Vidya Balan made her acting debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko in 2003. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), her performance in which earned her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She subsequently essayed a variety of character roles, receiving her first commercial success with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and followed it with Heyy Babyy (2008) and Bhool Bhulaiya (2008), the latter earning her another nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In 2009 she appeared in R. Balki's Paa, in a performance that ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
