Vidya Balan AirTel model at Sri Lankan Masala

Vidya Balan was signed to appear in the Malayalam film Chakram, but the film was abandoned mid-way through production. She then turned to television advertising. From 1998 onwards, she appeared in numerous television ads, many of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She also took supporting roles in music videos, appearing with singers and bands such as Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas, and acted in Hindi soap operas like Hum Paanch.

In 2005, she finally made her appearance on the big screen, in two movies. She appeared in a Bengali film, Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Best Actress Anand Lok Puraskar award in Kolkata. Also in 2005, Balan made her Hindi film debut in Parineeta. The film was very successful at the box office. Vidya was soon a hot commodity in Bollywood and was asked to sign film contracts by many of the town's leading directors.

In 2006 she appeared opposite Sanjay Dutt in the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. The movie was a major hit within India and was ranked #1 on the box office for eight weeks after its release.[1]

Vidya was recently seen in a supporting role in Mani Ratnam's Guru; she played a woman with a physical disability[2] and she played a woman with amnesia in the multi-starrer Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love. Her latest release is Eklavya: The Royal Guard which got mixed reviews, though her performance has been appreciated.


2003 Bhalo Theko Anandi
2005 Parineeta Lolita Winner, Filmfare Best Debut Award
2006 Lage Raho Munna Bhai Jhanvi
2007 Guru Meenu Saxena
2007 Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love Tehzeeb Raina
2007 Eklavya: The Royal Guard Rajeshwari 'Rajjo'
2007 Hey Baby[5] To Be Released July 6, 2007
2007 Bhool Bhulaiya[6] Chandramukhi To Be Released in August, 2007
2007 Halla Bol[7] Announced
2007 Bihaad[8] Announced.
2007 Dus Kahaniyaan[9] Poonam Announced
2007 Suryamukhi[10] Suryamukhi Announced
2008 Stella[11] Stella Announced