Seema Biswas


Seema Biswas is an Indian film and theatre actress from Assam. She shot into prominence with the role of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen, for which she won the National Film Award for Best Actress. 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. Her other mainstream films include , for which she won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress, Bhoot, Vivah, and Half Girlfriend. In addition to films, Biswas has been a part of many television shows.

Personal life and education

Biswas was born in Nalbari, Assam to Jagdish Biswas and Meera Biswas. After completing her primary education, she graduated in Political Science Honours from Nalbari College, Assam. She studied Dramatic Arts at National School of Drama, New Delhi.

Career

Seema Biswas acted as the heroine in Krishnan Kartha's Amshini which entered the Indian Panorama Section of Filmotsav 1988. However the general belief is that Biswas debuted after Shekhar Kapur watched her perform in 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 opposite Nana Patekar, and won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Rooted firmly in theatre, she refuses to be typecast, and has worked in a variety of films and character roles. She has also worked in a number of Marathi, Malayalam, and Tamil films. Some of her Marathi films are Bindhast, Dhyaas Parwa, and Lalbaug-Parel.
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.
In 2014, Seema Biswas was a jury member of the 45th International Film Festival of India to be held from 20 to 30 November at Goa.

Filmography

Television

Web Series

Awards

National Film Awards