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Vidya Balan (Tamil: வித்யா பாலன்; born 1 January 1978)^[1] is an Indian film actress, who appears in Bollywood films. After graduating in sociology, she began her career starring in many music videos, soap operas and many commercials, before appearing in feature films.

Balan made her acting debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko in 2003, for which she won critical acclaim. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She subsequently essayed a variety of character roles, receiving her first commercial success with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and followed it with Heyy Babyy (2008) and Bhool Bhulaiya (2008),^[2] the latter earning her another nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In 2009, she appeared in R. Balki's Paa, her portrayal of a single-mother of a progeric child in the film got her high critical acclaim and eventually her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.