Vidya Balan

At 16, Vidya Balan got her first acting job, in the sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). Born on 1 January 1979, she speaks Tamil and Malayalam at her family home in Palakkad, Kerala, though her work is largely in Hindi cinema. She studied sociology at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, and took a master's degree from the University of Mumbai. While still a student she was cast opposite Mohanlal in the Malayalam film Chakram. Her film debut finally came in Bengali, with Bhalo Theko (2003), and Parineeta (2005) was her first Hindi film. Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Bhool Bhulaiyaa did well, but what gave her firm footing was a run of women-led successes: Paa, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, Kahaani and The Dirty Picture. The last won her the National Film Award for Best Actress. Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Mission Mangal (2019) came after, then the streaming releases Shakuntala Devi, Sherni and Jalsa, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024) became her highest-grossing film. She has seven Filmfare Awards, received the Padma Shri in 2014 and sits on the Central Board of Film Certification. She plays Kaantha in Rajinikanth's 2026 Tamil film Jailer 2, which also features Mohanlal.