Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is a National Award-winning Indian actress, born on 1 January 1979 in Mumbai. Credited with reviving female-centric Bollywood cinema, she is known for The Dirty Picture, Kahaani and Parineeta, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014.

Vidya Balan is one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hindi cinema, widely credited with reshaping the idea of the leading woman in Bollywood through bold, content-driven, female-centric films. Born on 1 January 1979 in Chembur, Mumbai, she rose from television to become a National Film Award-winning star known for choosing substance over glamour. A recipient of the Padma Shri, she is celebrated for carrying films on her own shoulders at a time when few actresses did. This page covers the Vidya Balan biography, her age, family, career, husband and net worth.

The Vidya Balan family has a Tamil (Palakkad Iyer) background settled in Mumbai. Her father, P. R. Balan, worked as an executive in the cable-television industry, and her mother, Saraswathy Balan, is a homemaker. She has one elder sister, Priya Balan.

Vidya studied at St. Anthony's Girls' High School in Mumbai and went on to earn both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Sociology from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Trained in Carnatic music and classical dance from a young age, she was drawn to performance early and appeared on television while still a student.

The Vidya Balan career began on television with the popular sitcom Hum Paanch (1995), in which she played Radhika. She struggled for years to break into films, facing several false starts before her big-screen breakthrough.

She made her Hindi film debut with Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta (2005), winning acclaim and a Filmfare Best Debut Award. She followed it with strong performances in Paa, Ishqiya and No One Killed Jessica.

Her portrayal of Silk in The Dirty Picture (2011) won her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and Kahaani (2012) confirmed her ability to headline blockbusters. Honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014, she has continued to choose distinctive roles in films like Tumhari Sulu and Sherni.

Vidya Balan married film producer Siddharth Roy Kapur on 14 December 2012 in a temple ceremony in Chembur, Mumbai. Known for her grace and candour, she has spoken openly about being body-shamed early in her career and about learning to ignore criticism. She is a vegetarian, an avid reader — a self-described admirer of author Paulo Coelho — and a dog lover.

The Vidya Balan net worth is reported by third-party outlets at around ₹136 crore (a public estimate rather than a confirmed figure). Her income comes from film acting fees, brand endorsements and OTT projects. As one of the most respected actresses in the industry, she commands a strong fee for female-led films and has diversified into digital platforms in recent years.