Seema Biswas is an Indian film and theater actress. She is known for her roles as “Phoolan Devi” in the film “Bandit Queen” (1994) and “Shakuntala” in the film “Water” (2005). She has acted in Bollywood, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Konkani and Bhojpuri films.
Wiki/Biography
Seema Biswas was born on Thursday, January 14, 1965, in Guwahati, Assam (age 55 years 2020). After her birth, her family moved to Nalbari town in Assam. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. She was educated at Dhamdhama School in Assam. She received her Honors degree in Political Science from Nalbali College, Assam. She took acting courses from the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′2″
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family and caste
Seema Biswas belongs to a Bengali family.
Parents and siblings
Her father, Jagdish Biswas, was in the construction industry and had a keen interest in cultural activities. Her mother Meera Biswas was a history teacher and a pioneer among female theater artists in Assam.
Seema Biswas’s mother, Meera Biswas
She has two sisters (both singers) and a brother.
husband and children
She first married an NSD alumnus. On November 27, 2003, she married for the second time to film producer Nikhilesh Sharma. From December 5, 2006, the two began to live apart, and finally filed for divorce in 2007.
Profession
Theater and Film
At one point, her mother was contacted by a local theater and asked for permission to appear in a play. Her mother agreed, and Seema made her stage debut at the age of 15, and later starred in many stage plays. Seema joined NSD and started acting in many plays and over a period of time she earned comparisons with Smita Patil. Later, Seema joined NSD Repertory Company and worked there for seven years.
Seema Biswas performs on stage
Once, when Seema was rehearsing the play Khubsurat Bahu, Shekhar Kapoor came backstage to congratulate her on her performance and invited her to play the role of Phoolan Devi in the biopic Bandit Queen. . Before approaching her, he contacted his cousin Anuradha Kapur, a theater director and professor of drama at the National Institute of Development. Seema accepted Shekhar’s offer and acted in Bandit Queen (1994).
She had previously appeared in the Hindi film Amshini (1987), directed by Krishnan Kartha. She made her Assamese film debut with “Kothanodi” (2016).
She has appeared in many Bollywood films such as “Khamoshi: The Musical” (1996), “Company” (2002), “Deewangee” (2002), “Bhoot” (2003), “Water” (2005), ” Vivah” (2006) and Half Girlfriend (2017). She made her Marathi debut in the 1999 film Bindhaast, in which she played a CBI officer.
She went on to star in two more Marathi films – Dhyasparva (2001) and Lalbaug Parel (2010). She made her Malayalam film debut with Shantham (2001).
She then acted in two more Malayalam films – Balyakalasakhi (2014) and Endless Summer (2014). She made her acting debut in the Tamil film “Iyarkai” (2003), in which she played the role of “Mercy”.
Seema Biswas in a scene from Iyarkai (2003)
She also appeared in the 2006 Tamil film “Thalaimagan”. She made her Gujarati debut with the film Patang (2011).
She made her Konkani debut in 2017 with the film Soul Curry.
She has also acted in films with Bhojpuri Cinema, making her film debut with Dhiya Poota (2017).
TV and web series
Seema Biswas made her television debut in Life OK’s show “Maha Kumbh: Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani” (2014-15). She plays the role of ‘Maa Mui’ in the show.
Seema Biswas in a scene from Maha Kumbh Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani (2014-15)
She also appeared in “Leila” (2019) and “Dadi Amma…Dadi Amma Maan Jaao!” 》 and other programs. (2020). She made her web series debut with Code M (2020).
Awards and Honors
- In 1995, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress for the movie “Bandit Queen”
Seema Biswas wins award
- In 1997, she won the Indian Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the movie “Bandit Queen”
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2000 (Hindi Theater – Acting)
- In 2006, she won the Genie Award (renamed Canadian Screen Award) for Best Actress for “Water”
- In 2013, she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for “Midnight’s Children”
Facts/Trivia
- Her earliest childhood memory is of growing up with her siblings in a rented one-room house visited by veterans like Bishnu Prasad Rabha (musician), Bhupen Hazarika and Phaneesh Sharma (musician).
- As a child, Seema was a loner and sullen. Talking about her childhood self, Seema said-
As a child, I was overweight, avoided interactions with other children, and got angry easily. I was a problem child because I was very picky about clothes and refused to wear old clothes. Also, unless my mom cooked something I wanted to eat, I would sulk. “
- She was her father’s favorite. Recalling her father, Seema said,
My father never scolded me. He encouraged me to take dance classes and even trimmed my hair himself. Every night when my father came back from get off work, he would put all the coins in his pocket under my mattress. When I wake up in the morning I am excited for my little baby. “
- Her mother starred with her in the film “Water” (2005). She plays a widow named ‘Dhanu’ in the film.
