Vidya Balan

At 45 years old, Vidya Balan has this physical status:

Vidya Balan (born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress.

She is the recipient of many awards, including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards, for her role in pioneering a change in the representation of women in Hindi cinema.

In 2014, the government of India gave her the Padma Shri. Vidya aspired to film from a young age and appeared in the 1995 comedy Hum Paanch for the first time.

She obtained a master's degree in sociology from the University of Mumbai and then made several unsuccessful attempts to start a career in film.

She has since appeared in television commercials and music videos.

Bhalo Theko, an independent Bengali drama, made her debut in 2003.

Vidya earned raves for her first Hindi film, drama Parineeta, and a leading role in the top-grossing comedy film Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). This breakthrough was accompanied by roles in the romantic comedies Heyy Babyy (2007) and Kismat Konnection (2008), which received critical feedback.

Vidya continued to excel in five separate performances in the 2009 drama Paa, the 2010 black comedy Ishqiya, and the 2012 thriller Kahaani, winning numerous accolades for each of them.

She followed this with a string of films that didn't do well at the box office, but her appearance in Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016) was lauded.

This changed when she appeared in Tumhari Sulu (2017) as a radio jockey and a scientist in Mission Mangal (2019).

The latter is the most popular new arrival in the U.K. Vidya also promotes humanitarian causes and supports women's liberation.

She is a member of the Indian Central interim Board of Film Certification and hosts a radio show.

Tools: She initially received flakiness over her fluctuating weight and dress sense, but she was later praised in the media for her eccentricity.

Vidya is married to film director Siddharth Roy Kapur.

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Early life and initial career struggles

Vidya was born in Bombay (modern-day Mumbai) on January 1st 1979, into a Tamil Brahmin family. P. R. Balan, the executive vice president of Digicable, is a homemaker, and Saraswathy Balan, the mother, is a homemaker. They speak a blend of Tamil and Malayalam at home, according to Vidya. Priya Balan, her elder sister, works in advertising. Priyamani is the actress' second cousin.

Vidya grew up in Chembur, Mumbai, and attended St. Anthony Girls' High School. She aspired to film as a child and was inspired by actor Shabana Azmi and Madhuri Dixit's work. Radhika, a bespectacled adolescent, appeared in the first season of Ekta Kapoor's Hum Paanch as a 16-year-old adolescent. Vidya turned down director Anurag Basu's offer to appear in a television soap opera because she wanted to work on a film career after the series ended. Her parents were supportive of the decision, but she was encouraged to start her education first. She went to St. Xavier's College to complete a bachelor's degree in sociology and then obtained a master's degree from the University of Mumbai.

Vidya was initially enrolled in the Malayalam film Chakram, opposite Mohanlal, and she has since gone on to 12 other Malayalam language films while working on her master's degree. Chakram was however shelved due to manufacturing difficulties, but it was shelved. The postponement of a film starring Mohanlal was an unheard event in Malayalam cinema; the film's producers sluggish and blamed Vidya for "poor luck"; she was branded a "jinx"; and she was put in the films she hadn't been shooting for. She shifted her attention to Tamil cinema. In 2001, she was introduced as the female protagonist in N. Linguswamy's Run (2002). However, she was unceremoniously dropped and replaced by Meera Jasmine after completing the first shooting schedule. She was recruited under false pretences for a sex comedy, a genre she was not familiar with, and decided to leave the film. Meera Jasmine was also replaced in Bala by 2002. Manasellam (2003), her third Tamil film, was released by the producer, but Trisha was not satisfied with her work. Kalari Vikraman, another Malayalam film for which she worked in 2003, did not get a theatrical release. Vidya appeared in about 60 television commercials and in music videos for Euphoria and Shubha Mudgal, the bulk of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar after struggling to start a film career.

Career

Vidya's film debut came with the Bengali film Bhalo Theko (2003), a drama directed by Goutam Halder. He portrayed her in the central role of Aanandi, a young woman reminiscing about her past, for the combination of innocence and fear that he found in her. Vidya was ecstatic about her debut in Bengali cinema, later calling it a dream come true and remarking on her subsequent development. For her role, she was given the Anandalok Purashkar for Best Actress. Vidya auditioned for lead roles in his directorial debut, the Hindi film Parineeta (2005), on Pradeep Sarkar's suggestion. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film's producer, had intended a well-known actress in the role but decided against Vidya after she underwent six months of extensive testing. Parineeta, the son of the local zamindar and Shekhar's defunct daughter of the family's landlord, is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1914 Bengali novel of the same name. Kritikers applauded Vidya's performance, and Variety's Derek Elley found her to be a "acting revelation," adding that her "devoted but dignified Lalita is the picture's heart and soul." She received Best Female Debut at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony, as well as a nomination for Best Actress.

