Not many had imagined that a four-year-old who did a cameo in Arindam starrer Romeo Juliet would go on to become one of the most sought-after child actors in the Odia film industry. Playing Arindam’s little friend, Swosti not only won accolades for his performance in Romeo Juliet but also won millions of hearts with his innocent looks.
Following the success of the film, Swosti was flooded with offers, and today, he is one of the busiest child actors in the industry. Orissa POST caught up with Swosti to know more about his acting plans.
Born to businessman Sujit Kumar and homemaker Pragyanswini Mishra, Swosti made his acting debut at the tender age of two. “He is a diehard fan of actor Babushan Mohanty. He used to keenly watch Babushan’s films and deliver dialogues in front of the mirror. Acting comes naturally to him,” says Pragyanswini, who hails from Angul.
However, the chance to share screen space with Arindam in Romeo Juliet came unexpectedly. It was during a visit to Bhubaneswar that Swosti attracted the attention of actress Jhilik. “We had put up at Hotel Marion in Bhubaneswar. Jhilik was also there to discuss a project with filmmaker-choreographer Sudhakar Vasant. While leaving, Jhilik spotted Swosti and expressed her desire to work with him in her next film Tu Mo Hero. It was Jhilik’s brother who introduced Swosti to Sudhakar sir, who immediately took a liking for him,” says Pragyanswini.
Sudhakar, who was in search of a child actor for his film, asked Swosti’s parents to come along with their son for a meeting in Cuttack the next day. There he asked Swosti to deliver a few dialogues impromptu. “We were sure that Swosti would be rejected as he had never delivered dialogues in front of us. But to our surprise, he delivered Babushan’s dialogues from the film Love Station without fumbling. Sudhakar sir immediately roped him in for Romeo Juliet and shooting started in another five days,” says his mother.
Swosti has also got an offer to feature in an album. “Director-producer Gems came across Swosti’s photographs on our Facebook page and got in touch with us to cast him in his album, Sunaina,” says Pragyanswini.
Interestingly, Swosti’s parents never approached filmmakers with Swosti for roles. “After Romeo Juliet, Swosti started shooting for Tu Mo Hero, where he was cast as Jhilik and Jyoti’s son. But he fell ill when they had finished shooting about 80 per cent of his part. Seeing his health deteriorating, we admitted him to a hospital, where he had to stay for 15 days,” his mother recalls.
Despite repeated calls from the film’s cast and crew, Swosti’s parents finally had to say “no” as he was yet to recover completely. Left with no choice, the makers of the film replaced Swosti with another child actor.
Swosti, who wants to pursue acting and modelling as a career, regrets having missed out on being a part of Tu Mo Hero. However, he still cherishes the memories of his first brush with acting. “In Romeo Juliet, I played a fatherless child, Alok. In one of the sequences, my friends ask me to give them a birthday treat. Being a fatherless child, it was difficult for me to arrange a birthday bash. I said Lord Jagannath has taken my father away from me, so please don’t ask me for a treat. The cast and crew were so impressed with my shot that they gave me a standing ovation,” says Swosti, who was also bestowed with honours like Anugul Gaurab Samman and Best Charming Boy of Odisha.
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP