On the actor’s 35th birthday, we take a look at the many twists and turns that the babe’s career has navigated. Vidya Balan was born on January 1, 1978. The actor created quite a stir in year 2012 with her strong performances and bold style statements. But the babe had to go through her share of trials and tribulations in her professional life before she reached this stage. VB’s career was fluctuating – at times fiercely hitting the skids and occasionally striking gold. But after a series of hard knocks, Balan tightened the dupatta around her width and hit back with vengeance.

It was as if all the transitions and turbulences that VB went through initially were worth it after all, and if she hadn’t dropped the ball, we might not have seen the intense actor in Kahaani or The Dirty Picture! 2003-2006 – Beginning - The beginning seemed all rosy and bright, as Vidya made her entry into Bollywood with Parineeta. Everyone seemed to be confident that she had a long way to go as they put their money on the babe. And then she bagged Rajkumar Hirani’s Lage Raho Munnabhai with a small yet strong role. She definitely got off to a flying start!