 Vidya Balan was born on 1 January 1978 in <unk> , <unk> , a town in the Palakkad District of Kerala , to parents of Tamilian descent . Her father , P. R. Balan , is the Executive Vice @-@ President of <unk> , and her mother , Saraswathy Balan , is a homemaker . According to Vidya , they speak a mix of Malayalam and Tamil at home . Her elder sister , Priya Balan , works in the field of advertising . The actress Priyamani is her second cousin . 