Vidya Dutt starred in Rajkumar Hirani's comedy film Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), continuing her relationship with Chopra's company. She appeared on radio jockey and the title character's love passion, which she developed through radio hosts and watched them at work. Despite admitting not to playing a key role in the film, she committed to the venture as part of a deliberate attempt to avoid being stereotyped in her Parineeta portrait. Lage Raho Munna Bhai was one of the top-grossing Hindi films to that point, earning over 1.19 billion (US$15 million). Vidya began in 2007 by accepting the support role of a multiple sclerosis patient in Mani Ratnam's drama Guru, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, citing her desire to work with Ratnam. Raja Sen.com moaned that she was "somewhat wasted in a position that isn't as well defined." Her next two appearances in the ensemble films Salaam-e-Ishq and Eklavya: The Royal Guard were both small, but she defended her choices as being "part of my learning curve." Both films did poorly at the box office, but the former was chosen as India's entry for the 80th Academy Awards. Vidya refused Pradeep Sarkar and Sudhir Mishra's invitations to act in their films Lagu Chunari Mein Daag and Khoya Chand, respectively, citing date reasons; she has stated that both filmmakers were dissatisfied with her decision.

She appeared in Heyy Babyy, the 2007 film, alongside Akshay Kumar in her first glamorous, westernized role. "Vidya is itchy, over-the-top, very concerned, and appears ghastly in figure-hugging frocks," Namrata Joshi of Outlook wrote. She then worked with Kumar in Bhool Bhulayaa, a Priyadarshan comedy horror film that served as a recreation of Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993). Vidya, originally played by Shobana in the original, was challenged by a woman with dissociative identity disorder; in preparation, she stayed in solitude for three days and then collapsed on set. In addition, she was coerced by the dancing that her job demanded and started attending kathak days before filming her scenes. Khalid Mohamed found her "bankably likeable" despite disliking the film and Vidya's dancing, and Taran Adarsh described her as "splendid." Both Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa were among the year's best-grossing Hindi films. At Filmfare, the actress received her second Best Actress nomination.

Vidya appeared in Halla Bol, a documentary based on the life of activist Safdar Hashmi, in 2008, she was based in Viya. Shahid Kapoor co-starring Shahid Kapoor, actress Kesmat Konnection reprised her glamorous role in the romantic comedy Kismat Konnection. She explained that this part of her plan was a deliberate effort to move out of her comfort zone, but she found it difficult to dance alongside Kapoor. As did Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express, Elvis D'Silva of Rediff.com, who called Vidya to be "determinedly slumpy" and condemned her appearance and wardrobe, as did Rediff.com's Shubhra Gupta. Both films received poor box office returns. Vidya has stated that such roles do not fit her personality and blamed herself for "a complete lack of conviction on her part."

Vidya's career prospects in 2009 soared when R. Balki played her in his comedy-drama Paa. She played a single mother in an Amitabh Bachchan-played progeria. She was initially skepticism about playing the partarrow, wondering if she might be maternal toward an actor of Bachchan's stature, who is over 30 years old. She said that Bachchan's miraculous transformation into a teenage boy had persuaded her to take the role. "Balan is poignant yet restrained, portrays an impressive figure of grace and integrity," critic Sukanya Verma wrote, "Balan is poignant yet restrained, and portrays an impressive figure of grace and integrity." The Bollywood mother's daughter, Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India, praised her for adding "rare grace to the image of the Bollywood mother." Paa was a commercial success and received the Filmfare Award and Screen Award for Best Actress, as well as a Vidya. Vidya has said that the film's reception gave her "courage to hold to my conviction."

Vidya's upcoming role in Abhishek Chaubey's black comedy Ishqiya (2010) to be "an epitome of grey." She starred in a farewell to her wholesome on-screen persona in a seductive, manipulative widow from a village in Uttar Pradesh. The role required her to master the local dialect, which also included the use of profanity. "Vividya Balan's smoldering looks scorch the screen, even as her eyes hint at death," Anupama Chopra said. She claims she is miles ahead of the cookie cutter Barbie dolls that blight Bollywood, and that sensuality has little to do with showing skin." Vidya's work received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress (second straight Best Actress award at Screen) and a nomination for Best Actress at Filmfare.

