Vidya Balan: From `Parineeta` to `Bobby Jasoos` : Bobby Jasoos

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Vidya Balan: From `Parineeta` to `Bobby Jasoos`

Vidya Balan`s journey in Bollywood so far

From `Parineeta` to `Bobby Jasoos`, Vidya Balan`s journey in Bollywood has earned her immense accolades. The roles she has essayed till date have looked tailor made for her and she has effortlessly left an indelible impact on the audiences with each of her performances. She is someone who can give the Khans a run for their money and can gracefully shoulder the fate of her films at the Box Office. She is often regarded as the hero of the film for obvious reasons. The 36 year-old actress has brought about a change in the traditional norm of Indian cinema. The bold and sultry actress has proved that a movie can run without the dominance of a male.

Let`s take a quick look at the movies where Vidya is glorified as a hero.

Parineeta

The 2005 romantic drama marked the debut of the vivacious Vidya Balan. She played the strong character of Lalita in the film and was applauded by the critics for her flawless acting. Lalita is a dignified woman and her love remains firm for Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan).`Parineeta` saw Vidya, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles.

Vidya recieved the Filmfare Award for Best Debut(Female) category.

Ishqiya

The 2010 Indian black comedy thriller starred Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah along with Vidya. It was an outright women-centric movie where Vidya uses her seductive side to entice both the male protagonists(who play criminals in the movie) to achieve her own secret goal. The chemistry between Vidya and Naseer was conventionally different and it did manage to grab eyeballs.

No One Killed Jessica

`No One Killed Jessica` is a 2011 Indian Political crime thriller which brings out the best in Vidya. The movie is based on a true murder story of Jessica Lall, where Vidya plays the role of her elder sister(Sabrina Lall). This is one of her women-centric films, where Sabrina fights the world to bring out justice to her sister`s murder and put the culprit behind the bars. The film had Rani Mukerji essaying the role of a news reporter.

Paa

The 2009 drama starred Vidya, Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead. The story revolves around Auro (Amitabh) son of Vidya and Abhishek, born out of wedlock, suffers from rare genetic disease.
The film exploited the different nuances of parenting and the turbulence when a child parts from his parents. Vidya won her first Best Filmfare Actress for `Paa`.

The Dirty Picture

The 2011 biographical film `The Dirty Picture` is based on the life of a South Indian actress- Silk Smitha - known for her erotic roles and it established Vidya as the hero of the film. Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah are paired opposite her. It earned Vidya a National Film Award for the strong and convincing role she played in a male dominated society. She plays the role of Reshma/Silk, a rebellious woman turned actress who elopes from home at a young age in order to nurture her dream of becoming an actress. She is uninhibited in expressing her sexuality and has scandalous affairs with several men.

Kahaani

After `Ishqiya`, `No one Killed Jessica` and `The Dirty Picture`, Kahaani` (2012) was Vidya`s fourth women-centric film. It stars Vidya as a pregnant woman Vidya Bagchi who lands in Kolkata looking for her missing husband during `Durga Puja` festival. The film won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the movie became a smash hit.

Bobby Jasoos

And after this, Vidya will be seen in another women-centric role for her upcoming movie `Bobby Jasoos`, where she (Bobby) plays the role of a lady detective and wants to become the top detective in Bombay. This role will be the first and one of a kind in India.

Vidya`s successful movies have proved that a movie can thrive well without a hero if the script is good and a woman can carry it equally well without the melodrama of the typical love between the couples.

Compiled By: Anindita Dev