Meera Biswas in “Waterscape” (2005)
- She performed in theater while in college. At one point, one of her teachers told her that theater would get her nowhere in life. Seema felt hurt and stopped taking classes with that teacher. Her friend Sunita provides her with notes to help her pass the exam.
- Her first formal exposure to theater was through a workshop conducted by an NSD alumnus in Guwahati. Seema recalled,
He completed seven days of work in one day, and this day was a continuous 14-hour work schedule. “
- After completing her honors degree, she took the NSD exam and passed. As she was preparing to leave for Delhi, her father decided that she should stay in Assam and let her brother study engineering. Seeing her dream shattered, Seema took her mother to her mentor’s house under the pretext of seeking his blessing. As soon as Seema reached there, she told him everything about NSD. He scolded her mother and told her mother that Seema should leave for Delhi immediately. According to Biswas, she took the next train from Assam to Delhi with an unreserved ticket.
- At NSD, she realized that her diction in Hindi and English was poor. One of her classmates decided to help her. Seema used to rehearse all night, sometimes till 5 am. In the process, she was cast in a play with long dialogues. After seeing her performance, everyone was surprised by the improvement in her speech. According to Seema, this was the first major hurdle she crossed as an actor. While studying at NSD, she often went to Delhi’s Shakuntalam Theater to watch foreign films.
- After seeing her struggle in Delhi, Seema’s parents decided that she had done enough work in theater and should focus on becoming a lawyer back home. Instead of listening to her parents’ advice, Seema joined the NSD Repertory Company, where she worked as a heroine for seven years.
- In Delhi, she faced a lot of difficulties with money. Seema used to get a stipend of Rs. 750. Realizing her family’s financial situation, she told her parents that she would use all the money she had to live on. For years she skipped dinner and ate only bread, eggs and apples.
- She was embroiled in controversy for her nude scenes in the film Bandit Queen. According to Seema, she once cried all night because of the controversy and many people started hating her.
Seema Biswas in Bandit Queen
- After filming for “Bandit Queen” ended, Seema took an uncensored video to show to her family. As the tape plays, Seema pretends to sleep on her mother’s lap. She had closed all the doors and curtains and turned off the lights in the room. After the recording ended, no one spoke, but her father looked at her and said:
Only our Seema can fulfill this role.
She first saw “Bandit Queen,” a four-hour unedited version, at the house of (late editor) Renu Saluja.
- According to Seema, the controversial scenes in Bandit Queen were shot with her body double. She used to stay with the stunt double until the camera rolled, and then put on makeup. Talking about this issue, Seema said:
It makes me sad that I get recognition while she’s behind the scenes. But she was very professional and the next morning I saw her clicking photos”
- Seema’s first meeting with Phoolan Devi was in 1995, shortly after the premiere of Bandit Queen. Talking about her experience, she said:
Shekhar called me to his room and said he had a surprise for me. As I entered, I saw a woman wearing a sari and a maroon shawl. I didn’t recognize her. Suddenly, she hugged me. I knew it was Poulan. To me, that moment seemed endless. When she says, “You introduced me to my reality again.”
- According to Seema, fate was always against her. Recalling such incidents, she said,
Every time I gain something in life, I lose something. The day I bought my own house in Mumbai, my father died in an accident. Then, during the height of The Lone Ranger, I tore a ligament in my thigh. I could barely move but did 30 shows in this condition. I feel determination is my only ally in life.
- In 2011, Seema became the first actress to play a transgender character in an Indian film. The movie is “Queens!” Dancing Dance (2011), her character in the film Amma was inspired by Manvendra Singh Gohil of the Rajpipla royal family, who is known as India’s first openly gay prince.
- Seema was awarded life membership of the Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT) International Film and Television Club by director Sandeep Marwah.
- In 2014, Seema served as a judge for the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which was held in Goa from November 20 to 30.
International jury member Victor Banerjee congratulates Assamese film actress Seema Biswas at the closing ceremony of Northeastern Cinema during the 44th International Film Festival of India
- Seema is also an active philanthropist. She contributed Rs. Rs 5 lakh is provided to the Assam CM Relief Fund to help the victims of the 2019 Assam floods.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education