Profession | Actor
Bio
Born and brought up in Gangtok, Geetanjali Thapa had a very simple middle class upbringing. When she was in Calcutta for her graduation, she started with a bit of modelling, mostly photo shoots. At that time, she never thought of pursuing it as a career. After completing her Bachelors, she went to Delhi for further studies when she got an offer for a film and landed up in Bombay. Once the film was complete and she came back to Delhi, she decided to take up a language course until the film’s release.
When the film was shelved, she was disheartened; she didn’t know what she wanted to do. Eventually, she decided to move to Bombay. She started giving auditions for films and TV commercials. Then she got a call for an audition for the film Monsoon Shootout followed by another call for Kamal K.M’s film I.D. She auditioned and things worked out. Liars Dice and Tigers followed that.
Career
- Her debut short English film was Myth directed by Prashant Rasaily
- Her first Hindi film Tina Ki Chaabi was not released
- She got two international awards for best actress — at the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Madrid Film Festival for her role in I.D. directed by Kamal K.M.
- For her performance in Liars Dice, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013)
- She also won Best Actress award at the New York Indian Film Festival 2014 for her role in Liars Dice
Quick Q’s
From the start of your career, you have been very good at picking the right roles, what points do you keep in mind while signing a film?
Firstly, the script. If I like the script and the role then I go ahead with it. I want to do good films, work with like-minded people and learn. I have learned so much from each and every film.
You have not signed any Bollywood commercial movie till now, is that a conscious decision or is it because you haven’t come across the right role?
I haven’t come across the right role. I don’t want to do a film just for the sake of it. As I mentioned earlier, I want to do good films – be it independent or mainstream.
What are your thoughts on the Northeast film scenario?
We have produced eminent filmmakers like Jahnu Barua. There are also so many young filmmakers from our region who make beautiful films that travel across the world. Slowly but surely, things are changing. There might be a film school opening soon in the Northeast. I hope and pray that we will soon have more theatres in all the States to not only showcase the mainstream films but also short films, documentaries, regional films and films from around the globe.
Any advice to aspiring actors from the Northeast?
Work hard, believe in yourself, don’t forget your roots and respect the art.
