Tillotama recalls how her 'passport photo' was 'rejected' because of her 'smile'

Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) Taking a trip down memory lane, acclaimed actress Tillotama Shome recalled a rejected passport photo from 2004, which was turned down because she was smiling.

She shared the passport picture on Instagram and captioned it: “2004 The rejected passport photo because of the smile. And yet we kept it because I was leaving home to study in New York, on a full scholarship and had cut my hair short to save money and time on hair care.”

“Passport photos are a world unto themselves. They don’t just mark the passage of time but the moment of nerves, prior to a travel to a far away land.”

She added: The first in your family to study abroad, needed documentation and this extra photo was that extravagant gesture.Good things do happen. Hair does grow back, mostly. Nostalgia feels like memory without pain. There is only so much you can take of it, though.”

In other news, Tillotama’s Bengali film “Baksho Bondi – Shadowbox” is set to open the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 as its opening night film.

Co-directed by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi in their directorial debut, Baksho Bondi, which had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival 2025, is jointly produced by Tillotama and Jim Sarbh.

The film features Tillotama Shome as Maya, set against the backdrop of a dusty Kolkata suburb, weaving a powerful narrative of love, resilience, and the quiet strength of a working woman navigating her everyday life.

The opening night screening is scheduled for August 14 in Melbourne.

Supported by the Victorian Government, the festival will run from August 14 to 24, with the IFFM Awards Night set for August 15, honouring cinematic excellence across film and OTT categories.

Tillotama is known primarily for her work in independent films. She began acting with a supporting role in Mira Nair's film Monsoon Wedding. She has also starred in the films A Death in the Gunj and Lust Stories 2, as well as the television series Delhi Crime, The Night Manager, and Paatal Lok.

--IANS

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