Vidya Balan Height, Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vidya Balan

• She used to be fat in her childhood.
  

  Vidya Balan’s childhood picture

• She did not like playing with her friends after school. Instead, she used to love watching television.
  

  Vidya Balan during her school days

• Gradually, she started developing an interest in acting.

• After class 10, she did a production workhouse at Prithvi Theatre.

• She used to participate in various extracurricular activities in college.
  

  Vidya Balan in her younger days

• While in junior college, one of her friends told her about an audition for a TV series. Vidya then sent her photos to the casting agency. She auditioned for it and got selected. However, the serial got shelved.

• She was then called by the Indian film producer Ekta Kapoor to replace an actor in the Hindi TV serial Hum Paanch.
  

  Vidya Balan (extreme right) in a still from Hum Paanch

• As she was giving more time for the shoot of Hum Paanch, she was blacklisted in college for poor attendance. However, she had to quit the serial to complete her studies.

• While in college, she used to appear in various TV commercials as it required only a few days and she could focus on her studies as well.
  

  Vidya Balan in an old ad of Dalda

• One day, while she was shooting for a TV commercial, she got an offer to audition for the Tamil film starring Mohanlal. However, within two months of the shooting of the film, the film was shelved.

• She was then selected for a few other films. However, when the makers of the films came to know about her shelved film, she was replaced from all the films. The makers then started believing that she was bad luck for films.

• She got very upset after this and used to visit the Sai Baba temple near her home and cry there.

• After struggling for a few more months, she got an offer of a Bengali film which got critical acclaim.

• She then featured in a few Hindi music videos like “Aana Meri Gully” (2002), “Main Nashe Mein Hoon” (2002), “Kisson Ki Chadar” (2003), and “Jaani Na” (2011).
  

  Aana Meri Gully

• Vidya has appeared in many popular Hindi films including ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006), ‘Heyy Babyy’ (2007), ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ (2007), ‘Paa’ (2009), and ‘Kahaani’ (2012).
  

  Bhool Bhulaiyaa

• She has also appeared in a few Hindi biopics like ‘The Dirty Picture’ (2011) and ‘Shakuntala Devi’ (2020).
  

  The Dirty Picture

• In 2011 and 2012, PETA ranked her in India’s Hottest Vegetarian list.

• Vidya was appointed as the first brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, India’s sanitation program.
  

  Vidya Balan in an ad of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

• She has been featured in a few Hindi songs like “Mala Jau De” from ‘Ferrari Ki Sawaari’ (2012) and “Apna Bombay Talkies” from ‘Bombay Talkies’ (2013).
  

  Mala Jau De

• Vidya was appointed as the grand marshal of the India Day parade held in New York City in 2013.
  

  Vidya Balan in the India Day Parade in New York

• In the same year, she lent her voice to the character of Draupadi in the Hindi animated film ‘Mahabharat.’

• She hosted a Hindi TV show ‘No More Kamzor,’ a women empowerment initiative in 2014.
  

  Vidya Balan in No More Kamzor

• Vidya is trained in Carnatic music. For a few months, she has learnt Indian classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathak.

• She was selected as one of the nine jury members at the 66th Cannes Film Festival. She faced criticism for her outfit at the event. She wore a dress designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
  

  Vidya Balan at the Cannes Film Festival

• In an interview, she shared that she was trolled for her body weight and dressing style. Initially, she used to be very conscious about it, but later, she stopped caring about people’s opinions.

• She has performed in only one theatre play titled Dhungpatpatadhundipokoruppopotorpo.
  

  Vidya Balan in a theatre play

• She once shared that she uses only natural soaps on her face.

• She has been featured on the cover of various magazines like Femina, Filmfare, Stage, Stardust, and Outlook Business.
  

  Vidya Balan featured on cover of Filmfare magazine

• She is an avid animal lover and owns a pet dog named Swami.
  

  Vidya Balan with her pet dog

• She has been involved in various social welfare campaigns like the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour campaign, the cause of nutrition in India for the Child in Need Institute, and campaigns to promote children’s education and the empowerment of women.
  

  Vidya Balan during an event of World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour campaign

• In 2017, she was appointed as a member of the Indian Central Board of Film Certification.

• She was then appointed as the goodwill ambassador of an NGO named Arpan that creates awareness of child sexual abuse.
  

  Vidya Balan goodwill ambassador of Arpan

• Vidya Balan is often spotted consuming alcohol at parties and events.
  

  Vidya Balan holding a bottle of alcohol

• She once shared that she had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

• She also shared that she was good at matchmaking.

• She is a die-hard fan of Paulo Coelho and has read almost every book of him.

• She can speak a few languages like English, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, and Hindi.

• In 2024, at the Anant Ambani–Radhika Merchant wedding, she wore a dress dyed from the marigolds which were offered at Siddhivinayak Temple.
  

  Vidya Balan’s outfit for Anant-Radhika’s wedding

• In 2024, she was roped in the Hindi film ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.’