Vidya Balan is an ace actress. If her movies are lovable and admirable, her interviews are aspirational. She is like those women who can make men feel doubtful about their caliber. She has that intimidating quality and we totally dig her giggly laughter. The latter stays with you even after you are done talking to her. Vidya Balan always leaves an impression, be it for real or on reel. What's fascinating is she is never in a hurry to do films. She is picky and we are glad about that. That's because Vidya believes in doing movies that would count. Shakuntala Devi Biopic: Vidya Balan’s Announcement on the Film’s Release Date Will Make You Rework on Your Math Skills (Watch Video)

We aren't saying Vidya hasn't made mistakes in her quest to get the right film. She has and she has learned from them. The best ability about her is she analyses what is going wrong with her films and rectify it. So if there was a Ghanchakkar, there was also a Tumhari Sulu. On her birthday today, we thought we will cull out five best performances of her but then we realised, that will be a complete disservice to her talent. So here are 10 best performances by Vidya Balan.

Parineeta (Lalita)

Parineeta was Vidya Balan's first Hindi film. Fresh out of a music video and Bengali film, she was a refreshing change. She went from a playful girl to a besotted girl to a lovelorn girl and the switch was marvelous. She showed her range right there.

Guru (Meenakshi Gupta)

Although a cameo, Vidya Balan's role as a wheel-chair-bound woman was heart touching. The scene where she breaks down due to her illness...was one of the best scenes of that year. Her chemistry with R Madhavan was fetching too.

Salaam-E-Ishq (Tehzeeb)

An ensemble cast which boasts of names like Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra and yet one character you remember the most in the film is Tehzeeb. She was beautiful in every way. If she was lovable as the wife of John Abraham, her desperation to remember him post the accident brought tears to our eyes. Vidya Balan is an amazing actress!

Bhool Bhulaiyya (Avani)

Watching a possessed woman in Indian horror films is nothing new. But what if it is minus the loud histrionics or camera moments? Vidya Balan kept it like that in the film. It wasn't exactly a possessed character if you remember the film but it did give you goosebumps. Many remember her dance in the climax thinking herself to be Manjulika but our favourite scene is when she picks up one edge of the bed with one hand! Sensational...

Paa (Vidya)

Playing Amitabh Bachchan's mother when you are half his age, in reality, is no mean task. It is extremely brave of her to do that film we believe. For Balan, it's the role that matters.

Ishqiya (Krishna Verma)

Going deliciously wicked suits her so damn well on the big screen. We can't even think of anyone else in that role. Simply amazing!

The Dirrty Picture (Silk)

This had to be here on the list because we doubt there will be any actress who would have said yes to a biopic on an item girl. Vidya was no-holds-barred here and that made her delightful to watch.

Kahaani (Vidya Bagchi)

Everything about this film is fascinating, especially the climax. Vidya Balan played an imposter but did it with so much conviction that at no point could you figure out the real motive. What a beautiful film and character!

Tumhari Sulu (Sulochna Sulu Dubey)

A simple happy go lucky housewife with big dreams...isn't that someone we know very closely? Vidya Balan was breathtaking in this film. You relate to her so well with the kind of things she says and does.

Mission Mangal (Tara Shinde)

Vidya Balan was pitted against Akshay Kumar in the film. Okay, not in such certain terms but you could see that happening on screen. Is it easy to not let your hero overshadow you in a film? It's not but then it's Vidya Balan. She is an ace actress and so, she not only managed to make people see how science and religious beliefs existed side by side but also made everyone feel proud of her achievements. We need more such actresses in Indian films.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2020 12:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).