Himanshu Guru
Young artiste Namrata Singhdeo has a disarming smile and enchantingly sweet voice that endear her to everybody she meets on and off the shooting sets
“I want to make everyone around me happy with my words and deeds,” says actress Namrata Singhdeo in an enchantingly sweet voice. Although she failed to grab the crown in the TV reality show ‘Mitha Mitha Jodi’ aired on Colors Odia – a mega heroine-hunt – the bubbly actress was among the top six and learned essential lessons about grooming as an actress. Acting apart, Namrata is a good dancer. She is the lead actress of a couple of upcoming films. Orissa POST chats with the diva about her journey so far in the Oriya entertainment industry.
The youngest daughter of Kadambini and Rabindra Kumar Singhdeo, Namrata hails from the royal family of Ranpur in Nayagarh district. Pracheta and Tapas are her elder siblings. She did her HSC from SAIEC, Dhenkanal and diploma in polytechnic from the government polytechnic college. The bright youngster is currently pursuing MBA from Utkal University.
Namrata started her career early when she was five-odd years old. She said: “I appeared in front of the camera for the first time as a child artiste in the TV serial ‘Katha Kahuthile Saribani’. Later, I participated in dance reality shows like ‘Boom Shakalaka Boom’ and ‘One Two Cha-cha-cha’ in Etv Odia. I have also appeared on Doordarshan.”
The bubbly girl is a good dancer. “I have been awarded in many small and big dance competitions at the district level. I am a passionate dancer,” she said. Asked about the formal training she has undertaken in dancing, the actress said: “I completed a five-year Odissi course from the Prachin Kala Kendra in Chandigarh under the tutelage of Guru Sameer Prusty. My study centre was the Sargam Institute in Dhenkanal. I have mastered other contemporary dance styles by my own efforts.”
Narrating her experience of ‘Mitha Mitha Jodi’ Namrata said: “I attended the preliminary audition at Bhanja Kala Mandap in Bhubaneswar and made it to the top six. The top participants were taken to the Lotus resort near Konark and were given training in almost every aspect of acting. Ashis and Jaya taught us dance and Sangram sir and Alok imparted lessons in acting. We entertained ourselves by playing different games. The training was a grooming session in essential acting skills. We were instructed as to how to face the camera.”
Traditionally, royal families are hesitant to allow their children to join the film and entertainment industries. Namrata said: “Initially, my family members were reluctant to allow me to act in films. During ‘Mitha Mitha Jodi’ I succeeded in convincing my parents to give me permission to take part in the auditions. After I was selected I managed to convince them to allow me to participate in the show. When my mother first saw me on TV she could feel my passion for acting and dancing and encouraged me to carry on the good work.”
“Last year I was selected for the parallel movie ‘Ei Nue Kahani’. In the Biswajit Mohanty directed film I was cast opposite Ansuman. Besides, I have appeared in TV commercials and recently finished the schedule of the upcoming film ‘Akhi kholi dele tu hi tu’,” said Namrata.
Dwelling on her shooting experiences, Namrata said: “The film I am working in currently is a triangular love story. However, it is essentially about friendship. I am playing Chumki and Deepak is my co-artiste. The shooting of the film starring veterans like Aparajita, Bijaya Mohanty and Mihir Das is under way both in Cuttack and the capital city. I remember once when I was shooting an emotional scene the expression was simply not coming on my face. The assistant director wanted to know from me who I loved the most. I answered I loved my mother the most and he asked me to act as if I was attending my mother’s funeral. At once drops of tears flowed down my cheeks and the shot was taken in an instant. It was a memorable experience.”
“I am emotional by nature and don’t remember having intentionally hurt anybody. I try to keep everybody around me happy,” said the actress who is in talks with a couple of big banner film production houses.
