As the actress turned a year older today, here’s taking a look at some of her best performances over the years.

Mumbai: Vidya Balan is a name to reckon with. The powerhouse of talent, who began her Bollywood career with Pradeep Sirkar’s Parineeta in 2005, hasn’t worked with Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan yet. And that makes her an actress who can carry the entire weight of the film on her shoulder!

As the actress turned a year older today, here’s taking a look at some of her best performances over the years:

Parineeta

She played the strong character of Lalita in the film and was applauded by the critics for her breathtaking performance. Lalita is a dignified woman and her love remains firm for Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) through thick and thin. Parineeta also starred Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles.

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

Bhool Bhulaiyaa

As Avni, Vidya pulls off an awe-inspiring role. She suffers from a rare psychological problem she herself is oblivious of. She gets enamoured by Manjulika ( a dead dancer’s life story) and gets possessed by her ghost. As Manjulika, Vidya sent shivers down the spine of the audience.

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`.

Ishqiya

The 2010 Indian black comedy 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 conventional and it grabbed 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.

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.

It’s been a while we have seen Vidya deliver a blockbuster at the Box Office but as a performer she has left no stone unturned in impressing us. Her last few releases – Ghanchakkar, Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Bobby Jasoos, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, Te3n, Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh and Begum Jaan may have proved to be Box Office duds but Vidya claimed her spot once again by playing a Radio Jockey in Suresh Triveni’s Tumhari Sulu, a light-hearted family film.

Here’s wishing the super talented actress a very Happy Birthday.