Vidya Balan | Movies, Age, Biography, Height, Net Worth

Vidya Balan is one of the most loved and celebrated actors in the Bollywood industry. Vidya Balan has been able to win the hearts of her audience with the plethora of diverse characters and her enticing acting skills. Vidya Balan has stood out from her counterparts due to her gender-defying roles and atypical choice of scripts. 

Vidya Balan’s birthday is 1st January 1979. Vidya Bala’s birth place is Palakkad, which is situated in the state of Kerala. Vidya Balan’s age is 43 years, as of 2022. Vidya Balan’s religion is Hinduism and she identifies herself as a very religious person. Though she was born in Kerala, Vidya Balan grew up in Chembur, which is in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Vidya Balan’s zodiac sign is Capricorn and like all Capricorns, she is also a workaholic. 

Vidya Balan was keen on becoming an actress right from her childhood and got her first break at the age of 16. Vidya Balan debuted as Radhika in Ekta Kapoor’s sitcom Hum Paanch. It was only an inception of a vast career ahead. Vidya Balan has received several awards for her outstanding performances. Among which include “Filmfare Best Female Debut” for Parineeta (2005); four “Filmfare Best Actress” for Paa (2009), The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012) and Tumhari Sulu (2017); and a “Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress” for Ishqiya (2010). Vidya Balan has also won a “National Film Award for Best Actress” for her film The Dirty Picture (2011). Vidya Balan is also a proud recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

With the attainment of great success in her profession, Vidya Balan’s Net worth stands at $18 million which is 134 crore INR. Currently, Vidya Balan is staying in her Juhu crib with her husband Siddharth Roy Kapur. Vidya Balan has been praised by the media and critics on multiple occasions. She is applauded for breaking the line of stereotypical female roles in movies and portraying strong female protagonists. In 2012, Vidya Balan was featured in India Today’s listing of nations’s most powerful women. In the same year, Vidya Balan was featured as one of India’s “Young Power Women” in the magazine Verve. Vidya was also able to grab a position in the annual “Celebrity 100” list by Forbes India, for two consecutive years, 2012 and 2013.

Vidya Balan was born to P.R. Balan and Saraswathy Balan, who were Tamil Brahmins by origin. Vidya Balan’s father is the executive vice-president of Digicable and her mother is a homemaker. Vidya Balan has a sister who is older than her and goes by Priya Balan. Priya Balan works in an advertising firm. Vidya Balan is known to be very close to her family and is often seen dining out with them. Vidya Balan speaks with her family in Tamil and Malayalam.

Vidya Balan did her schooling from St. Anthony Girls’ High School, located in Chembur, Mumbai. Vidya Balan has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from St. Xavier’s College. She then attended University of Mumbai for her Master’s degree. Just like her craft, Vidya Balan was good at her academics as well. According to Vidya Balan, she might not be a “genius” but was “definitely good” in her studies. Vidya Balan has also been trained in Carnatic music.

Vidya Balan is an undeniably gorgeous woman. She possesses a charming personality and has certain pleasantness in her aura. Vidya Balan is a very endearing person and is often described as warm at heart. Through the years of her working in the industry, she had been romantically linked with several of her co-stars. Although the reports were never validated.

Right after the release of Parineeta, Vidya Balan was rumoured to be dating Saif Ali Khan. There was no confirmation to the rumour and it eventually died out. During the shooting of her film Kismat Konnection, Vidya Balan was linked with her co-star Shahid Kapoor. Though Kapoor and Balan both never confirmed their relationship, media reports often suggested they had an affair.

Currently, Vidya Balan’s husband’s name is Siddharth Roy Kapoor. Siddharth Roy Kapoor is the CEO of UTV Motion Pictures. Siddharth Roy Kapoor has been married twice before getting hitched to Vidya Balan. Siddharth Roy Kapoor is five years older than Vidya Balan.

Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapoor met for the first time during the Filmfare Awards. Vidya Balan confirmed in a 2012 interview that she was dating Siddharth Roy Kapoor and subsequently, in the same year the duo got married in a private ceremony. Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapoor tied the knot on 14 December 2012. They have been married for 9 years.

