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SOMA LAISHRAM

WITH HER VIVACIOUS ,EASY GOING AND NEVER SAY NEVER ATTITUDE SHE HAS MILES TO GO AS AN ACTOR, MODEL, SINGER AND ABOVE ALL....BE MANIPUR'S SWEETHEART.

A popular face in the Music Video arena, a ramp queen and a rising star in Manipuri Cinema, Soma is a powerhouse of talent. A great dancer and a thinking actor, she is a notch higher and a cut above the rest, setting her apart from her contemporaries and winning multiple accolades and critical acclaims for the diverse characters she has portrayed with great ease, in such a short span of her acting career.

Initiated into the artistic world of singing and dancing, when she was barely six years old, and having groomed as a dancer under eminent guru Thounaojam Lata and other renowned gurus, her entry into highly competitive music video scenario was a cakewalk. Under the tutelage of choreographer, model Neena Takhellambam, who incidentally is also her cousin, she joined the rat race that is the music video world, and emerged as one of the most popular and loved faces.

With her popularity chart rising, as one of the most eminent and accomplished actresses in the music video scene, her foray into the silver screen has been eventful and rewarding. With the stellar performance she gave in her debut film “Phijang Marumda”, she had established a firm toehold in the world of Manipuri Cinema. It was the precursor of many more remarkable movies, where she came alive and lit up the silver screen in different avatars.

BUT, Soma is much more than just an actress.........

The stunning 21 year old damsel is a model with a body to die for; she is the queen of the stage whenever she sashays down the ramp with such finesse and elegance. She bagged the 2nd Runners’ Up Title in the 8th Mega Miss North East beauty pageant at Guwahati. Closer home, she won the “Best Catwalk” title at the Orange Festival, 2009. She still walks the ramp for exclusive trendy brands and artistic events. Her bubbly and exciting persona has made her the popular face of many products.

As a matter of fact...or say...fact of the matter is... modelling is just another extension of her multi talented personality.

Soma is not just a pretty face.....she sings.....and very well at that. She has rendered her spunky voice in a new music video (she acts in it as well), titled “Angaoba Malang”.... which at the moment is doing pretty well. Time will only tell if her peppy, youngish voice and straight talking uncomplicated lyrics entice the Youtube and Facebook generation. Watch out this space....

And, yes... Soma has the looks..... and she has the brains too. She is not just about “song & dance”; amidst her tight schedule in front of the lights and camera, she still finds time to spare for her studies. An avid lover of the Arts, She had completed her Bachelor of Arts. With her vivacious, easy going and never say never attitude she has miles to go as an actor, model, singer and above all .....Be Manipur’s Sweetheart.

In 1999 she became an anchor of children’s program highlighted at DDK Imphal and later she  anchor in Manipuri Film Esei for DDK, Imphal. She also once was a news reader but had to quit immediately due to an unfortunate incident.

Recalling the incident, Soma noted that her father was willing to watch her news reading program and therefore her father went to market that day to get some wire to fix their television. And when he returned from market her father took a nap for a while due to tiredness. After some time it was confirmed that her father had passed away due to BP stroke and from that incident she quit news reading.

Later she began to shape up her career and tried to bring back into her career by Meena Takhellambam who is a professional choreographer and a model. Moving her life ahead she participated the Beauty Pageant known as Miss Orange Queen where she was honoured with the title of Best catwalk. She also participated The Mega Miss North-East 2010 where she begged the 2nd runners up title and Best traditional costume.

Further she will be acting in cinema & continue her education as well.

Here is an interview with Soma:

What do you think about acting? : Being in initial stage I do faced various problems but soon after watching my work I completely erase my problem.

Which outfit should be used in Manipuri films? The only outfit that should be use in film is traditional outfit to promote our rich culture.

Which Director/actor/crew do you like to work with?: Well there is no individual which I should point out since I am newcomer in the industry so like working with everyone till date.

Comment on present trends of Manipuri Cinema: Nothing but really wanted to develop our film industry and show our potentiality.

To be perfect what character you required the most? : Confident & courage, co operation between artist, should be social minded and respect.

Message to the society:- People of Manipur are in the position of extinction, so we need to stop killing each other in order to save our communities.

Future Planning: To become a perfect actress of Manipuri film industry.

please tell us how many films have you done so far?

Soma: Hi, till now I have acted in 9 films of which 5 has been released. I have 7 more assignments in hand as of now.

How many Albums have you acted?

Soma: I have acted in almost 40 albums till now.

Can you please tell the name of your first film and a few others which has been released?

Soma: My first film was ‘Phijang Marumda’ directed by Bimol Sharma, and some others are Loibatare TaRaju, and Epaaktuda ‘The Lake’.

Which video albums do you think made you a recognized face in this Manipuri Entertainment Circle?

Soma: Video albums like “Hey Girl”, “Ho Leishabi”, and “Rashi Leibi” introduced me as a new face to our Manipur Glamour World.

Please share the struggles you have had during this climb.

Soma: As a child, I was always interested in dancing and singing. I have taken part in many local events, Doordarshan shows etc. I also had 6 months course of traditional dance, had represented our school at a traditional dance festival at Dibrugarh, Assam. Knowing all this, my cousin, Reena Thalkelambam made me act in the video album “Hey Girl”, since then, there is no looking back.

As a model, share with us the assignments you had had.

Soma: My first ramp show was the Tourism Festival Ramp Show, then Brand New Collection’s Ramp Show at GM Hall and few others. Nowadays, I only do special shows and artist shows but I am open to any exiting assignments.

Any achievements as a model.

Soma: Yes, I was crowned “Best Catwalk” at Orange Festival, 2009 and “Miss North East” at Mega Miss North East contest 2010, Guwahati.

How do you compare the Glamour of today and some years before?

Soma: Manipur Glamour industry has improved a lot in terms of technically equipments and as it can now contest in Panorama too, there are chances of growth.

As a film actor, what difficulties do you face?

Soma: As I am a student, my educational time table a time collides with my shooting schedules. It is really a hard task to manage with the schedules. Life is harder in winters (laughs).

How would you define an artist?

Soma: An artist should a person with good character, good personality, well educated as they are the role models of the society. Self confidence is also much needed.

As we all know, Manipur is a conservative society, people speaks negative of an artist, what is your take on this?

Soma: Rumors cannot be stop from spreading; they happen but to me I think they speak of us because they love us. They want us to deal with our life more carefully and I appreciate all the criticism as it gives me a chance to mould myselves into a better human being.

Your most memorable moment.

Soma: The day I won the Mega Miss North East contest, I was just 18 and cannot believe I did that (smiles).

To whom would you like to give your credit?

Soma: To my mother and my fans.

Any message for the fans.

Soma: My dear fans please live a wonderful live, we are the future, and please don’t use drugs and let’s make our Manipur a better place.

Thank you for your time Soma.

Soma: Thank you.

B. Mawroh