Seema Pahwa

{{Infobox person

| name = Seema Bhargava Pahwa

| image = Seema Pahwa in March 2020.jpg

| caption = Pahwa in 2020

| birth_name = Seema Bhargava

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1962|02|10}}

| birth_place = Delhi, India

| spouse = {{marriage|Manoj Pahwa|1988}}

| children = 2

| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|Film director}}

| years_active = 1984–present

| relatives = Pahwa family

}}

Seema Bhargava Pahwa (née Bhargava; born 10 February 1962) is an Indian actress and director known for her varied characters in films and television. She is the recipient of several awards including a Filmfare Award and a Filmfare OTT Award.

She rose to prominence for her role of Badki in the popular Doordarshan soap opera Hum Log (1984–1985). As a theatre actress, she worked with Delhi-based theatre group Sambhav, before moving to Mumbai in 1994 to work in films and continue her work in television and theatre. She directed Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi (2021), her debut as a director and won Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director.

Career

Pahwa rose to prominence for her role of Badki in the popular Doordarshan soap opera Hum Log (1984–1985).{{cite news |title=The soap that gripped the nation |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080706/jsp/7days/story_9510833.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911222714/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080706/jsp/7days/story_9510833.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2012 |access-date=16 November 2010 |newspaper=The Telegraph (India) |date=6 July 2008}} As a theatre actor she worked with Delhi-based theatre group Sambhav, before moving to Mumbai in 1994 to work in films and continue her work in television and theatre.{{cite web |title=The Mint Planner |date=7 August 2015 |url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/TydkBml6gQ5uBavnKIotsI/The-Mint-Planner-07-August-2015.html |access-date=26 January 2016}}{{cite web |work=The Pioneer |title=Culinary act |url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/culinary-act.html |date=15 April 2014 |author=Karan Bhardwaj |access-date=26 January 2016}}

Subsequently, she played Maasi, or Aunt on Kasamh Se (2006–2009), a popular Zee TV soap opera by Ekta Kapoor.{{cite web |title=Sister Act |work=The Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/sister-act/505763/ |author=Alaka Sahani |date=23 August 2009 |access-date=26 January 2016}} The character is very kind and loving towards her nephew and his wife Bani Walia, the protagonist. She won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2015 Screen Awards for the film Ankhon Dekhi (2013).

In 2014, she received acclaim for experiential theatre performance of Bhisham Sahni's satire on the middle-class, Saag Meat, where she cooked during the performance, and the food was served to the audience. She was also very popularly loved for her role in the series Hip Hip Hurray, where she played the role of a single mother of Mazhar.

At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, she was nominated twice for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the films Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (both 2017). She received her third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 65th Filmfare Awards for her role in Bala (2019).{{Cite web |url=https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-awards-2020/nominations |title=Filmfare Awards 2020 Nominations {{!}} 65th Filmfare Awards 2020 |website=filmfare.com |language=en |access-date=18 February 2020}}

In 2020, she starred as Nani in Chintu Ka Birthday (2019), which won her the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actress (Web Original).

She made her directorial debut with the film Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi which premiered at Mumbai Film Festival in 2019 followed by a theatrical release in 2021. The film earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director at the 67th Filmfare Awards.{{Cite web |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/seema-pahwa-to-debut-as-director-with-film-starring-naseeruddin-shah-konkona-sen-manoj-pahwa-4878471.html |title=Seema Pahwa to debut as director with film starring Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sen, Manoj Pahwa |date=2 August 2018 |website=Firstpost |language=en |access-date=9 September 2019}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/programmeDetail/673 |title=Mumbai Academy of Moving Image - ProgrammeDetail Site |website=Mumbai Film Festival}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/sep/30/seema-pahwas-directorial-debut-ram-prasad-ki-tehrvi-to-premiere-at-mumbai-film-festival-14608.html |title=Seema Pahwa's directorial debut, Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi, to premiere at Mumbai Film Festival |website=Cinema Express|date=30 September 2019 }}

