High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1978) is an Indian film actress, who appears in Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam cinema. At age sixteen, Balan landed her first acting role in the sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). After making several unsuccessful attempts to start a career in film, she acted in television commercials and music videos. In 2003, she made her feature film debut with the independent Bengali drama Bhalo Theko.