Living like there is no tomorrow…

Jasmine Singh

Everything about her begins and ends with an organ that is the source of all creative thoughts. Everything about her begins and ends with her heart. At Taj Chandigarh ballroom, she looks for her handbag and after an unfruitful search, she sits down for a chit-chat. The issue of the misplaced bag is longer on her mind. She is in the moment and the moment is defined by her passion—acting.

Actor Seema Biswas along with the bunch of well-known NSDians, Om Puri, Adil Hussain and the director of their upcoming film, Ranjit Kapoor, and co-director-cum-producer Bikramjit Singh Bhullar, get into a short and meaningful chat on their lawaaris film, (as Om Puri likes to put it) Jai Ho Democracy.

Coming back to the woman, who made everyone sit up and notice her in Bandit Queen, Seema Biswas. Doing a film never figured in her scheme of things. Dressed in a black suit with her curly hair tied-up, Seema talks only what her heart approves of. “I was doing theatre when Shekhar Kapoor approached me for the role. I was to play a living character (Phoolan Devi), which meant a lot of responsibility. This is why I thought this was going to be my first and last film as I wanted to give my best to it,” she says.

As we know, this certainly wasn’t Seema’s last silver screen moment. She went on to do Khamoshi, where she played Manisha Koirala’s mother. “Everyone I knew told me not to do this role because I would get typecast. But, I wanted to prove myself as an actor. Actually, I got known for Bandit Queen as it stirred a controversy even before its release. Now, I wanted to be known for acting,” she smiles.

Seema felt she never fitted into the mould of glamorous faces; in fact, she thought herself to be a misfit in the film industry for a long long time. She opens up, “Someone was offering me a role to play Anil Kapoor’s mother, and when I asked them what was my character, they wouldn’t know what to say for they felt playing Anil Kapoor’s mother was a big enough thing. So much so, some people even offered to make a new Bandit Queen, for they felt the first one wasn’t complete. I said for at least five years I wouldn’t touch the topic. This is how I do, anything repetitive coming my way… I take a break from it,” words pour straight from her heart. Mind is silenced. For that isn’t required at this moment.

Seema still doesn’t understand the whole thing about the length of a role. “I am a theater actor; I am only bothered about the script and my role. Back then, people wouldn’t like it if I asked them for a script. I wasn’t pretty enough to be that demanding.”

But, as we know by now, following a trend is not her thing. “I do what my heart asks me do. I don’t think about what will happen in the future,” shares the actor, who is travelling with her solo play, has done an Australian, American and a Marathi film called Whats Up Gemba.

“It is a good phase for Hindi cinema, we see more realistic films, but I don’t know where I would be. Let’s see.” She’d probably let her heart answer this one as well.

Jai ho, team

Jai Ho Democracy is a comedy film. The movie has been written and directed by Ranjit Kapoor, who was also the dialogue writer of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and has been produced by Bikramjeet Bhullar of Indian Production House. It is a dark satire on Indian politics and takes a dig at the existing social and political morass India is staring at currently. 

Says Ranjit Kapoor, “The film was complete way back, but we had no takers for it. Wherever we went with it, we would get a great response from the creative department, but the marketing department would ask who is the hero, who is the heroine, do you any have songs? They were ready to take this film only if there was another like it. So, Bikramjit decided to fund the entire film.” 

Bikramjit who makes his debut as a co- director of the film feels the industry generally likes to slot films in a genre. “They would accept Jai Ho Democracy if their was another film like it.”

Actor Om Puri was in a jovial mood, cracking jokes and talking in chaste Punjabi. As for Jai Ho Democracy, “It has been made with a sincere effort, and it is not just a political satire. It has comedy and towards the end you’d feel sad. It is definitely going to be a must watch.”

When the going is good

Actor Adil Hussain believes that marketing teams should not decide which movie should be seen and which one should not. “This a good time for Indian cinema as we see more realistic films now. Jai Ho Democracy will be a film that everyone will love to watch.

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