Her family was against her joining showbiz, but Seema Azmi is determined to carve a niche. After playing hockey player Rani Dispotta from Jharkhand in the hit movie Chak De! India, she returns as a narrator in the new TV show Upanishad Ganga.
"I met Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, who called me for an audition for Upanishad Ganga. And I was selected. It, in fact, happened even before I started Chak De!," said Azmi.
"Since Upanishad Ganga is made up of various stories of our predecessors that represent Indian culture and heritage, I guide the audience by taking them through the story."
Upanishad Ganga is directed by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi.
Talking about her journey so far, Azmi says she joined showbiz against her family's wishes.
"My family did not want me to get into this industry. But I was secretly doing theatre and taking National School of Drama (NSD) training. At one point in time I was planning to even run away! But after clearing NSD in the first attempt, I told my parents and what followed was a big drama at home. My dad did not talk to me for five years.
"I came to Mumbai anyway, worked in Deepa Mehta's Water and then was called for an audition for Chak De! and eventually got selected. Working with Shah Rukh Khan was a great experience. We took early morning training for hockey, which was very straining," said Azmi.
