Best known for her role of former bandit and politician Phoolan Devi in “Bandit Queen,” Seema Biswas is one of the greatest actresses of her generation and lauded widely for her impactful and intense performances in both parallel and mainstream cinema.
Early Life
Seema Biswas was born on January 14, 1965, in Nalbari, Assam, India. She grew up in a culturally rich environment, with her father, Jagdish Biswas, who, although being involved in the construction business, was passionate about art and culture, and her mother, Meera Biswas, a history teacher and a pioneering figure in Assamese theatre. Seema completed her primary education in Assam and graduated with honours in Political Science from Nalbari College.
Seema began her journey in theatre at a young age, performing in local plays in Assam. To achieve her dream of becoming an actor, she went to the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. After graduating from NSD, she joined the NSD Repertory Company, where she worked for several years, honing her skills and gaining valuable experience.
Acting Journey
One of her most memorable plays is “Khubsurat Bahu,” produced by the NSD Repertory Company. It was the play that caught the attention of filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who later cast her in “Bandit Queen.”.
Directed by Anuradha Kapur, “Jeevito Mrito” is a Hindi adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s short story that revolves around the life of a widow and questions her existence. Seema’s portrayal of the character in this 55-minute soliloquy was widely acclaimed.
Seema gave another powerful performance as the protagonist of “Rudali,” based on the novel by Mahasweta Devi, which explores the lives of professional mourners in rural India. Some of her other iconic plays include “Kahani Ka Rangmanch, “Streea Patar,” and many more. Seema Biswas received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000 for her outstanding work in Hindi theatre.
Seema Biswas’s film career began with her role in Krishnan Kartha’s “Amshini (1988),” which entered the Indian Panorama Section of Filmotsav 1988.
Bandit Queen and Critical Acclaim
She rose to prominence with her powerful portrayal of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur‘s iconic film Bandit Queen (1994). “Bandit Queen” is a landmark film on the life of Phoolan Devi, a notorious bandit and social outlaw. Seema Biswas’s powerful portrayal of Phoolan earned her great acclaim and the National Film Award for Best Actress. The film also received critical acclaim for its bold storytelling and impactful narrative. It delves into the complexities of Phoolan’s life, addressing social issues like caste discrimination and gender-based violence.
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.
Another impactful film was Deepa Mehta’s Water (2005), based on the pitiful lives of widows in 20th-century India. She plays Shakuntala, a very strong woman who rebels against the ashram head in which she was living. She won the 2006 Best Actress Genie Award for the film.
Later Works Seema Biswas
With a career spanning across multiple languages and genres, Biswas has delivered memorable performances in films like Govind Nihlani’s Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998), Shyam Benegal’s Samar (1999), Dr. Chandrparaksh Dwivedi’s Pinjar (2003), Ram Gopal Verma’s Company (2002) and Bhoot (2003), Sriram Raghvan’s Ek Haseena Thi (2004), Sooraj Barjatya’s Vivah (2006), the Canadian production Amal (2007), Samar Khan’s Shaurya (2008), Mahesh Manjrekar’s City of Gold (2010), Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children (2012), Sandeep A. Varma’s Manjunath (2014), K. Rajagopal’s A Yellow Bird (2016), Deepa Mehta’s Anatomy of Violence (2016), Dakxin Bajrange Chhara’s Sameer (2017), and many more.
In 2011, Seema starred in David Atkins’s “Queens! Destiny of Dance” and became the first-ever female actor in India to portray the role of a transsexual in a film. The film also starred Vineeth and transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi. She also did the Assamese film Kothanodi (2014), directed by Bhaskar Hazarika, and Bhoga Khirikee (2018), directed by Jahnu Barua.
She has also done acclaimed web serieses Leila (2019), The Family Man (Season 2), Breathe: Into the Shadows Season 2 (2022), and Kaalkoot (2023).
Seema Biswas on IMDB
