Seema, but seriously

After completing her course from the NSD, this diminutive, soft-spoken actress was working for the NSD Repertory Company when she landed the plum role in Kapur8217;s film, after he saw her in a play. 8220;It was a lifetime experience and I was lucky to get such a dynamic role. I put my heart and soul into it, even though it was easier to play the role of Phoolan Devi, because the character I had to portray in no way clashed with my personality,8221; she says.

She does feel a little sad though that she was not given permission to meet the dacoit lady, who was serving a sentence in jail then. 8220;We resorted to books, paper cuttings and with imagination and the director8217;s suggestions, the character was threshed out,8221; she adds. For which she deservingly won the National Award.

However, the lady now wants to get away from gravity to creativity. 8220;I want to do a variety of good roles, but no rona-dhona and gussa please,8221; she pleads. And as a part of this exercise, she took up different projects, starting with Khamoshi, where she did portray a deaf-mute, but which nevertheless had moments of gaiety. She will also feature in Kamal Hasan8217;s fun film, Ladies Only, an untitled film by Shyam Benegal and in Amol Palekar8217;s film on Raghunath Karve, Kal Ka Aadmi, for which she is currently shooting in Pune.

8220;In Palekar8217;s film, I play Karve8217;s wife, Malati, a lively character. She8217;s supportive yet independent,8221; she explains. The bilingual requires her to speak Marathi, which she has picked up after taking up residence in Mumbai three years ago. And to prove her point, she says impressively, 8220;Kai sunder chandana padla aahe, nahin ka8221;?What about purely masala films, would she like to be part of a production where dancing in the Saroj Khan-style is compulsory? She smiles and says, 8220;I choose roles which are different, I don8217;t have to accept singing-dancing roles8221;.

Seema feels it necessary to share a good rapport with the director. As she has with all her directors. What she insists on is getting a performance-oriented8217; role. A Bengali who grew up in Assam, the acting bug bit Seema early, since she was reared in an artistic atmosphere, her mother being an actress and her sister a singer. 8220;I was always encouraged to pursue some creative art and now I can8217;t imagine life without it,8221; she discloses. Studying in Delhi at the NSD was a high, and she misses the cultural capital. 8220;I remember my teachers 8211; Anuradha Kapoor, who taught Western Drama, and Neebha Joshi, who encouraged me tremendously,8221; she says.

For an actress who describes herself as an introvert, she says she8217;s coming out of her shell 8211; slowly but surely!