Balan, who began her career starring in many music videos and soap operas, made her acting debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko (2003), for which she won critical acclaim, and had her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), for which she received a Filmfare Best Debut Award. She received her first commercial success with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and thus has established herself as one of the most promising actresses in the industry.
