Seema Biswas (
Hindi: सीमा बिस्वास,
Assamese: সীমা বিশ্বাস) (born 14 January 1965) is an Indian film and theatre actress from
Assam who shot into prominence with the role of
Phoolan Devi in
Shekhar Kapur's film
Bandit Queen (1994). She has a reputation for performing strong character roles.
Biswas won the 1996
National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in the film. 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).
Personal life and education
Biswas was born in
Nalbari, Assam, to Jagdish and Meera Biswas. Her mother, an early influence, was a history teacher and a pioneering figure for female theatre artistes in Assam; and she came into contact with artists like
Bhupen Hazarika,
Phani Sarma and
Bishnuprasad Rabha early in life.
She studied Political Science at
Nalbari College, and later joined the
National School of Drama, New Delhi. After graduating from NSD in 1984, she joined the NSD Repertory Company.
Career
Seema Biswas acted as the heroine in
Kishan Kartha's
Amshini (Hindi) which entered the Indian Panorama Section of Filmotsav 1988. However the general belief is that Biswas debuted after Shekhar Kapur watched her perform in
Khubsurat Bahu, a play produced by NSD Repertory Company, and offered her a role in
Bandit Queen. Although she...
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