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Vidya Balan (Tamil: வித்யா பாலன் pronounced [ʋɪd̪jaː baːln]; born 1 January 1978) is an Indian actress, who appears mainly in Hindi films, in addition to Bengali and Malayalam films. After graduating with a degree in sociology, she started her career starring in music videos, television shows and commercials, before appearing in feature films. Making her movie debut with the independent Bengali film, Bhalo Theko (2003), Balan's first Hindi film was Parineeta (2005), for which she received positive notice. She starred in the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai... MORE

Vidya Balan (Tamil: வித்யா பாலன் pronounced [ʋɪd̪jaː baːln]; born 1 January 1978) is an Indian actress, who appears mainly in Hindi films, in addition to Bengali and Malayalam films. After graduating with a degree in sociology, she started her career starring in music videos, television shows and commercials, before appearing in feature films. Making her movie debut with the independent Bengali film, Bhalo Theko (2003), Balan's first Hindi film was Parineeta (2005), for which she received positive notice. She starred in the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), her biggest commercial success, and followed it with such films as Guru, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (all three were released in 2007). 2009 marked the beginning of the most successful period in Balan's career as she portrayed four back-to-back roles to wide critical acclaim: Paa (2009), Ishqiya (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011) and The Dirty Picture (2011). She has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Hindi cinema. Balan has received four Filmfare Awards, including one each for Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics). She has won three consecutive Best Actress awards at the LESS