Florence Nightingale Padhi is among the most loved, popular and successful actors of the small screen. She has done justice to every character that she has played, be it the very unpredictable Sunaina from the tele soap Manini or the shy Tejaswini from mega soap Apa.
Once the camera starts rolling, Florence transforms herself into the character, whether negative or positive. Her choice of assignments and scripts reflect her calibre and versatility. Her roles in daily soaps like Apa, Jibana Jamuna Re Juara Uthere, Topaye Sindura, Unashi Kanya, Indrajala, Aaina, Sunakalash, Sunasapan, and Khara Barsha Ra Khela have been much appreciated by television viewers. In a career spanning 10 years, she has become a household name in Odisha.
Hailing from Bargarh, the acting bug bit Florence when she was about 11. Recalling her first stage show, she says, “I was in Class VI when I desperately wanted to participate in a drama to be staged during the annual function of the high school. I urged my mother, who was a teacher in the high school, to allow me to participate. Though she tried her best to dissuade me, I kept begging for a role. The school headmistress, who was present there, decided to take up my cause. Surprised by my deep love for acting, she wrote a script on dowry torture. I played the character of an unkind mother-in-law in that skit. My role was appreciated by all. That is how I started acting.”
Though Florence wanted to be an actress from childhood, her father wanted to see her as a doctor. That’s why she completed her studies before leaving for Bhubaneswar to make a career as an actress in the television industry. “My father had a different dream for me. I did not want to break his heart. Besides, I have understood from the very beginning that to reach the zenith of success in any field, education is a must. Thus, I completed the Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery from Sambalpur University and joined a nursing home in Bargarh. However, acting was always on my mind. When I got an offer for an album, I went for the shooting with my mother without telling my father. Finally, I decided to opt for an acting career and quit my job. Initially, my father was not happy with my decision. However, now he is happy to see me as a successful artiste. I cannot live without acting.”
She shared an emotional incident from her life: “I was on the set of mega soap Lakhmi when I got a call from my parents and learnt that I had lost my grandmother who lived in Rourkela. To reach Rourkela would take eight hours. By the time I reached there, her last rites would have been completed. So, I did not go though I could not stop crying on the sets.”
Though she is not from a film background and has not done any course in acting, Florence has carved a niche for herself as an actor. “Once I had gone to Chilika to visit the Kalijai temple with my parents. A group of women crowded around me and blessed me. They asked me: ‘How can you bear the torture meted out by your husband?’ I was taken aback first, but then I realised that they were talking about the character Tejaswini which I played in the mega soap Apa aired on ETV. My father really felt proud of me and said, ‘I was against her acting. But today she has made me proud and I feel honoured to be her father’.”
Recalling another incident, Florence says, “While I was leaving home for shooting, a lady stepped in front of my car and started scolding me. She said, ‘I will not spare you if you won’t stop creating trouble for Manini.’ She was talking about the Sunaina character I was playing in the soap Manini. In the serial, I used to hatch conspiracies against the protagonist Manini. The lady left the place after I convinced her that I was just essaying a character. In real life, I am not like Sunaina.”
Asked about her dream role, she responds: “I would like to do justice to every character I play. I don’t have a dream role as such.”
Florence, who has received the best antagonist award for mega soap Sunakalasa aired on Doordarshan, attributes her success to her parents. “I owe my success to my mother in particular. Without her support, I could not have made a mark in tinseltown.”
Offbeat profile
Nickname: Pinki
Favourite food: All types of veg food
Favourite place: My village Thuapalli
Favourite actor: Shahrukh Khan
Inspiration: Mother
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP