Vidya Balan is an Indian actress who predominately appears in Bollywood films. She is best known for starring in movies like Paa, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture, and Tumhari Sulu. In an acting career spanning more than a decade, she has received several awards, including a National Film Award, six Filmfare Awards, and six Screen Awards. She’s one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry, and, over the years, she has established a name for herself in Bollywood. She is the recipient of Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of the Government of India. Her film credits include Neeyat, Jalsa, Sherni, Shakuntala Devi, Mission Mangal, and NTR: Mahanayakudu. So, who is Vidya Balan? Here’s everything we know about the Bollywood actress.
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Vidya Balan Biography
Vidya Balan was born on the 1st of January 1979, in Chembur, Mumbai, India. She is currently 45 years old.
| Birth Name | Vidya Balan |
| Nickname | Vidhi, V |
| Date of Birth | January 1, 1979 |
| Place of Birth | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Age | 45 years old |
| Sun Sign | Capricorn |
| Profession | Actress |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Tamilian |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Siddharth Roy Kapoor |
Early Life: Family and Education
Vidya was born to Saraswathy Balan and P. R. Balan. Her father was the executive vice president of Digicable. Her mother is a homemaker. She has an older sister named Priya Balan, who works in advertising. In case you don’t know, the actress Priyamani is her second cousin.
Vidya Balan attended At. Antony Girls’ High School in Chembur, Mumbai. She majored in Sociology at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and earned a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Mumbai, Mumbai.
Vidya Balan Personal Life
In early 2012, Vidya Balan confirmed to the media that she had been dating Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures for a while. Following her romance became public, the couple married on December 14, 2012, in a private wedding affair in Bandra, Mumbai, which was only attended by the couple’s family and friends.
Physical Statistics
| Height | Feet – 5 feet 3 inches Centimeters – 160 cm Meters – 1.6 m |
| Weight | Kilograms – 62 kg Pounds – 136 lbs |
| Body Build | Average |
| Body Measurements | 36-28-37 |
| Body Shape | Hourglass |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Shoe Size | 7.5 (US) |
| Dress Size | 10 (US) |
Professional Statistics
Film Debut
Her on-screen debut came in 2003 through the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko in which she played the role of Anandi.
She received positive reviews and acclaim for her Hindi debut Parineeta in 2005, which earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Television Debut
Vidya Balan made her first TV appearance when she was cast in the 1995 sitcom Hum Paanch, playing the role of Radhika, a bespectacled teenager.
Famous For
The actress basked in appreciation and awards for her role as Vidya in R. Balki’s comedy-drama film Paa in 2009.
In 2011, she played Reshma (Silk) in the biographical musical drama film The Dirty Picture. The film is based on the life of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. The film was a huge success and she received praise for her performance. For her work in the film, she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Her other significant work includes her roles in movies such as Kahaani, Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, Tumhari Sulu, Ishqiya, and Parineeta.
Brand Endorsements
Vidya has endorsed Samajwadi Pension Yojana (launched by Akhilesh Yadav led Uttar Pradesh Government), Nihar Hair Oils, Indian Film Festival, Silk Board, etc.
She was featured in several television commercials and print ads.
Vidya Balan Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $15 million as of 2024. She is considered one of the most popular and influential celebrities in B-town. One of the richest celebrities in the entertainment industry, Vidya Balan’s earnings come from acting, television appearances, and endorsement deals.
Vidya Balam lived in a modest home in Chembur with her family until her marriage. In 2010, she bought a plush four-bedroom home in the suburb of Khar, Mumbai. She was ten gifted with a luxury home worth Rs 14 crore by her husband as their wedding gift.
The gorgeous lady owns one of the finest luxury sedans on the market, a black Mercedes E-Class which was gifted to her by her father.
Favorite Things
- Food – Thai food
- Actor – Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino
- Actress – Kate Winslet, Julie Delpy, Julia Roberts, Madhuri Dixit
- Movies – Gol Maal (1979), Before Sunrise, Before Sunset
- Director – Gulzar and Hrishikesh Mukherjee
- Book – Brida by Paulo Coelho
- Musicians – Zakir Hussain, Michael Jackson, Enrique, Indian Ocean, Midival Punditz
- Color – Red
- Perfume – Issey Miyake
- Holiday Destination – New York, New Zealand
Social Media Portfolio
- Instagram – balanvidya
- Twitter – vidya_balan
- Facebook – RealVidyaBalan
Fewer Known Facts About Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress for The Dirty Picture (2011) and has won five Filmfare Awards.
Besides acting in film, Vidya promotes humanitarian causes and supports charitable institutions.
In March 2011, she endorsed the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour campaign in India.
She has graced the covers of famous magazines and writes columns occasionally for leading publications in the country.
She topped Rediff’s annual listing of “Bollywood’s Best Actress” for straight two years in 2011 and 2012.
Vidya Balan is the youngest person to receive “The Prabha Khaitan Puraskar” for her efforts toward women empowerment by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce in 2012.
She was included in Forbes’ Celebrity 100 in 2012 and 2013.
In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, for her contributions to the entertainment industry.
In 2014, she received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Rai University; the university also named a scholarship program for underprivileged girls after her.
In August 2017, Vidya was made a member of the Indian Central Board of Film Certification, to certify films for theatrical exhibition.
Vidya Balan is multilingual and can speak English, Tamil, Hindi Malayalam, and Bengali.
South Indian actress, Priyamani is her second cousin’s sister.
She is a critic’s delight, who often criticizes her for her choice of attire because of her weight.
In 2019, she co-starred alongside Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, and Nithya Menen in the drama film Mission Mangal, in which she played the role of Tara Shinde
In 2022, she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for her performance as Vidya Vincent, an Indian Forest Service officer, in Shemi. The film was released on Amazon Prime on June 18, 2021.
She was most recently seen in the movie Neeyat, where she portrayed Mira Rao alongside Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Dipannita Sharma, Shashank Arora, and Shahana Goswami. She is set to play the lead role in the Hindi-language romantic comedy film Do Aur Do Pyaar.