Guwahati's Alishmita Goswami is all set to make her Bollywood debut in the upcoming movie Blackboard VS Whiteboard directed by Tarun Bisht in which she'll be sharing the screen with renowned actors Raghuvir Yadav, Akhilendra Mishra and Ashok Samarth.
Alishmita, who hails from Sorbhog, Assam, had been interested in acting ever since childhood but she got her first break in 2015, in Pankaj Ingti’s music video Ami Axom Dexor Suwali. Since then, she has featured in over a hundred music videos including Zubeen Garg’s Buku Bhori Aase Morom, Neel Akash’s Gun Gun and Bhrigu Kashyap’s Bappa Oi.
She has also acted in Rengoni channel’s mega serial Aaina where she played the character of Gouri, the lead character. For her portrayal of Gouri, Alishmita received the Rodali Award for Best Actress in 2017-18.
On the movie front, Alishmita had earlier acted in Tumi Muk Faki Dila, a 2018 film directed by Hadis Ahmed. She has also acted in the Assamese film Kokaideu Bindaas directed by Dhrubajyoti Bordoloi which is scheduled to release in March this year.
Alishmita further has three more Assamese movies in the pipeline – Pranab Vivek directed Ulka, Kongkon Rajkhowa directed Dwipen Gandhi and Oasis Talukdar directed Parikrama. While Ulka and Dwipen Gandhi are currently in the post production stage, Parikrama is in the final days of shooting.
In her debut Bollywood movie, the young actress is playing the character of Rashmi, a Delhi-based reporter and lawyer.
“Rashmi is a strong, independent woman who is unafraid of speaking her mind and always stands for the truth. It was a wonderful experience portraying such a powerful character and I look forward to more such roles in the future,” expressed Alishmita speaking to G Plus.
For her role in the film, Alishmita received the Best Debutant Award at the Jharkhand International Film Festival from Arbaaz Khan and Raghuvir Yadav.
The film is based on the education system of our country. It shows the current scenario of the education system, especially in rural areas, where people don't give importance to education and throws light on how important education really is.
Speaking about her experience of working with Bollywood director Tarun Visht, she said, “Tarun Visht is an ace director who is also a very kind and humble person who knows how to make all the actors feel comfortable. He’s been a true teacher to me, guiding me at every step and bearing with my Assamese accent. He patiently taught me how to deliver the dialogues as a reporter does and helped me improve my Hindi accent too.”
Daughter of retired teacher Rohini Kumar Goswami and Rekha Goswami, Alishmita did her matriculation from Barnagar Vidya Mandir School and higher secondary from Krishna Kanta Handique in Arts stream. She went on to pursue graduation in Assamese (honours) and diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from Cotton College (now Cotton University) in Guwahati.
An introvert by nature, Alishmita likes to spend time at home rather than going clubbing or partying. She says, “When I’m not acting, I like to spend time watching sitcoms on Netflix or reading novels. I do not have many friends and I don’t prefer going out so often.”
Being associated with both Assamese and Hindi film industry, Alishmita says that the Assamese film industry is currently undergoing a revival and there’s a lot of professionalism in the newer lot of artists – be it actors, directors or musicians.
“The Assamese film industry has given me a lot. I started out as an actor from here and I’ve learnt the nuances of acting from the artists of this industry. All that I am today, I owe it to this industry and the support that the Assamese people have shown towards me,” Alishmita told G Plus.
She further informed that if given a chance, she would love to work with the award winning director Jahnu Barua in an Assamese film and renowned singer Papon for a music video. From Bollywood, she dreams of working with director Imtiaz Ali and be cast opposite Ranbir Kapoor.
Alishmita says that to be successful as an actor, one has to keep their goals clear and never lose focus. Her advice to all young, aspiring actors is “Always be a learner. Never think that you’ve learnt everything there was to learn and try to grab as much as possible from all your experiences. You cannot know everything about acting in a short span of time. With every project, you keep evolving.”
