VIDYA BALAN BIOGRAPHY

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was the quintessence of an Indian woman in Parineeta, a well-deserved break for the actress. Vidya Vidya Balan is a Tamil Iyer born on 1 January 1978 in Palakkad, Kerala. Her father is P.R.Balan who is the vice president of ETC channel while her mother is a homemaker. She has an older sister, Priya. She studied in Mumbai at St Anthony�s School and later graduated in Sociology from St Xavier�s College, after which she enrolled for M.A from the Mumbai University. She speaks several languages like Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali. Pradeep Sarkar directed her in many ads as well as music videos for singers like Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas. She was also part of the initial episodes of Ekta Kapoor�s Hum Paanch. Balan has been linked with several of her co-stars which she has denied. Lolita Vidya Balan�s initial entry into movies in the South went nowhere. The first Malayalam movie that she signed was with Mohanlal called Chakram that was put on hold and later resumed with a different lead. She was replaced by Trisha Krishnan in Manasellam, a Tamil movie. It was only in 2003 that she was recognized for her acting skills in a Bengali movie Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Anandalok Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Anandi. In 2005, she starred in Pradeep Sarkar�s Parineeta based on a novella by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as Lolita. Her performance won her the Filmfare Best Debut Actress Award as well as the Filmfare Face of the Year. Lage Raho Munnabhai, the sequel to the runaway hit Munnabhai, saw her as Jhanvi. In 2007, she marked her presence in Guru as a woman with a physical disability. Her other releases were Salaam-e-Ishq with John Abraham, Eklavya that was India�s official entry to the Oscars, and Bhool Bhulaiyya with Akshay Kumar that was a remake of the Malayalam movie Manichitrathazu. Kismat Konnection in 2008 starring Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor failed to do well. Paa was her only release in 2009 and it was a hit. Balan�s performance as a new age woman was appreciated. She played Amitabh Bachchan�s mother in this movie. Up Next She will be seen as a temptress in Ishqiya. Her other releases include Chenab Gandhi and Mukti. She will be playing the part of Sabrina Lal in No One Killed Jessica. Date of Birth 1 January 1978, Palghat, Kerala, India Birth Name Vidya P. Balan Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) Mini Biography Vidya was born in Palghat, Kerala, India. Her family consists of her dad, P.R. Balan, who is the Vice-President of ETC Channel; mom - a home-maker, and an elder sister, Priya, who is married to Kedar. She also has an aunt by the name of Raji Raju. The Balan family re-located to live at Road No. 11, near Ambedkar Garden, Chembur, Bombay, when Vidya was very young. She studied in St. Anthony's Convent School, and thereafter in St. Xavier's College from where she obtained a degree in Sociology. She then went on to obtain a Masters degree in Sociology from Bombay University. She also studied and performed in Prithvi Theaters' workshops. Due to tradition of most Tamil-Iyer families, Vidya and her Priya learned Carnatic dance form during their early childhood days, but Vidya opted out as the dance classes took place early on Sunday mornings and as she is not an early riser. Considerably overweight, rather tomboyish, during her school-days, and an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan, she decided to shed those extra pounds when she elected to opt for modeling and movies. Facing disappointment after being rejected by a Tamil producer, she nevertheless persisted until she got her first break with a Malyalam movie 'Chakram' opposite Mohanlal, however, the project was shelved, and she had to wait until 1998 to debut in a Surf Excel commercial. She then went on to appear in several commercials directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She completed nearly 90 such ads. She appeared in three music videos for Pankaj Udhas, Euphoria, and Shubha Mudgal in supporting roles. She then also appeared in two TV serials Ekta Kapoor's 'Hum Paanch', and Ashok Pandit's 'Hanste Khelte'. During 2003 she was signed-up to play a role in a Bengali movie 'Bhaalo Theko' opposite Joy Sengupta. This project was completed during the year 2006, and was a considerable hit. Then during 2006 Vidya was approached by Vidhu Vinod Chopra during a pop-concert in Mumbai to play a lead role in 'Parineeta'. She then had to undergo 17 make-up shoots and 40 screen tests before being chosen for this role. All this hard work did result in success as 'Parineeta' was very well received so much so that the Tamil producer, who had previously rejected her, invited her to appear in a 'Dasavatharam' opposite Kamal Hassan, and now it was Vidya's turn to reject this offer which eventually went to 'Asin'. Apart from acting, Vidya occupies herself for supporting education for young Indians by promoting children's' books; is associated with Americans for Aids Research; with Hale House - that provides support and housing for children born with HIV and drug abuse; as well as hosting forums and attending events for Harvard Aids Institute. Single, never involved in any relationship or scandal, she claims to get along well with both female and male friends. An ardent devotee of Bhagwan Shri Sai Baba, she makes it a point to attend Mandirs every Thursday. She is proficient in Tamil, Malyalam, Hindi, English, Bengali, and can also read Urdu. Trivia A Tamilian from Kerala, she hails from the Iyer community in Palghat, on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Did her schooling from St. Antony's School and later on at St. Xavier's College where she graduated in Sociology. She soon started work on her MA from Mumbai University when she was offered a role in a Malayalam film starring Mohanlal, but it was later shelved due to issues with the director. Speaks English, Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil. After filming Parineeta (2005), can also speak Bengali quite well. Listed as number 8 of 'Top Bollywood Actresses' of 2006. (rediff.com, 8-25-2006) Personal Quotes "Neither of my first two Malayalam films got completed, and I walked out of the third, a Tamil film, because I was not comfortable. I was replaced in another Tamil film with the excuse that I could not act. They made me feel ugly to the point where I was scared to look in the mirror. In retrospect I thank God, and by God's grace today the going is good." Vidya Balan Movies as Actor Kahaani (2011) Thank You (2011) - in a Cameo No One Killed Jessica (2011) - Sabrina Bihaad (2010) Ishqiya (2010) - Krishna Paa (2009) - Vidya Kismat Konnection (2008) - Priya Halla Bol (2008) - Sneha Dus Kahaniyaan (2007) Om Shanti Om (2007) - special appearance Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) - Avni Heyy Babyy (2007) - Esha Eklavya (2007) - Rajeshwari Salaam-E-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007) - Tehzeeb Guru (2007) - Meenu Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) - RJ Jahnvi Parineeta (2005) - Lolita VIDYA BALAN BIOGRAPHY Vidya P Balan Biography: Vidya Balan was born on 1 January, 1978, she is an Indian actress, who appears in Hindi films. Aftergraduating in sociology, she began her career starring in many music videos, T.V shows and many commercials, before appearing in feature films. Balan made her movie debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko in 2003. