Actress Vidya Balan, started the year with a bang as she bagged her first award for the season. She has received the Zee Cine Awards for Best Actress (Critics Choice) for 'Kahaani', which has also won the Best Film (Critics), Best Director (Critics), Best Story and Best Editing.
Lauded for her portrayal of Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband in the city of Kolkata during the Durga Puja festivities, Balan walked away with the honors which will be telecasted on January 20th.
The award wasn't a surprise, especially since the critics were all praise for the actress ever since the thriller film released.
Actress Shabana Azmi lauded Balan for her performance and said, "I had to watch Kahaani because of Vidya. I was bowled over by her performance. As an actor, I could see she was making all the right moves throughout the film. There was not a single artificial note in her performance."
On his fascination to cast Balan, Sujoy Ghosh said, "The good thing about performers like Vidya is that when you give them something, they take it with them and bring something of their own. For me, having Vidya was a boon because she did so many things herself. What she has brought to her character is completely her own."