Revisiting Seema Biswas In Bandit Queen 28 Years After Release

Shekhar Kapoor’s Bandit Queen was a turning point not just in Seema Biswas’ career but also in the way Indian cinema perceived its female characters. The film threatened to typecast Seema in bandit/rape victim roles. Shw didn’t know how to get out of it.

In a past interaction with us, Seema Biswas spoke on being typecast after Bandit Queen, "I am an actor. All I want to do is act. I’ve never thought about career strategy or how to take my talent forward. I never bothered with cultivating an image. I was a diehard theatre actress trying to focus on my acting, nothing else. But when after Bandit Queen I was offered Manisha Koirala’s mother’s role in Sanjay Bhansali's Khamoshi: The Musical, I was warned by well-wishers, even seniors from NSD advised against doing it.I took up Khamoshi because it was a complete departure from Bandit Queen. I had to prove myself."

The Hindi film industry wanted Seema only to play outlaws. "After the release of Bandit Queen I was offered innumerable dacoit roles. I turned them all down. And after Khamoshi, I started getting Anil Kapoor’s and Aamir Khan’s mother’s roles. I had no problems with that. But I wanted the script. Producers were shocked. ‘Na shakal na soorat and she wants a script!’ I could see their disbelief and contempt. ‘But we’re offering you Amitabh Bachchan’s mother’s role!’ I didn’t mind playing anyone’s mother as long as I knew my character’s graph."

Rather than do repetitions of Bandit Queen and Khamoshi, Seema chose to stay away from films for nearly two years. She said that getting challenging roles remains an abiding challenge.

"It can be very frustrating. Deepa Mehta is one director who has given me my dues. I did Water with her in 2004. Repetitive roles are death to me as an actor. I’d rather do theatre. Sorry I can’t play the buffer-mother keeping the hero and his father apart from each other’s throat."