Bhalo Theko (2003)

Based on the 2003 novel Janmadin by Leena Gangopadhaya, Bhalo Theko is an Indian Bengali film. Soumitra Chatterjee, Joy Sengupta, Debshankar Halder, Parambrata Chatterjee, and Vidya Balan all starred in the Goutam Halder-directed film. This film serves as Vidya Balan's feature film debut. 

The movie won Best Cinematography, Best Audiography, and a Special Jury Award for its producer and director at the 51st National Film Awards.Vidya Balan started her movie career with the Bengali movie Bhale Theko directed by Goutam Halder. It was released in the year 2003. She delivered an outstanding performance in the film for which she received the Anandalok Puraskar in the Best Actress Category.

Parineeta (2005)

Soon after the success of her Bengali movie Bhale Theko, she was casted for director Pradeep Sarkar’s romantic musical drama Parineeta. Parineeta is based on the 1914 Bengali novel Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Vidya Balan auditioned for the part on the director’s recommendation. While the producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra was eager to cast a known face for the role of Lolita, he finally acceded to Vidya Balan after she went through a period of 6 months of training. Parineeta was released in 2005.

The film is set in the backdrop of a typical Bengali neighbourhood in pre-independence India. The story revolves around two childhood friends Lolita and Shekhar who fall in love with each other while growing up. They dream of marrying each other some day. But their dreams are shattered when Shekhar’s father intervenes. Parineeta” is a coming-of-age drama. Apart from Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Raima Sen are also part of the movie. The music in the film is exceptionally beautiful and melodious. “Parineeta” was able to bag several awards including the “Best Female Debut” by Vidya Balan.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)

After working in movies like Lage Raho Munnabhai, Salam-e-Ishq and others, Vidya Balan was the cast for Priyadarshan’s comedy horror “Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is a Hindi remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu. After Heyy Babyy, this was Vidya Balan’s second film with Akshay Kumar.

Vidya Balan had a very challenging role to play in the film as she had to portray two very distinct characters. Vidya Balan played the role of Avni who suffered from dissociative identity disorder. Bhool Bhulaiyaa was released in 2007. Vidya Balan showcased her explicit acting skills through Bhool Bhulaiya. Vidya Balan received immense praise and appreciation for her work. She was recognised as a talented actor with great seriousness for her craft.

Paa (2009)

2009 comes along with another one of Vidya Balan’s most phenomenal performances with R. Balki’s Paa. Paa is a movie about Auro, a 12-year-old boy suffering from progeria. The role of Auro was played by Amitabh Bachchan, The story revolves around Auro, his daily struggles due to his rare condition, and the support provided by his mother. Vidya Balan in the role of Vidya, Auro’s mother, depicts the hurdles of a single mother raising a son with a rare genetic disorder. Vidya Balan was able to grasp the rhythm and depth of her character and transform it into a heart-touching performance on screen.

Initially. Vidya Balan was quite nervous about playing the role of Amitabh Bachchan’s character’s mother but eventually she was able to adjust due to Bachchan’s boyish demeanour on set. It was after Paa, that the Bollywood industry started acknowledging Vidya Balan as an established artist. The solid script and the actors’ commendable acting were able to bag “Paa” a great number of awards and nominations.

Ishqiya (2010)

Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial debut, Ishqiya is a masterpiece in itself and backed by a powerful star cast including Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. “Ishqiya” is a black comedy that was released in 2010.

The movie portrays Vidya Balan’s character as a village widow with a seductive persona. Although the film was not able to perform well at the box office, Vidya Balan delivered a notably impressive performance. In 2014, its sequel “Dedh Ishqiya” was released. Ishqiya was screened at the 34th Cairo International Film Festival. “Ishqiya” also won four National Awards.

No One Killed Jessica (2011)

Based on the real-life murder case of Jessica Lal, No One Killed Jessica is a thriller film directed and written by Raj Kumar Gupta. The movie is inspired by the killing of Jessica Lal in 1999. Jessica’s sister Sabrina is played by Vidya Balan in the film, alongside Rani Mukerji, who plays Meera Gaity, a journalist. Vidya Balan very aptly conveyed the helplessness and hopelessness of Sabrina through her quiet and meek demeanour. Rani Mukerji played the journalist character with great conviction and aggression, Vidya Balan said that she had a good understanding with Rani Mukerji during the shoot and developed a great rapport.

