Sisters Lipsa & Poonam Mishra Charting Their Way From Ollywood To Bollywood

Sisters Lipsa & Poonam Mishra Charting Their Way From Ollywood To Bollywood

Be it Sulagna Panigrahy, Manoj Mishra or Anu Choudhary, actors from Odisha stepping into the spotlight in Mumbai is not a new trend and the latest addition to this list is cousin sister duo Lipsa Mishra and Poonam Mishra, who are making their presence felt in the industry through Hindi music videos.

While Lipsa’s music video ‘Jiya Lagena’ recently released on Republic Day, Poonam’s ‘Bali Umariya’ is scheduled to release on Valentine’s Day. When asked why she decided to try her luck in a music video in Mumbai, notwithstanding her popularity back home, Lipsa tells MCL, “Two years ago when I was hosting the ‘Voice of Odisha’ show, popular Bollywood singer Krishna Beura was the Maha Guru (super judge). That is where he approached me to do the Hindi music video ‘Chehra Tera Ankhen Teri’. He told me that the lyrics of the song talk of the eyes of the woman in the video. Since he thought I have beautiful eyes, he found me to be appropriate for the role. He sang the song and the video was directed by director Susant Mani. Then, I came to Mumbai and since Krishna Sir is the only person I knew in the city, I asked him for work. That is when he told me work in ‘Bhai Apna Bhai Sallu Bhai’ and now, the latest one ‘Jiya Lagena’ has been released.”

Lipsa who entered the telly industry with the daily soap ‘Kichi Luha Pee Jae Otha’ after winning a reality show ‘Big Break’, is a well-known TV actor in Odisha for her role in ‘To Aganara Tulashi Mu’ and the movie ‘Pilata Bigidigala’.

Poonam, on the other hand, had her first break in Mumbai in the form of an ad film which was directed by renowned ad maker from Odisha, Avinash Nanda. Since then, the actress has already featured in three national ads with one coming up soon.

“I came to Mumbai to shoot an ad film with Avinash Nanda. Having done that, I had decided to work in Mumbai. Moreover, I also wanted to act in Hindi music videos. So, I got together with some of my friends from the industry and we decided to do one. Last year on Valentine’s Day, my first Hindi music video ‘Mera Yeh Jahan’ was released under Venus label. After the success of the first video, it was time for another. In my second video, ‘Ek Lamha Ek Saathi’, I got a chance to work with Bulu Das, one of the best Odia album stars of his time. Now, it’s time for ‘Bali Umariya’!”Poonam’s first movie ‘Baisi Pahache Kheliba Mina’ was much applauded and her acting appreciated. Her second movie ‘Love Master’ was opposite Babusaan.

Both the sisters seem to be very happy working in Mumbai. Says Lipsa, “The industry here is much more professional and so the work environment is better. The artists are also polite. I still remember when my co-star Sharad Malhotra, a popular Hindi serial actor,met me for the first time while shooting for my recent video ‘Jiya Lagena’, he simply came to me first, and gave his introduction. I feel so blessed to get an opportunity to work here.”

Poonam echoes similar feelings though she does admit that working in an industry different from the one you have established yourself as a popular actor can mean hard work. “I am now looking to do roles in Hindi serials and am pretty sure that I will do one by this year. I was, in fact, selected for roles in two mythological serials after some auditions were successful. But I had to decline the offers as I am not interested in doing mythological serials now,” she says.

Well, for all the fans of the Mishra sisters back home, the good news is that despite their aspirations of making it big in Bollywood someday, both the actors are eager to do films and serials in Ollywood as well. So, for now, it’s all about finding the right balance between both the industries for the two talented actors!