Personal life

She was born Seema Bhargava. She is married to actor Manoj Pahwa,{{cite web |url=https://scroll.in/reel/890971/meet-mr-and-mrs-pahwa-we-have-our-tuning-with-each-other-for-30-years |title=Meet Mr and Mrs Pahwa: 'We have our tuning with each other for 30 years' |date=19 August 2018 |website=Scroll.in}} a co-actor in Hum Log, and lives in Versova, Mumbai along with their daughter Manukriti and son Mayank.{{cite web |title=Manoj Pahwa and family on theatre, Bhisham Sahni and more |work=Mid Day |url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/manoj-pahwa-and-family-on-theatre-bhisham-sahni-and-more/16439194 |author=Chandrima Pal |date=9 August 2015 |access-date=27 January 2016}} On 2 March 2022, her son Mayank Pahwa married Sanah Kapur, whereas in September 2023, her daughter Manukriti Pahwa married Ruhaan Kapoor, both siblings being children of actors Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak Kapur. Sanah and Ruhaan are grandchildren of veteran character artiste Dina Pathak and half-siblings of actor Shahid Kapoor.

Filmography

=Films=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Key

|style="background:#ffc;"| {{dagger|alt=Films that have not yet been released}}

| Denotes films that have not yet been released

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col"|Year

! scope="col"|Film

! scope="col"|Role

! class="unsortable" scope="col" |Notes

1989

|Adhuri Zindagi

| TV movie co-starring Shah Rukh Khan

1996

|Sardari Begum

| Kulsum's Mother

1997

|...Jayate

| Nurse Linda

| TV movie

1999

|Godmother

| Shanti (Veeram's sister-in-law)

2000

|Hari-Bhari

| Rampyari

2001

|Zubeidaa

|Zainab Bi

2008

|Roorkee By-Pass

| Maasi

| Short film

2010

|Tere Bin Laden

| Shabbo

2012

|Ferrari Ki Sawaari

| Baboo Didi

rowspan="2" |2014

|Ankhon Dekhi

| Amma

| Won—Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress

Khoobsurat

|Shalini Shah

rowspan=3|2015

|Dum Laga Ke Haisha

|Subhadra Rani

|Released internationally as My Big Fat Bride

All Is Well

| Mamiji

Hasmukh Saab Ki Wasihat

| Mrs. Sonal Mehta

rowspan=2|2016

|Wazir

|Pammi

BHK Bhalla at Halla.Kom

|Neelam Khanna

rowspan=2|2017

|Bareilly Ki Barfi

|Susheela Mishra

|Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan

|Sugandha's Mother

|Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress

rowspan=3|2018

|Khajoor Pe Atke

|Sushila

Everything is Fine

|Asha

|Short film

Bhaiyya Morey

|Old woman

|Short film

rowspan=4|2019

|Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

| Billauri

Arjun Patiala

| MLA Prapti Makkad

Bala

|Mausi

|Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress

Shame

| Laundry lady

| Short film

rowspan=3|2020

|Chintu Ka Birthday

|Nani

| Won—Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actress (Web Original)

Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari

Yeshodha Dhillon

|{{cite news |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/suraj-pe-mangal-bhari-manoj-bajpayee-diljit-fatima-sana-shaikh-film-to-release-in-theatres-this-diwali-1730694-2020-10-12 |title=Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari: Manoj Bajpayee, Diljit, Fatima Sana Shaikh film to release in theatres this Diwali |work=India Today |date=12 October 2020 |access-date=12 October 2020}}

Das Capital: Gulamon Ki Rajdhani

Rashida

|Streaming on Cinemapreneur{{cite news |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2020/nov/26/fighting-several-pandemics-at-once-2228036.html |title=Fighting several pandemics at once |work=The New Indian Express |date=26 November 2020 |access-date=19 December 2020}}

rowspan=2|2021

|Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi

|Director

|Debut as a director

Won—Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director

Ye Mard Bechara

|Shanti Devi

rowspan=4|2022

| Badhaai Do

| Mrs Singh

Gangubai Kathiawadi

|Sheela

{{Cite news |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/alia-bhatt-starrer-gangubai-kathiawadi-release-january-6-2022/ |title=Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi to release on January 6, 2022 |work=Bollywood Hungama |date=30 September 2021 |access-date=30 September 2021}}

