10 Vidya Balan roles we loved

Silk Smitha tops our list. Vidya redefined the ideal of the Bollywood heroine with her unabashed curves and smouldering sex appeal as the late Southern siren. Vidya's performance earned her the National and Filmfare awards for Best Actress.

Jan 01, 2013 09:00 IST

The Dirty Picture (2011): Silk Smitha tops our list. Vidya redefined the ideal of the Bollywood heroine with her unabashed curves and smouldering sex appeal as the late Southern siren. Vidya's performance earned her the National and Filmfare awards for Best Actress.

Kahaani (2012): Vidya's intense portrayal of Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband, won her rave reviews and critical acclaim.
Parineeta (2005): In this breakthrough film, Vidya garnered praise from all quarters. As the wronged Lalita, Vidya's was perhaps one of the most self-assured debuts Bollywood had ever seen.
Ishqiya (2010): Vidya's performance as the aggressive, sexually manipulative and bold Krishna in this black comedy by Vishal Bhardwaj won her critical acclaim. She went on to win the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress

Paa (2009): A major turning point in Vidya's career, she played an unwed gynaecologist struggling with her 12-year-old son's progeria syndrome. The film was directed by R Balki and Amitabh Bachchan played Vidya's son.
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006): In this comedy flick, a follow-up film to Munna Bhai MBBS, Vidya appeared apposite Sanjay Dutt. The film was a box-office success and Vidya's role as a radio jockey was appreciated by viewers and critics.
No One Killed Jessica (2011): Raj Kumar Gupta's semi-biographical thriller saw Vidya portray the real-life character of Sabrina Lal, Jessica's sister. Vidya's performance in the movie was singled out for praise and earned her another Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.

Guru (2007): Vidya's role as a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis in Mani Ratnam's semi-biographical drama Guru was well received by critics. The film, which starred Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and R Madhavan in leading roles, performed well at the box office.
Bhool Bhulaiya (2007): In this psychological thriller by director Priyadarshan, Vidya featured as Avani Chaturvedi, a woman suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Co-starring Shiney Ahuja, Akshay Kumar, and Ameesha Patel, Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a commercial success.
Heyy Babyy (2007): Vidya played the role of Isha Sahni, a single mother, in this Sajid Khan movie. Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh and Fardeen Khan co-starred. The movie was a box-office hit.