Seema Biswas back on small screen

Seema Biswas

"When I took on Mahakumb - Ek Rahasya Ek Kahani, it was supposed to be a cameo. The makers told me they would kill my character, but I ended up shooting for over a month," grins Seema Biswas, talking about her last telly outing. Five years since, the actor is back on the tube with Sooraj Barjatya's drama, Dadi Amma Dadi Amma Maan Jao.

Well aware of the hectic schedules that characterise television industry, Biswas initially didn't welcome the idea. "Television is too demanding. Earlier, I used to shoot daily from morning to night. It left me with little time to pursue theatre or take up any other acting assignment," she rues. However, her deep bond with Barjatya - she collaborated with him in the Shahid Kapoor starrer Vivaah (2006) - meant that she could not turn him down. "He convinced me to take up the role. I play a fun-loving granny who dotes on her granddaughters. The show is about cherishing the time spent with elders in the family. In our times, school holidays meant visiting our grandparents; we eagerly awaited it. But now, things have changed."

Besides the upcoming project, Biswas has had her hands full - she recently shot for Deepa Mehta's Funny Boy, based on Shyam Selvadurai's book, which is set in the years of the civil strife in Sri Lanka, and Code M. It is a shame that the actor is not seen often in Bollywood. Quiz her why she hasn't been big-screen bound since her last outing, Half Girlfriend (2017), and she says matter-of-factly, "I have never had a PR machinery at work; I do not know how it operates. With the new wave of writing today, I hope I get good roles in Hindi films."

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