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Name: Vidya Balan
Date of Birth: 1, January 1982
Family: Father - P R Balan (Vice-President of ETC channel), Mother (House maker), Elder Sister.
Debut Film: Parineeta (2005)
A Model turned actress, Vidya Balan had an unusual way to enter the Bollywood! Yes, because of her traditional Indian looks and exceptional talents she had an entry in the Bollywood dream Industry, which is vastly dissimilar to the entry of most of the Bollywood heroines.
Education
This Tamil Iyer girl from Palghat (Kerala), grew up in Mumbai, did her early years of education at St. Antony's School and later graduated in Sociology from St. Xavier's College. While she was doing her MA from Mumbai University, she got an offer from the film industry and had to relinquish the studies.
Career
Vidya Balan started her career as a model in Surf Excel advertisement, in the year 1988. Later she appeared in more than 25 ad films like Ponds, Bajaj etc. Before getting her big break in Bollywood, she acted in a few music videos with Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, Pankaj Udhas etc. continuously in touch with the TV advertisements for a long period, she was given chances in many TV serials such as Ashok Pandit's 'Hanste Khelte' and Ektaa Kapoor's 'Hum Paanch' as well as a Bengali movie 'Bhalo Theko' with actor Joy Sengupta. She won the best actress award, 'Anand Lok Puraskar' for the movie in Kolkata.
Her first movie was in a Malayalam film titled 'Chakram' starring Mohanlal, one of the top Heroes of Malayalam Cinema. Unluckily, 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.
Her traditional Indian looks offered her an opportunity to debut in Bollywood with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Parineeta', directed by Pradeep Sarkar in the year 2005. It was nothing short of a challenge for her to capture the grace, elegance and delicate nuances of her character Lolita. She succeeded in making the role perfect with her natural beauty and talent. But it was not an easy feat for Vidya to get her Bollywood break. She had to go through 40 screen tests and 17 make-up shoots before she was chosen for the lead role in this film. After that, she read Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's book on which the movie was based and saw the 1953 celluloid version of 'Parineeta' by filmmaker Bimal Roy. She has a number of project now in hand.
Awards
IIFA Awards -Nominated IIFA Best Actress Award - Lage Raho Munnabhai (2007)
Zee Cine Awards - Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut - Parineeta (2006)
Star Screen Award - Most Promising Newcomer (Female) - Parineeta (2005)
Filmfare Best Debut Award - Parineeta (2005)
Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut- Parineeta (2005)
IIFA Award Best Female Debut - Parineeta (2005)
Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow (Female) - Parineeta (2005)
She is associated with AmFar (Americans for AIDS Research) and Hale House, a home for children born with HIV and those affected by drug addiction. She also involves herself with the Harvard AIDS Institute, by hosting forums and participating in events throughout the year. Undeniably, Vidya Balan is one of the most admired actresses in Bollywood today.
Filmography
2008 : Kismat Konnection
2008 : Mukti - Hashi
2008 : Lucky Charm(Filming )
2007 : Halla Bol-Sneha,Releasing
2007 : Om Shanti Om-Special appearance
2007 : Bhool Bhulaiya-Avni/Manjhulika
2007 : Heyy Babyy-Esha
2007 : Eklavya: The Royal Guard-Rajeshwari 'Rajjo'
2007 : Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love-Tehzeeb Raina
2007 : Guru -Meenu Saxena
2006 : Lage Raho Munna Bhai - Jhanvi
2005 : Parineeta - Lolita (Winner, Filmfare Best Debut Award, IIFA 2006 Awards)
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