Vidya's career was based on her time in two financially successful female-led films in 2011. Vidya played Sabrina, a thriller based on Jessica Lal's murder and co-starring Rani Mukerji, who is on the lookout for her sister's murder. Vidya was styled in men's dresses and loose-fitted clothing; several scenes were shot on location with hidden cameras, and she was happy with the secrecy that her styling provided. In addition, she spoke positively of her Mukerji, pointing to the rarity of two leading ladies in the same Hindi film. "Her hesitant body language, her helplessness, her anger, and her gratitude all came across beautifully," Vidya's ability to be "in sublime control of her emotions." Vidya received another Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She made a guest appearance in the Malayalam film Urumi this year, and a retrospective of her films was held in Australia as part of the Bollywood and Beyond festival.

Vidya's involvement in The Dirty Picture (2011), a drama based on the controversial Indian actress Silk Smitha's outspoken, entangled the Hindi film heroine, according to the New York Times. The character's overwhelming sexual presence in the role was confronted, and she talked about the psychological preparation she made in achieving a balance between the character's mix of innocence, vulnerability, and sex appeal. To look the part, she gained 12 kilograms (26 lb). "She's extraordinary: she's robust, consistently on form, and unafraid of revealing her darker side," Khalid Mohamed said of Vidya. Here's a glimpse at the sort of intricate results that you haven't seen in years and years." The Dirty Picture, with a global income of 1.14 billion (US$14 million), became India's highest-grossing female-led film to that point. In comparison to the National Film Award for Best Actress, Vidya received another Filmfare and Screen Award.

She appeared in the thriller Kahaani (2012), directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Vidya, a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband, was captured in Kolkata during the Durga Puja festival. It was shot for over 64 days in Kolkata's streets using guerrilla filmmaking, and was made on a shoestring budget. When promoting the film, Vidya attracted media interest for wearing a prosthetic belly. Vidya "gets into the physical appearance of a pregnant woman with unfailing mastery," Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph wrote. "Balan's existence, and in fact, her flourishing," Sanjukta Sharma of Mint said, "reveals something about the Hindi film industry's transition away from the "heroine" mold." Kahaani also emerged as one of the top-grood Hindi films in the world, grossing over 1.2 billion (US$13 million) globally, as with The Dirty Picture. Vidya received her fourth best Actress Award at Screen and her third Best Actress Award at Filmfare.

Vidya appeared in the comedy thriller Ghanchakkar (2013) after being a jury member at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. She played a boisterous Punjabi woman opposite Emraan Hashmi, who said that her role in it was secondary to the male actor, rather than her previous films. Sarit Ray of Hindustan Times described her "shrill, garish-dressing, magazine-devouring Punjabi housewife" role as "caricature-ish." Draupadi played by Vidya for Mahabharat, an animation film based on the Indian epic of the same name. Shaadi Ke Side Effects, a romantic comedy about a married couple in which she was pitted against Farhan Akhtar, began in 2014. Critics adored their chemistry, but critics were unimpressed by the film's quality. Since being involved with the character's struggle to prove herself, she was then drawn to the role of an aspiring detective in the comedy-mystery film Bobby Jasoos. It required her to wear 12 elaborate disguises, and she worked with a language coach to learn a Hyderabadi accent. Rohit Khilnani of India Today was appreciative of Vidya's role, but he disliked the film's script and execution. Both of these films were commercially unsuccessful, prompting Vidya to claim she was "devastated" by their reception.

With the romantic drama Hamari Adhuri Kahani (2015), a series of poorly received films continued. Mahesh Bhatt, a writer who basedControl's film on his own mother, was keen to have Vidya play the lead role of a domestic abuse survivor. Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day moaned that she had been "saddled with a boring, old, weepy stereotype" and that "there wasn't much even she could do." In Te3n (2016), a drama based on the 2013 South Korean film Montage, Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin Sidddiqui co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Papier d'Orte, the following year, she reprised her role as a police officer. upon completion, she took on the role of a police officer. She was dragged to be a woman who commands respect and was portrayed with her "silent aggression." Rajeev Masand sluggish denouement in the film, but Vidya's ability to move by gestures was admirable. Geeta Bali portrayed actress Geeta Bali in numerous songs for Ekk Albela, a Marathi-language biopic of Bhagwan Dada. Journalists wondered if Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016), a spiritual sequel to Kahaani, would help with her career's decline, according to journalists. It was not as well-received as the first film, but Vidya received a Best Actress award at Filmfare for her portrayal of a child sexual abuse survivor. In a mixed review of the film, Raja Sen.com wrote that "With utmost dedication to the part, [Vidya] gives us a thrilling performance full of mystery or apparentness."