Raksha Bandhan

| Shanoo Sharma

Thank God

|Mrs. Kapoor, Ayaan's mother

rowspan=2|2023

|Dream Girl 2

| Jumani

Yaatris

2025

|Bhool Chuk Maaf

|Ramwati

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col"|Year

! scope="col"|Film

! scope="col"|Role

! class="unsortable" scope="col" |Notes

1984–85

|Hum Log

| Badki

1995–96

|Khushi (Season 1)

1995

|Sidhhi

| Sneha Aditya Diwan

1997

|Pehla Pyar

| Nirmala Mathur

1998–01

|Hip Hip Hurray

| Mrs. Merchant

1999

|Rishtey

| Leelavati

| Episode 70: Naya Vivah

2000–01

|Khushi (Season 2)

2005

|Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani

|Archana's mother

rowspan=2|2002

|Sanjivani-A Medical Boon

Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand

2003

|Aandhi

|Bua Ji

2006–07

|Kulvaddhu

|Padma Chauhan

2006–09

|Kasamh Se

|Billo Masi

2008

|Hum Ladkiyan

|Dadiji

2012

|Lakhon Mein Ek

| Teejan Bai/Hema Dhawan

2017

|rowspan=3|The Kapil Sharma Show

|rowspan=3| Herself

| Episode 128: Promotion of Bareilly Ki Barfi

2020

| Episode 274: Celebrating Hum Log

2021

| Episode 171: Promotion of Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi

=Web series=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col"|Year

! scope="col"|Film

! scope="col"|Role

! class="unsortable" scope="col" |Notes

2019

|Aafat

| Rita Mohanty

| Web series on MX Player

2022

|Mai: A Mother's Rage

| Kalpana

| Netflix

2022

|Jamtara: Sabka Number Aayega S2

|Ganga Devi

|Netflix

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year !Category !Work !Result {{Citation needed\|date=September 2022}}
colspan="6" style="background: #eedd82;"\|Filmfare Awards
rowspan="2"\|2018 \| rowspan="3"\|Best Supporting Actress \| Bareilly Ki Barfi \| {{nom}}
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan \| {{nom}}
rowspan=1\| 2020 \| Bala \| {{nom}}
rowspan=4\| 2022 \| Best Film (Critics) \| rowspan=4\| Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi \| {{Nom}}
Best Director \| {{Nom}}
Best Story \| {{Nom}}
Best Debut Director \| {{Won}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\| Filmfare OTT Awards
2020 \| Best Supporting Actress in a Web Original Film \| Chintu Ka Birthday \| {{won}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\|FOI Online Awards
2018 \| Best Supporting Actress \| Bareilly Ki Barfi \| {{won}}
2022 \| Best Director \| Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi \| {{nom}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\| IIFA Awards
rowspan="2"\| 2018 \|rowspan="2"\|Best Supporting Actress \|Bareilly Ki Barfi \| {{nom}}
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan \| {{nom}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\|Jagran Film Festival
2017 \| Best Supporting Actress \| Bareilly Ki Barfi \| {{won}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\| Screen Awards
2015 \|rowspan="3"\| Best Supporting Actress \| Ankhon Dekhi (tied with Tabu for Haider) \| {{won}}
2018 \| Shubh Mangal Saavdhan \| {{nom}}
2020 \| Bala \| {{nom}}
colspan="5" style="background: #eedd82;"\| Zee Cine Awards
2018 \| Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female \| Bareilly Ki Barfi \| {{nom}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

!Year

!Category

!Work

!Result {{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}

colspan="6" style="background: #eedd82;"|Filmfare Awards

rowspan="2"|2018

| rowspan="3"|Best Supporting Actress

| Bareilly Ki Barfi

| {{nom}}

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan

| {{nom}}