Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is a Bollywood actress whose 2005 debut film Parineeta was a smash hit that launched her film career.

Fast Facts:

1. Birth date: January 1, 1982¹
2. Birthplace: Palghat, Kerala¹
3. Father: P.R. Balan, Vice-President of ETC channel²
4. Debut movie: Parineeta¹
5. Debut television advertising: Surf Excel advertisement¹
6. Awards won:
   1. Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut³
   2. Anand Lok Puraskar Best Actress²
7. Education:
   1. St. Anthony’s Girls High School²
   2. St Xavier's College²
   3. University of Mumbai²
8. Involved with Americans for AIDS Research and Hale House¹
9. Speaks Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali⁴
10. Went through 17 make-up shoots and 40 screen tests before chosen to play a lead role¹

Brief Background

Vidya Balan is one of the top actresses working in Bollywood today. She grew up in Mumbai and attended St. Xavier's College for her degree in sociology.

She began her career in commercials, soap operas, and music videos, and ultimately got her big break into film with Parineeta, in which she starred opposite Saif Ali Khan.

In 2008 she is set to star in Kismet Konnection alongside Shahid Kapur and Juhi Chawla.

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