Vidya Balan was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress for No One Killed Jessica. No One Killed Jessica is a critically acclaimed film packed with powerful performances and screenplay. Anupama Chopra who is a well known film critic wrote about the film as, "several notches ahead of the tripe we've been subjected to in theatres lately”

The Dirty Picture (2011)

The Dirty Picture is a movie directed by Milan Luthria, and is inspired by the life of South Indian actress Silk Smitha. Silk Smitha was popular among the masses for her erotic and sensuous roles in movies. Her real name was Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati. The Dirty Picture is loosely based on her life story and struggles faced in the industry as an adult icon. 

Vidya Balan was cast as Silk Smitha in the movie The Dirty Picture. Vidya Balan took over the task with great conviction and quite skillfully excelled in it. In spite of her not being a size zero heroine, she captured the sensuality of the character with her curviness and expressions. Vidya Balan moulded herself in Silk Smitha’s character and was able to deliver a spectacular performance in the film.

The movie also has stars like Naseeruddin Shah, Emran Hashmi ,and Tusshar Kapoor. The film is written by Rajat Aroraa and co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor. The Dirty Picture was released in 2011. The Dirty Picture was granted three National Awards in total and Vidya Balan received the Best Actress Award for the same. There were several other awards won by the movie including costume design, dialogue, make-up, playback singing and choreography.

Kahaani (2012)

Sujoy Ghosh’s dark thriller Kahaani was another master performance delivered by Vidya Balan. The story is set in Kolkata during the Durga Puja festivities. Kahaani reveals the story of a pregnant woman as she embarks on a journey to find her missing husband. Vidya Balan plays the character of the pregnant lady who with help of an inspector unfolds the dark truths behind the mystery of her husband’s disappearance.

Kahaani underperformed at the box office at the beginning but gradually caught up with the pace. Along with the box office, the movie was able to grab the critics’s attention as well. Vidya Balan’s performance in Kahaani was praised by the public and the critics. Pritam. D. Gupta wrote, “gets into the physicality of a pregnant woman with unfailing mastery”. Vidya Balan received the Filmfare award for Best Actress for Kahaani.

Te3n (2016)

A commercial failure at the Box Office, Te3n is a mystery thriller written and directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. Vidya Balan plays the role of a lady cop who tries to solve the mystery behind the kidnapping of a girl. Te3n is a remake of the South Korean movie Montage, which was released in 2013. Amitabh Bachchan, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Padmavati Rao are in lead roles, alongside Vidya Balan. 

Though, the movie could perform well at the Box Office, the storyline provides quite an engaging experience for the viewers. The characters' emotions were rightly brought up to the surface by the actors. Te3n rates at IMDB.

Sherni (2021)

Sherni was released in 2021, with Vidya Balan in the lead role as an Indian Forest Service officer. Sherni made an attempt to raise awareness on wildlife conservation among the crowd. This movie received great reviews from critics. The topic of wildlife conservation is rarely depicted in Indian movies but Sherni made quite an impact after its release. Sherni was released on 18th June 2021 on Amazon Prime.

Vidya Balan along with all the supporting cast was applauded for their work. The authentic and relatable touch to the film was highly commended. Vidya Balan received the Best Actress Award for Sherni at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Vidya Balan has a few projects in her hands for the current and upcoming year. Vidya Balan will be next seen in a romantic comedy-drama alongside Pratik Gandhi, Ileana D'Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy. The shooting of this upcoming movie is wrapped and is to be released in 2022. The title has not been set yet. Vidya Balan will also be seen in a murder mystery film directed by Anu Menon titled Neeyat, The shooting of this movie is in process.

An upcoming web series based on Sagarika Boses’s biography, “Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister'' will be produced by Vidya Balan. She’s also going to play the role of Indira Gandhi in it. The news was confirmed by Vidya Balan in April 2019, but there have been no further updates regarding it.

