Vidya Balan, born on January 1, 1979, in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), into a Tamil Brahmin family. Her father, P. R. Balan, worked as an executive vice-president of Digicable and her mother, Saraswathy Balan, is a homemaker. She has a younger sister, Priya Balan, who works as a producer in the film industry.

Vidya Balan made her acting debut in 1995 with the sitcom Hum Paanch. After several unsuccessful attempts at a film career, she made her film debut by starring in the Bengali film Bhalo Theko in 2003. In 2005, she played the heroine in Parineeta, an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. This was followed by commercial successes in Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007).

From 2009 to 2012, Vidya Balan starred in five consecutive films that garnered her critical and commercial success. She played the mother of a child afflicted with progeria in the drama Paa (2009), a seductive widow in the black comedy Ishqiya (2010), and the real-life character of Sabrina Lal in the semi-biographical thriller No One Killed Jessica (2011).

For portraying the actress Silk in the biopic The Dirty Picture, Vidya won the National Film Award for Best Actress. She next played a pregnant woman seeking revenge in Kahaani (2012), a thriller directed by Sujoy Ghosh. She was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her roles in Paa, The Dirty Picture, and Kahaani, and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Ishqiya.

Vidya Balan is married to Siddharth Roy Kapur, a film producer. Their love story was quite a twisted and turned path, which included severe family apprehensions to a backlog of past relationships. Vidya admitted that she got cheated on, and that it made her feel even more worthless, but she said that this was an important experience, because it separated the ‘wheat’ from the ‘chaff’.

Vidya Balan prioritizes her well-being and advocates for a holistic approach to health. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, discipline, self-love, practicing yoga, and following a balanced diet.

Moreover, Vidya Balan devotes her time to sponsoring children’s literature, Americans for Aids Research, and Hale House, which offers lodging and support to children born with HIV and substance misuse, as well as holding conferences and participating in events for the Harvard Aids Institute.

Vidya Balan is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2014. She has won 10 awards - Filmfare Award in 2010, Filmfare Award in 2012, Filmfare Award in 2013, Filmfare Award in 2011, Filmfare Award in 2022, Filmfare Award in 2006, Filmfare Award in 2006, IIFA in 2012, IIFA in 2013 and National Award in 2011.