Biography
A socio-cultural worker Ms Bobbeeta Sharma has been associated with the cultural world of Assam since she was introduced as a child artiste in eminent film maker Dr Bhabendranath Saikia’s national award winning film ‘Anirbaan’ in 1978. Since then Ms Sharma has acted in films and numerous television serials. She had also been a presenter and English newsreader for the National broadcaster Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati, (DDK) and PPC North East (1988-1998). Ms Sharma has produced, directed and presented various programmes for DDK Guwahati along with her producer husband Chinmoy Sharma.
Her serial on Assamese NRI’s settled in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand , Dubai, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, France and Belgium titled ‘Bidexot Apun Manuh’ (Our Own People Abroad) has received widespread appreciation and popularity in her home state and was one of the longest running series on DDK Guwahati (2001-2008). It also received the RAPA Award in Mumbai in 2003. She has directed other socially relevant documentaries for DDK Guwahati and Films Division on women empowerment, sustainable agriculture, child labour etc and her directorial venture titled ‘Rupahi Asom Jonaki Batere’ was on air every Sunday on DDK, Guwahati from 2005-2016. Her documentary titled ‘A light Refuses to Fade out- Aruna Mukherjee ‘ has won awards and critical acclaim in many festivals within India. Her recent documentary on veteran Assamese actress Jnanada Kakati titled- Jnanada: Reflections of Light and Shade has received Special Jury Mention in the 15th Jaipur International Film Festival in 2023. It has also received an award of Excellence at the WRPN- Women’s International Film Festival in Delaware, United States and has been selected for screening at various festivals in India and abroad.
Ms Sharma was also working as a Senior Lecturer in History in Pandu College for 9 years (1993-2002).
From 2005 to 2016 , Ms Sharma was serving as the honorary Chairperson of Assam State Film Finance and Development Corporation Ltd,(ASFFDC) a Government of Assam undertaking from 2005-2016. During her tenure the corporation established the first Film Archive and the first Film Museum of Assam and the North East and also started film production on a public private partnership mode. Through this scheme the ASFFDC produced eight Assamese feature films since 2010. Of these ‘Baandhon’ directed by Jahnu Barua bagged the National Award as Best Regional Film in the Assamese language and ‘Dikshow Bonot Palash’ directed by Sanjib Sabhapandit received the national award as the Best Film on National Integration.
Ms Sharma is also author of the book ‘The Moving Image and Assamese Culture-Joymoti, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Assamese Cinema’ published by Oxford University Press. This is the first book on the history of Assamese Cinema in the English language. The book has been awarded the ‘Honorable Mention’ in the General Non-Fiction category at the London Book Festival 2014. Ms Sharma was a columnist for the daily newspaper Eastern Chronicle for several years and contributes articles regularly to The Assam Tribune and other online platforms.
Ms Bobbeeta Sharma was also associated in honorary capacities with many other organisations like Indian Women Network (CII), Assam Chapter as Chairwoman which is a platform for women entrepreneurs to interact and engage in self employment and other women empowerment programmes. Ms Sharma is also Secretary Om Shanti Trust, a non government organisation working for underprivileged sections of society. She is also the Secretary of Anuradha Cine Club.
She had also also served as two term Member of Central Board of Film Certification (2006 – 2012) Govt. Of India and Tea Board of India (2005-2011).
Ms Bobbeeta Sharma is an Alumni of American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) and was part of a historic India-Pakistan Delegation of young political leaders in 2004. She is also an Alumni of Institute for Global Tobacco Control, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Ms Bobbeeta Sharma has been officially associated with the Indian National Congress party as a Spokesperson since 2002. She also contested as a Congress candidate from East Guwahati Constituency in 2016 and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Guwahati Constituency but lost to BJP candidates. Presently she is AICC Member, Vice-President and Senior Spokesperson Assam Pradesh Congress Committee.