Television

Vidya Balan is one of the highest-paid actors in the Indian film Industry. Vidya Balan has featured in more than 40 movies as of 2022 and possesses a massive fan base. Vidya Balan’s exceptional acting talent and choice of films have convincingly added to her stardom. Vidya Balan’s net worth in 2022 is approximately $20 Million US which is estimated to be 148 crores in Indian Rupees. Vidya Balan’s car collection includes a Mercedes E-Class, Mercedes Benz S-Class and Mercedes GLC 300.

Over the years, Vidya Balan has proven herself as an extraordinary artist with remarkable skills in her craft. She shines out in every project that she is a part of. Vidya Balan’s emolument per movie is around 6 to 7 crores rupees. Apart from the movies she also performs brand endorsements. Vidya Balan charges 1 crore rupees as fee for brand endorsements. Vidya Balan endorses a variety of brand products ranging from daily essentials to luxury items. Vidya Balan has been endorsing brands like Muthoot Finance, Bharti AXA, TTk Prestige, Darfur Sanifresh, Marico hair care, Akshaya Gold, Signature Global, Xpert Dishwash, Boroline Ruksha, Senco Gold and Diamond, etc. 

Vidya Balan’s other revenue sources include TV ads, brand promotions and sponsorship. Vidya Balan also turned as a producer for her 2021 short film Natkhat. In an interview with IANS, Vidya told, "A film especially if it is unconventional, not a success on paper, needs utmost care and backup of a producer to take enough risk to make such films and release it correctly to the target audience." 

The Cannes Film Festival Fashion Policing

Vidya Balan was part of a Nine-member jury at the 66th Cannes Film Festival held in 2013. Vidya Balan was dressed in traditionals by Sabyasachi. However, the actress’s fashion choices were gravely criticised by the media and viewers. Vidya Balan is often seen in Saree, for which she is called out as unfashionable.

Caustic Remarks Controversy

Vidya Balan, while mentioning a previous relationship of hers, was caught up in a controversy. Vidya Balan said, “If someone who matters to you takes you down, it can break you. That someone whose approval mattered to me started to constantly find faults with me. At that point of time, it was important to walk away from that relationship." Vidya Balan did not give any name as to who the person was but rumours suggest that she might have been talking about Shahid Kapoor. Shahid Kapoor completely denied the statements.

