Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is, to me, one of the most quietly revolutionary figures in modern Hindi cinema. While the industry often reduced actresses to decorative roles, she built a career on female-led films where the woman was the whole story, not the accessory. The shelf of National and Filmfare awards and the Padma Shri confirm what audiences already felt, that substance can carry a mainstream film. What I admire most is her refusal to chase conventional glamour, choosing instead complex, lived-in characters like the one in Kahaani. From Palakkad roots to the centre of Bollywood, she changed what a leading woman could be, and that legacy matters.

Name (English)

Vidya Balan

Name (Japanese)

ヴィディヤー・バーラン

Reading

ゔぃでぃやー・ばーらん

Born

January 1, 1979 (age 47)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Goat

Origin

Palakkad district, India

Height

163 cm

Occupation

model / film actor / fashion model / television actor / actor

University

University of Mumbai

Awards & achievements

• Filmfare Awards
• National Film Award for Best Actress
• Padma Shri in arts
• BIG Star Entertainment Awards
• Screen Awards
• Zee Cine Awards
• Stardust Awards
• International Indian Film Academy Awards

• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/balanvidya/
• Xhttps://x.com/vidya_balan
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya%20Balan
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A3%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q159166

Tags

• Palakkad district
• model
• film actor
• fashion model

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.