Bidyashree Sishu was smitten by the acting bug at an early age. However, having been born in a family, where acting was a taboo and women were encouraged only to focus on academics, she couldn’t nurture her dreams initially. That, however, didn’t demoralise her. Bidyashree followed the advice of her parents but at the same time continued to work towards making a career in acting. Today, she has quite a few Odia films, television shows and plays to her credit. The Cuttack-based actress, who is also an accomplished anchor, shared her journey as an actor with Orissa POST.
Born to Ramachandra Sishu and Nirupama Dash, Bidyashree was inclined towards acting since an early age. She would regularly participate in stage shows and often win awards. However, she never thought that she could make it big as an actress given that her family wanted her to focus on studies and settle for a secure job.
“I always loved singing, dancing and performing on stage. But since I was the only girl child in my family I was brought up in a strict environment. They didn’t want me to waste time in doing stage shows. Instead, they wanted me to devote more time to studies. So, I couldn’t nurture my dreams, although I never lost hope,” she says.
Bidyashree grew up and started attending college. Things were moving exactly the way her parents had wished but a chance meeting with a filmmaker once again reignited the fire in Bidyashree. “During a college seminar, I came across a filmmaker who said that I had a good stage presence and was brilliant when it came to voice modulation. He recommended my name me to a few people and I got to anchor a show Jhumi Jhumi Nachuchi for Doordarshan. I had never tried anchoring but the audience response to the show gave me the due confidence,” says Bidyashree.
She was next seen hosting a talk show titled, Sapana Banika. After doing a few more shows for Doordarshan, she started getting offers for anchoring stage shows. In no time she became a unanimous choice for event mangers from different parts of the state to hosting stage shows.
Bidyashree, who has already anchored more than 20 shows, gradually started getting acting and anchoring offers from Odia private television channels. “I did a few reality shows like Tume Mora Mun Tumara, Raja Queen Season- II and also a comedy show Amara Dho. My first fictional show was Kichhi Kahi Hebani, which was aired on Doordarshan,” says the actress who was also seen playing pivotal roles in daily soaps like Sandhyatara and Manini.
“My favourite character is Goddess Durga, which I played on the Odia show Durga. I played the character for two years which gave me immense popularity. Also, the character I played in Aaina is very close to my heart,” says Bidyashree.
That said, she didn’t disappoint her parents. Although she grew up with the desire to make a career in acting, she never neglected her studies. Today, Bidyashree is a popular face on television but also has a successful career as a marketing executive with a government organisation in Bhubaneswar.
“Acting was my passion but I never wanted to disappoint my parents, especially my father, who was a senior advocate. He always wanted me to be successful in life and for that he would advice me to focus on academics. After doing MBA, I am now pursuing a course in law,” says the actress.
However, both anchoring and acting took a backseat after her father’s sudden demise. She had to take care of the family but at the same time didn’t lose her focus. During this time she took up a job as a teacher. “It was a major setback for me. I started teaching children in a couple of kindergarten schools in the city. Spending time with them helped me come out of depression and I bounced back. By that time, I had started getting offers for films. I debuted with Nimki and followed it up with Champion and Prema Tora Naughty Naughty,” she says.
Besides television shows and films, Bidyashree has also acted in plays. “My play Lanchhita Chanakya was a hit. So far, we have completed 14 shows of this popular play across the state. In fact, I have been felicitated by a number of organisations for my performance in this play. I may have been brought up in a very strict environment but I owe my success to my family. I am also grateful to my office colleagues, who are very supportive as I often have to go on outdoors for shooting,” she says.
BRATATI BARAL, OP