• Anandalok Award - Best Actress for Bhalo Theko, 2003
• Filmfare Award - Best Female Debut for Parineeta, 2005
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Parineeta (Nominee), 2005
• International Indian Film Academy Award - Star Debut of the Year-Female for Parineeta, 2006
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Parineeta (Nominee), 2006
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Actress for Parineeta (Nominee), 2006
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Female Debut for Parineeta, 2006
• Screen Award - Best Female Debut for Parineeta, 2006
• Stardust Awards - Female Superstar of Tomorrow for Parineeta, 2006
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Female Debut for Parineeta, 2006
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for Parineeta (Nominee), 2006
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Lage Raho Munnabhai (Nominee), 2007
• Stardust Awards - Female Superstar of Tomorrow for Lage Raho Munnabhai (Nominee), 2007
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Nominee), 2007
• Anandalok Award - Best Actress for Bhool Bhulaiyaa, 2007
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Nominee), 2008
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Performance in a Negative Role for Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Nominee), 2008
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Nominee), 2008
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Supporting Actress for Guru (Nominee), 2008
• Stardust Awards - Best Supporting Actress for Guru (Nominee), 2008
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Paa, 2009
• Stardust Awards - Female Star of the Year for Paa (Nominee), 2009
• FICCI Frames Excellence Honours Award - Best Actress in a Leading Role for Paa, 2010
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Paa, 2010
• Screen Award - Best Actress-Popular Choice for Paa, 2010
• Screen Award - Best Actress for Paa (Nominee), 2010
• Filmfare Critics Award - Best Actress for Ishqiya, 2010
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Ishqiya (Nominee), 2010
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Film Actor-Female for Ishqiya, 2010
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for No One Killed Jessica (Nominee), 2010
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Actress-Special Honour for Paa, 2011
• FICCI Frames Excellence Honours Award - Best Actress in a Leading Role for Ishqiya, 2011
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Ishqiya (Nominee), 2011
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Actress for Ishqiya, 2011
• Screen Award - Best Actress for Ishqiya, 2011
• Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Thriller or Action for Ishqiya, 2011
• Stardust Awards - Female Star of the Year for Ishqiya (Nominee), 2011
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for Ishqiya, 2011
• National Film Award - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2011
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2011
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Film Actor-Female for The Dirty Picture, 2011
• Screen Award - Best Actress for NO One Killed Jessica (Nominee), 2012
• Asian Film Award - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture (Nominee), 2012
• FICCI Frames Excellence Honours Award - Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Screen Award - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Screen Award - Best Actress-Popular Choice for The Dirty Picture (Nominee), 2012
• Stardust Awards - Female Star of the Year for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Drama for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress (Critics) for The Dirty Picture, 2012
• Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Drama for No One Killed Jessica (Nominee), 2012
• Stardust Awards - Female Star of the Year for No One Killed Jessica (Nominee), 2012
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Kahaani, 2012
• Asia-Pacific Film Festival Award - Best Actress for Kahaani (Nominee), 2012
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Film Actor-Female for Kahaani (Nominee), 2012
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Actor in a Thriller Film-Female for Kahaani (Nominee), 2012
• People’s Choice Awards India - Favourite Actress for Kahaani (Nominee), 2012
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Kahaani, 2013
• Producers Guild Film Award - Best Actress for Kahaani, 2013
• Screen Award - Best Actress-Popular Choice for Kahaani (Nominee), 2013
• Screen Award - Best Actress for Kahaani, 2013
• Stardust Awards - Female Star of the Year for Kahaani (Nominee), 2013
• Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Thriller or Action for Kahaani, 2013
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress (Critics) for Kahaani, 2013
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for Kahaani (Nominee), 2013
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Actor in a Comedy Film-Female for Ghanchakkar (Nominee), 2013
• Padma Shri, 2014
• Big Star Entertainment Award - Most Entertaining Actor in a Comedy Film-Female for Bobby Jasoos (Nominee), 2014
• Stardust Awards - Best Actress in a Thriller or Action for Bobby Jasoos (Nominee), 2014
• Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Award for Female Empowerment, 2016
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (Nominee), 2016
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actress for Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (Nominee), 2017
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Tumhari Sulu, 2017
• Filmfare Critics Award - Best Actress for Tumhari Sulu (Nominee), 2017
• Screen Award - Best Actress for Tumhari Sulu, 2017
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Tumhari Sulu (Nominee), 2018
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actor – Female (Viewer's Choice) for Tumhari Sulu (Nominee), 2018
• Zee Cine Awards - Best Actor – Female (Jury's Choice) for Tumhari Sulu (Nominee), 2018
• Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Award for Tumhari Sulu, 2018
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Mission Mangal (Nominee), 2019
• Filmfare Award - Best Actress for Shakuntala Devi (Nominee), 2020
• Filmfare Critics Award - Best Actress for Shakuntala Devi (Nominee), 2020
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Mission Mangal (Nominee), 2021
• International Indian Film Academy Award -  Best Actress for Sherni (Nominee), 2022

• While many people think that Vidya Balan’s debut movie is Parineeta, Vidya Balan’s first movie is the Bengali movie Bhalo Theko. As Vidya Balan debuted in a Bengali movie, people often confuse her to be a Bengali. Vidya says that she loves Bengal and can speak Bengali as well. Even her husband, Sidhharth Roy Kapoor, is half Bengali.
• During the shooting of “Dirty Picture” when someone trolled her for her curves, she started water therapy to lose weight. She heard from someone that water therapy is the quickest way to lose extra weight.
• Vidya Balan is a Bibliophile and she loves to read books. Her favourite author is Paulo Coelho.
• Vidya Balan is described by her friends as a couple-maker. According to them, Vidya is always trying to play cupid and match make
• Vidya Balan is a cleanliness freak and likes to keep her surroundings spotlessly clean. It is also a known fact that she is a very organised individual.