Beware a procurer from the 1940s in Srijit Mukherji's period drama Begum Jaan (2017), a remake of the filmmaker's own Bengali film Rajkahini (2015). She worked with Mukherji to bring a backstory to her character and analyzed the time by reading The Other Side of Silence; filming in rural Jharkhand's barren landscape was physically challenging for her. Anna M. Vetticad of Firstpost wrote that she "issues one-liners in a monotone but is unable to dig deep and summon up a relatable human being." In the comedy-drama Tumhari Sulu, Vidya next played Sulu, a spirited housewife who moonlights as a talk radio host of a relationship counselling show. She identified with her character's vibrant personality and was thrilled to play a rare comic role. She reflected on her experience as a radio jockey in Lage Raho Munna Bhai and listened to late-night radio shows. "Infusing Sulu with a wealth of infectious hope without being aggravating," Neil Soans wrote for The Times of India, and Shubhra Gupta lauded the way she invested Sulu with genuine warmth. NDTV rated her as the best by a Hindi film actress this year, and she received her fifth Screen Award and her fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actress. It was also Vidya's first commercial success since 2012; the film's premiere was a "major confidence booster."

Vidya expanded into South Indian cinema in 2019, with roles in two-part Telugu biopics, N.T.R. Kathanayakudu and N.T.R. Mahanayakudu, and N.T.R. N.T.R: Mahanayakudu and N.T.R. N. T.R. Mahanayakudu, and N.T.R: Mahanayakudu, and Tamil drama N She played N. T. Rama Rao, the actor-politician, in the first two books. Both films failed commercially. She appeared in Nerkonda Paarvai, a courtroom drama based on the film Pink (2016) for a brief period of time. Despite being keen on remakes, she decided to participate in the campaign to bring attention to its topic of sexual consent. The portions involving Vidya were dismissed by Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu as unimportant. It was one of the year's best-grossing Tamil films. In Mission Mangal, Vidya joined Akshay Kumar for the third time about the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary mission. She loved the prospect of being a part of a seemingly normal homemaker who balances her family life with her work as a scientist, and she was also delighted to work with four other influential ladies. Vidya was "drop-dead perfect from wire to wire," according to Variety's Joe Leydon, and she was given her second Best Actress nomination at Filmfare. Mission Mangal was the highest-grossing debut in the world, with global earnings of 2.9 billion (US$36 million).

Vidya's first film venture was the short film Natkhat (2020), about a mother teaching her teenage son about gender equality. It premiered on YouTube as part of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival. Shakuntala Devi, the mental calculator, was then portrayed in an eponymous biopic that was not released theatrically but instead on Amazon Prime Video. In preparation, director Anu Menon cast Vidya as she believed Devi's "gregarious and flamboyant" demeana; in comparison, Vidya listened to Devi's daughter and husband's interviews and watched online videos of Devi. Vidya's "all-shotguns-blazing performance" was lauded by Mike McCahill of TheMulte, and Kenneth Rosario of The Hindu saluted her "ability to seamlessly transition between age and appearances, but she couldn't save a rather mawkish finale to the film. For her role in it, she received two more Filmfare nominations.

In the enthralling thriller Sherni (2021), Vidya starred as an Indian Forest Service agent following a man-eating tigress. She visited two forest officers and rode on forest trails with them as part of her planning, as well as Peter Wohlleben's book The Hidden Life of Trees. Vidya's "refreshingly subpoena" role, according to Sukanya Verma, was a departure from her "self-aware feminist" roles in which she had previously appeared. She was given another Filmfare Critics Award for her role. Vidya's next film to be released on Amazon Prime Video was Shefali Shah's Jalsa (2022). She was a journalist caught in a hit-and-run, a morally ambiguous figure whose presence was initially hesitant to participate. The appearances of Vidya and Shah, according to Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times, have boosted a poor representation.

Vidya will be seen alongside Pratik Gandhi in an as-yet untitled romantic comedy and reunite with Anu Menon in Neeyat, a murder mystery film. Indira Gandhi will appear and appear in a web series based on Sagarika Ghose's biography Indira: India's Most Influential Prime Minister.

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