ACTRESSES

Vidya Balan

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Indian actress with five Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri, credited with reviving female-led Hindi cinema with "The Dirty Picture" and "Kahaani".

Background

Born in Pune to a Tamil family and raised in Mumbai, Balan studied sociology at St. Xavier’s College, earning a master’s degree at Mumbai University. She broke through with a 1995 Malayalam television sitcom.

Career

Pradeep Sarkar’s “Parineeta” (2005) made her a Hindi-cinema leading lady. She partnered with director Sujoy Ghosh for “Kahaani” (2012) and led R. Balki’s “Paa” (2009) opposite Amitabh Bachchan.

Style

Balan is recognized for choosing female-centric scripts and refusing to follow Bollywood weight-loss conventions. She is a member of the Central Board of Film Certification and an ambassador for the Indian government’s hygiene initiative Swachh Bharat.

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