Kahaani, The Dirty Picture, Parineeta - 5 best roles that only Vidya Balan can pull off

On behalf of Bollywoodlife, we wish the National Award winning actress Vidya Balan Many Many Happy Returns of the Day on her 38th birthday!

By Sreeju Sudhakaran
Published: January 1, 2017 10:00 AM IST

One of the best actresses Bollywood has seen celebrates her birthday on the same day as everyone celebrated the advent of a shiny new year. On behalf of Bollywoodlife, we wish the National Award winning actress Vidya Balan Many Many Happy Returns of the Day on her 38th birthday! Also Read - Do Aur Do Pyaar star Vidya Balan reveals what she got 'addicted' to after The Dirty Picture

Born on January 1, 1978, Vidya Balan aspired to be an actor from a very young age. Vidya first acted in the popular sitcom Hum Paanch way back in the ‘90s when she was just 16. The actor had quite a few unsuccessful attempts before making it big in Bollywood. Vidya featured in a number of music videos and advertisements before she bagged her first feature film. Her first film as an actor was a Bengali film called Bhalo Theko. After this one, she made her Bollywood debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s musical drama Parineeta opposite Saif Ali Khan. Her performance received a lot of praises and also won her numerous awards at award ceremonies. After this she did Lage Raho Munnabhai, Ishqiya, Paa, Guru, The Dirty Picture and others for which she got accolades for her consistently terrific performances and even winning a National Award in the process. Though she is happily married UTV honcho Sidharth Roy Kapur, she has wisely not left her acting career in lieu of domestic bliss. Also Read - Do Aur Do Pyaar: Vidya Balan reveals why she never takes the pressure to be in the race [Exclusive]

Here are five of her best performances till date... Also Read - Do Aur Do Pyaar: Pratik Gandhi reveals WHY Vidya Balan is his favourite co-star ever

Parineeta

Vidya Balan's official debut in Bollywood made such an impression on the audience that people couldn't believe it was the same girl who appeared as the bespectacled geeky girl in a few episodes of Hum Paanch. With her homely image in her debut movie, Vidya Balan gave the audience a refreshing change not going for a glamour fuelled debut, and yet being one of the prettiest debutants of that year. And yeah, her performance also let the world know that she was an actress to watch out for.

The Dirty Picture

Of course, you expected this movie here, didn't you? Vidya Balan plays Silk, a B-grade actress known for her raunchy roles, and how her open attitude is not accepted by the regressive minds of the industry. For the character, which was loosely based on the late south siren Silk Smitha, Vidya Balan had to pile up calories to look the part, and he certainly nailed. No wonder the National award beckoned her in what is the boldest portrayal delivered by a mainstream actress.

Kahaani/Kahaani 2

The original Kahaani was deserving hit that continued to clutch on its cult favourite tag, thanks to the thrilling aspects of the movie as well as strong performance by Vidya Balan. Though the sequel didn't receive the same love as the original, no one can find any fault with Vidya's strong rendition of a woman who is not as she lets the world perceive her to be.

No One Killed Jessica

While Rani Mukerji was in scene stealing mode in the real-life event based legal thriller, it was Vidya Balan's quiet but determined portrayal of a woman seeking justice for her slain sister that has more gravitas to it. Vidya Balan easily reflects all the nuances the character requires in her performance - from being a sibling who has been overshadowed by her outgoing sister to a being a gritty fighter who sees several ups and down in the path for justice.

Ishqiya

As the vengeful village woman who manipulates two morons in love with her to get on with her revenge plan against her murderous husband, Vidya Balan was simply terrific in the role that it is a wonder how she never won more award for this role. She nailed the Bihari accent perfectly, and was able to balance easily between being seductive, manipulative and vicious all at the same time. It was one of the strongest roles written for a woman, who doesn't mind using her sexuality to achieve her greater goals.

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BySreeju Sudhakaran
Published: January 1, 2017 10:00 AM IST

Vidya Balan