ്യാ ബാലന്, Hindi: विद्या बालन), (born January 1, 1982[1] in Palakkad, Kerala) is an Indian actress based in Mumbai, India.
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[edit] Early life
Although born in Palakkad to Tamil parents in Kerala, Vidya Balan grew up in Mumbai and attended St. Anthony's Girls High School, St. Xavier's College, Bombay and later the University of Mumbai. She graduated from college with a Sociology degree. She speaks several languages including Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
Vidya Balan was signed to appear in the Malayalam film Chakram, but the film was abandoned mid-way through production. She then turned to television advertising. From 1998 onwards, she appeared in numerous television ads, many of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She also took supporting roles in music videos, appearing with singers and bands such as Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas, and acted in Hindi soap operas like Hum Paanch.
In 2005, she finally made her appearance on the big screen, in two movies. She appeared in a Bengali film, Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Best Actress Anand Lok Puraskar award in Kolkata. Also in 2005, Balan made her Hindi film debut in Parineeta. The film was very successful at the box office. Vidya was soon a hot commodity in Bollywood and was asked to sign film contracts by many of the town's leading directors.
In 2006 she appeared opposite Sanjay Dutt in the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The movie was a major hit within India and was ranked #1 on the box office for eight weeks after its release.[2]
Vidya was recently seen in a supporting role in Mani Ratnam's Guru; she played a woman with a physical disability[3] and she played a woman with amnesia in the multi-starrer Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love. Her latest release is Eklavya: The Royal Guard which got mixed reviews, though her performance has been appreciated.
[edit] Personal life
Her father, P. R. Balan, is the Vice President of ETC Channel and her mother is a housewife.
In a video interview, Vidya has stated that she is "extremely spiritual", has a "firm faith in god" and visits temples everyday .[4]
Gossip columnists linked Vidya with one of her co-stars, John Abraham. She strongly denied the allegations, saying that the rumors were "vile".[5]
[edit] Awards
- 2005: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Parineeta
- 2005: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female for Parineeta
- 2005: Filmfare Best Debut Award for Parineeta
- 2005: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut for Parineeta
- 2005: International Indian Film Academy Awards, Best Female Debut for Parineeta
- 2005: Anand Lok Puraskar Award, Best Actress for Bhalo Theko
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bhalo Theko | Anandi | |
| 2005 | Parineeta | Lalita | Winner, Filmfare Best Debut Award |
| 2006 | Lage Raho Munna Bhai | Jhanvi | |
| 2007 | Guru | Meenu | |
| 2007 | Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love | Tehzeeb | |
| 2007 | Eklavya: The Royal Guard | Rajeshwari 'Rajjo' | |
| 2007 | Hey Baby | Filming[6] | |
| 2007 | Bhool Bhulaiya | Chandramukhi | Announced[7] |
| 2007 | Halla Bol | Announced[8] | |
| 2007 | Bihaad | Announced.[9] | |
| 2007 | Dus Kahaniyaan | Poonam | Announced[10] |
| 2007 | Suryamukhi | Suryamukhi | Announced[11] |
| 2008 | Stella | Stella | Announced[12] |
[edit] Trivia
- While she was doing her MA from Mumbai University, she got an offer in a Malayalam film titled 'Chakram' with Mohanlal. Unfortunately, the film was shelved mid-way because of some issues between the director and Mohanlal. Then Vidya had to wait for a few more years to make her movie debut. The movie was released later on with a totally different cast and crew.
- Vidya signed to appear in another Tamil film, Run. She was replaced by Meera Jasmine, for reasons unknown.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ "E-Edition Daily Mirror", Daily Mirror. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.
- ^ "Box Office India", boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved on September 29, 2006.
- ^ The characters from Mani Ratnam's "Guru" introduce themselves. IndiaFM. Retrieved on November 6, 2007.
- ^ (2006). Rendezvous with Simi Garewal [Television series]. India: Star World.
- ^ I want to be versatile, says Vidya Balan. Monsters and Critics. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ Sajid and Sajid launch "Hey Baby" with a test shoot. IndiaFM. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ Shiney, Vidya in Priyan's next. Mid-Day. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ Rajkumar Santoshi shoots Halla Bol on Omkara sets. IndiaFM. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
- ^ Sanjay Dutt to revive his banner with Bihaad. IndiaFM. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ Dus Kahaniyaan First Look. IndiaFM. Retrieved on January 28, 2007.
- ^ Vidya Balan in Suryamukhi. [1].
- ^ Deepa Mehta's next with Maddy and Vidya. IndiaFM. Retrieved on February 4, 2007.
- ^ The Vidya magic!. Sify. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
