Happy Birthday Vidya Balan: From Shakuntala Devi to The Dirty Picture, a look at her best performances

Pic Courtesy: Instagram/balanvidya

New Delhi: Vidya Balan clocked in her 42nd birthday on Friday (January 1). She is an actress full of poise, talent and mass-appeal. The ‘Kahaani’ actress is a powerhouse of talent whose work has created a difference, especially with the portrayal of strong women characters on-screen.

Vidya can not only carry the film on her own shoulders but also ensure that her films turn out to be blockbusters. The actress has given some of the best performances in the film industry, placing herself comfortably in the list of actors whose films have been immortalised because of their acting.

As Vidya turned a year older on New Year, here is a list of her best performances.

Kahaani

Released in 2012, ‘Kahaani’ revolves around Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman who lands in Kolkata looking for her missing husband during Durga Puja festival. The film won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the movie was a blockbuster. Vidya was critically acclaimed for the movie as well.

The Dirty Picture

In this 2011 biopic, Vidya played the role of South Indian actress- Silk Smitha. Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah star opposite Vidya in the movie. ‘The Dirty Picture’ earned Vidya a National Film Award. Vidya who plays Reshma/Silk is a rebellious woman turned actress who elopes from home at a young age to become an actress.

Ishqiya

The 2010 movie paired Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah along with Vidya. The on-screen chemistry between Vidya and Naseer was well-liked by the audiences. The songs of the movie like ‘Dil To Bachcha Hai’ and ‘Ibn-E-Batuta’ also broke the charts.

Paa

Vidya plays the mother of Amitabh Bachchan’s character in this critically-acclaimed movie ‘Paa’. The movie hit the screens in 2009, and Vidya won Best Filmfare Actress for her performance. ‘Paa’ is a story revolving around Auro (Amitabh) son of Vidya and Abhishek, born out of wedlock, who suffers from Progeria, a rare genetic disease. All the three actors gave one of the best performances of their lifetime.

Shakuntala Devi

Portraying the role of famous mathematician Shakuntala Devi in her biopic, Vidya channeled the spirit of Devi. The movie released on Amazon Prime Video in July, 2020, and was well-received by the viewers. Vidya truly did justice to the genius mathematician.

Vidya made her Bollywood debut in ‘Parineeta’ in 2005, opposite Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. For upcoming project, she has Amit Masurkar’s ‘Sherni’ in the pipeline.

Happy Birthday, Vidya Balan.