Happy Birthday Vidya Balan: From Parineeta to Shakuntala Devi, how actress carved a niche for herself

Though Vidya starred in a Bengali film 'Bhalo Theko' in 2003, her Bollywood debut was in Pradeep Sarkar directed Parineeta in 2005. A musical drama romantic film, Parineeta portrayed Vidya Balan as a woman with dignity, self-respect and unflinching love for Shekar, played by Saif Ali Khan. 

Vidya's debut performance as this mature woman who upholds her respect when faced with insult in her first film won her many accolades. She overshadowed other stars like Saif and Sanjay Dutt, who were already big names in the industry. The film too received critical acclaim and went onto win four Filmfare and a National Award.

By 2011, Vidya had done several films, some of which had been flops and others had done average as far as box office collections were concerned. While she received much praise for her role in Ishqiya opposite Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, her choice to do The Dirty Picture, a film inspired by south siren Silk Smitha and a few others, can be regarded as one of the turning points in her career. 

Vidya's performance as the unapologetic Reshma, who drives generations crazy with her oomph and a sex symbol determined to take on the industry single-handedly, is mind-blowing. Probably one of her best performances to date.

A mystery thriller directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Vidya Balan left audiences surprised with her stellar performance in Kahaani. In Kahaani, Vidya breaks stereotypes to be the actual hero(ine) who led the film from the front while the male actors stood aside and gave fabulous performances as the supporting cast. 

With a good storyline and some outstanding performances by the cast, especially Vidya who managed to make the viewers believe in her and then emerged as this unlikely superhero, one can safely say that content over and above everything else is what the film should be about. 

Vidya Balan isn't one to shy away from bold roles even if it means playing a brothel keeper in 'Begum Jaan'. Set in the backdrop of the late Independence period of 1948, while audiences would agree that the film lacked comprehensiveness, Vidya was in great form in the flick.

Vidya as the tough-talking, resilient, manipulative Begum Jaan is outstanding in the film and it sure did win her some praise for portraying the bold role to the best of her ability. The film managed to recover costs and was an 'average', but Vidya was lauded for her performance, something that she sure must be proud of.

Vidya Balan shines out as endearing in Shakuntala Devi. A math wizard who refuses to bow down to the society's 'ways and constructs', Vidya is a treat to watch in this Annu Menon film. 

And to note, she once again manages to make the hero in her film irrelevant. One does not notice the absence of a hero in the film, which is not just worth noticing but also praiseworthy.