BHUBANESWAR: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Odia girl Tusmita Patel seems resolved to break the stereotypical proverb by mastering all her trades. Hailing from Sundergarh, she has made her mark in many fields like acting, writing and anchoring. Now, she has decided to venture into the world of medicine to contribute to the society.
Patel has been honoured with many awards like ‘Best Actress’ for play ‘Raju’ in 2003, ‘Best Actress’ for one-act play ‘Ekka 2014’, ‘Pancham pattamali’, ‘Damanjodi’ as 2nd best actress 2015, ‘Prativa Parichay Award’ 2015, ‘Best Actress International film festival’ for movie ‘POW’ and ‘Batayan Award’ 2003. She said, “The guidance of my guru Satyabrata Jena was instrumental in achieving these milestones.”
“Initially, I had to struggle a lot in my life as I am from an interior area of Sundergarh. We didn’t have any network in those areas. Due to my hard work, I have reached a stage where everybody knows me. I have worked in Doordarshan, Naxatra TV, News 7, OTV, News 18 and Kalinga in various roles including acting,” she said.
“In the field of acting, I draw inspiration from Sridevi Ji and Hema Ji. I have worked for Odia feature film Premara Nisha Niara Niara apart from other short Odia movies. I have acted in music album Jharaka Sepate Barsha. Earlier, I have acted as a theatre artist. I have worked in ‘Ama Ilaka’, ‘Calling Bell’ and ‘Chhai’. These plays were organized at Rabindra Mandap, Soochna Bhawan , Nalco Hall and Khorda,” she added.
On being enquired about her achievements, she said, “I got ‘Best Actress’ award for the first time at international-level Golden Triangle International film festival which inspired me to ply my trade in this field. I was awarded for ‘POW’. The title of the film indicates powder (code word for narcotic drug powder).”
“Drug addiction has been on the rise across the world especially among the youth as they are more vulnerable to it because of various reasons like lack of job opportunities, family disturbance and many more. This film was a small effort towards spreading awareness about the ill effects drug addiction.”
Her guru Satyabrata Jena said, “She is a very straight forward, dedicated and determined girl who works in all fields with a lot of interest. She also have loves artistic pursuits like literature, culture and social work too. Tusmita Films is slated to produce a short film ‘Baby Blues’.”
