Seema Biswas (born 14 January 1965) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and the theatre. She gained prominence after playing the role of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen (1994), for which she won the National Film Award for Best Actress.[1] She won the 2000 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the 2006 Best Actress Genie Award for her role as Shakuntala in Deepa Mehta's Water (2005). Her other mainstream films include Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), for which she won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress, Bhoot (2003), Vivah (2006) and Half Girlfriend (2017). In addition to films, Biswas has appeared in many television shows.

Seema Biswas
Biswas during a press conference at 40th International Film Festival of India, in November 2009
Born (1965-01-14) 14 January 1965 (age 59)[1]
Nalbari, Assam, India
OccupationActress
Years active1988–present

Personal life and education edit

Biswas was born in Nalbari, Assam, to Jagdish Biswas and Meera Biswas.[2] After completing her primary education, she graduated in political science with honours from Nalbari College, Assam. She studied dramatic arts at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.[1][3]

Career edit

Biswas played the lead in Krishnan Kartha's Amshini (Hindi), it entered the Indian Panorama Section of Filmotsav 1988. However, the general belief is that she debuted after Shekhar Kapur watched her perform in the NSD Repertory Company and offered her a role in Bandit Queen. Although she had earlier acted in Assamese cinema, this was her first big break into Hindi cinema.

In 1996, she played the role of Flavy, a deaf and mute woman in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Khamoshi: The Musical opposite Nana Patekar and won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Rooted firmly in theatre, she refuses to be typecast,[4] and has worked in a variety of films and character roles. She has also worked in Marathi, Malayalam and Tamil films.[5] Some of her Marathi films are Bindhast, Dhyaas Parwa and Lalbaug-Parel.[citation needed]

She has been honoured with the Life Membership of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film & Television by the director Sandeep Marwah.[citation needed]

In 2014, Biswas was a jury member of the 45th International Film Festival of India, held from 20 to 30 November at Goa.[6]

Filmography edit

Films edit

Year Title Role Language
1988 Amshini Sarada Hindi
1994 Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi Hindi
1996 Khamoshi: The Musical Flavy J. Braganza Hindi
1997 Ladies Only Hindi
1998 Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa Somu's mother Hindi
1999 Bindhaast CBI officer Marathi
Samar Dulari Hindi
2001 Dhyasparva Malati Karve Marathi
Shantham Malayalam
2002 Deewangee Psychiatrist Hindi
Company Ranibai Hindi
Ghaav: The Wound Tanya Hindi
2003 Boom Bharti Hindi, English
Bhoot Bai Hindi
Iyarkai Mercy Tamil
Pinjar Pagli- Mad woman Hindustani, Punjabi
2004 Kaya Taran Sister Agatha Hindi
Dobara Hindi
Ek Hasina Thi ACP Malti Vaidya Hindi, English
Hanan Mrs. Heeralal Hindi, Bengali, English
2005 Water Shakuntala English, Hindi
Mumbai Godfather Hindi
The White Land Sudha's mother Hindi
2006 Vivah Rama Hindi
Shoonya Pradhan Hindi
Thalaimagan Alankaram Tamil
Zindaggi Rocks Hindi
2007 Sofia The Madam English
Risk Devki Wardhan Hindi
Amal Sapna Agarwal English, Hindi
2008 Striker Siddharth's mother Hindi
Shaurya Captain Javed Khan's mother Hindi
Heaven on Earth English, Punjabi
Yeh Mera India Bai Hindi
2009 Cooking with Stella Stella English, Hindi
Dujone Meghna's aunt Bengali
2010 Lalbaug Parel Mother Marathi
City of Gold Aai Hindi
2011 Queens! Destiny Of Dance Guru Amma Hindi
Patang Sudha Hindi, Gujarati, English
With Love, Delhi! Mother English
2012 Midnight's Children Mary English
2013 Oonga Laxmi Hindi, Odia
2014 Chaarfutiya Chhokare Janki Hindi
Manjunath Manjunath's Mother Hindi
Sold Amma English
Balyakalasakhi Selvi Malayalam
Endless Summer Malayalam
Exclusion Hindi
2015 Jai Ho Democracy Mohini Devi Hindi
2016 Kothanodi Dhoneshwari Assamese
A Yellow Bird Siva's mother Tamil, Mandarin, English
Freaky Ali Ali's Mother Hindi
Anatomy of Violence Hindi
Holding Back Hindi
2017 Half Girlfriend Rani Sahiba, Madhav's mother Hindi
Sameer Mumtaz Khala Hindi
Soul Curry Konkani
Dhiya Poota Kakiya Bhojpuri
2018 Bhoga Khirikee Assamese
2019 Darkness Visible Rakhee Hindi
2020 Idam Bhanu Malayalam
2020 Funny Boy Ammachi English, Tamil, Sinhala
2021 Atrangi Re Naani Hindi
2022 Bachchhan Paandey Mrs. Paandey Hindi
2023 Sir Madam Sarpanch Parvati Hindi
2024 Political War Sunita Chatterjee Hindi

Television edit

Year Title Role
2014–15 Maha Kumbh: Ek Rahasaya, Ek Kahani Mai Mui
2019 Leila Madhu
2020 Daadi Amma Daadi Amma Maan Jaao! Daadi Amma

Web series edit

Year Title Role Network
2020 Code M Asif's mother ALTBalaji/ZEE5
2021 The Family Man Season 2 PM Basu Amazon Prime Video
2022 Human Roma Ma Disney+ Hotstar
2022 Breathe: Into the Shadows Season 2 Dr. Indu Rao Amazon Prime Video
2023 Kaalkoot Ravi's mother JioCinema

Awards edit

Year Award Film Category Result
1996 National Film Awards Bandit Queen Best Actress Won[7]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c "Bandit queen used to cry all night, used to act nude in front of director and cameraman". News Track. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. ^ Vasisht, Divya (24 June 2003). "Seema Biswas: Beyond the limelight". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  3. ^ M, Athira (19 July 2018). "I am a perfectionist, says Seema Biswas". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  4. ^ Kumar, Anuj (3 March 2007). "Beyond the image". The Hindu (Metro Plus Mangalore ed.). Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
  5. ^ Acharya, Anindita (4 June 2022). "Bandit Queen returns after 13 yrs". millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. ^ Pranjal Borah (21 November 2014). "Seema Biswas as Jury in 45th International Film Festival of India". KothaSobi. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  7. ^ "43rd National Film Awards – 1996". Directorate of Film Festivals. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.

External links edit