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), which earned her a Filmfare 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 with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). She 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, in a performance that ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Vidya Balan was born in Ottapalam, Palakkad District, Kerala, to P. R. Balan (Vice President of ETC Channel) and a housewife mother in an Iyer family. She has an elder sister, Priya. She did her schooling at St. Anthony Girls' High School, Chembur, Mumbai, and later attended St. Xavier's College where she majored in Anthropology. She went on to study MA at the University of Mumbai, when she got her first film offer. Vidya Film Career: Her acting career started when she signed up for the Malayalam film Chakram, alongside Mohanlal but the film was shelved. After that, she signed on for the Tamil film, Run, but for reasons undisclosed, she was dropped after a first schedule and replaced by Meera Jasmine.When Chakram was restarted with Prithviraj in the lead, Meera Jasmine was chosen ahead of Balan again. 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. Balan also portrayed the role of Radhika Mathur in a few episodes of the later seasons of Hum Paanch. In 2003, she appeared in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko directed by Goutam Halder , for which she won the Anandalok Puraskar Best Actress award in Kolkata. Balan next made her Hindi film debut in Parineeta. Her performance in that film was acclaimed by critics, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. After the success of her first two films, the producer who dropped her from Manasellam was keen to sign her opposite Kamal Hassan for Dasavathaaram but she rejected the offer and Asin Thottumkal was signed instead. In 2006, she appeared opposite Sanjay Dutt in the blockbuster film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Once again her performance was well received by critics and the film became the second highest grossing film of that year. Mani Ratnam's Guru was Balan's first release in 2007, in which she played a woman suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. The film performed well at the box office.and her role was appreciated. Her next two releases were Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love (2007) and Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) which grossed over Rs. 180 million; Eklavya was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars for the 80th Academy Awards.Balan's last two releases of the year, Heyy Babyy (2007) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), were both commercial hits. In 2009, Balan played the role of Vidya, a young independent gynecologist who is also a single-mother struggling with her 12-year-old son's Progeria syndrome, in Paa. Amitabh Bachchan played Balan's son Auro. The film was received well by critics and Balan's performance was praised. Sukanya Verma from Rediff wrote, "Vidya Balan slips into the skin of a doting mom with such ease without the mollycoddling tone Bollywood's young mothers often resort to. Balan is poignant yet restrained and projects an impressive figure of grace and integrity, reminiscent of Dimple Kapadia in the 1980s.";Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India noted, "Balan lends a rare dignity to the image of the Bollywood mom. With her quiet grace and controlled emotions, she is Mother Courage incarnate." Her portrayal ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress, among other awards. Her next release was Ishqiya. She is involved with Chenab Gandhi directed by Vibhu Puri and written by Bhavani Iyer, centers around Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Frontier Gandhi. Director Nikhil Advani announced in late January 2009 that he is to work with Vidya. Chand Bhai will be the title of this film and Akshay Kumar will co-star. The film is based on juvenile delinquency.Balan is also set to star in UTV Spotboy's No One Killed Jessica alongside Rani Mukerji. Gossips: She is very pretty homely actress and some rumors in bollywood are she had good chemistry with a young actor. she says she dont have any chemistrys with any one . when she came into films she oppose exposing.but now she dont oppose exposing. she say her sexy appeal wal her eys. Awards and nominations of Vidya Balan: Filmfare Awards Winner 2006: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, Parineeta 2006: Filmfare Face of the Year, Parineeta 2010: Filmfare Best Actress Award, Paa Nominated 2006: Filmfare Best Actress Award, Parineeta 2008: Filmfare Best Actress Award, Bhool Bhulaiyaa Star Screen Awards Winner 2006: Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Parineeta 2010: Star Screen Award for Best Actress - Paa Zee Cine Awards Winner 2006: Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut, Parineeta Nominated 2006: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female, Parineeta International Indian Film Academy Awards Winner 2006: IIFA Best Female Debut, Parineeta 2010: IIFA Best Actress Award, Paa (shared with Kareena Kapoor) Nominated 2007: IIFA Best Actress Award, Lage Raho Munnabhai 2008: IIFA Best Actress Award, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2008: IIFA Best Villain Award, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2008: IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award, Guru Stardust Awards Winner 2006: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female, Parineeta Nominated 2008: Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award, Guru Other Awards 2004: Anandalok Puraskar Awards, Best Actress, Bhalo Theko 2005: Apsara Producer's Guild Awards for Outstanding Debut, Parineeta 2006: Star's Sabsey Favourite Nayi Heroine, Parineeta 2007: Anandalok Puraskar Awards, Best Actress (Hindi), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2010: Lions Gold Awards, Best Actress, Paa 2010: 'FICCI Frames 2010' Excellence Awards: Best Actress for Paa