# Tillotama Shome

Tillotama Shome (born 25 June 1980) is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in independent films. She began acting with a supporting role in Mira Nair's film Monsoon Wedding (2001). She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for playing the lead role of a housemaid in the drama film Sir (2018). Shome has also starred in the films A Death in the Gunj (2017) and Lust Stories 2 (2023), as well as the television series Delhi Crime (2022), The Night Manager (2023), and Paatal Lok (2025).

## Early life

Shome was born in Kolkata to Anupam and Baisakhi Shome. Shome grew up all over India since her father was with the Indian Air Force.

## Career

Shome went to Delhi's Lady Shri Ram College and joined Arvind Gaur's Asmita theatre group. She moved to New York in the autumn of 2004 for a master's program in educational theatre at New York University, where she remained until visiting Mumbai on holiday in February 2008. Thereafter, she took up residence in Mumbai and after completing some outstanding projects in New York, she returned to India in May 2008. In New York, she also taught theatre to murder convicts at a high security US prison.
She made her film debut as Alice in Mira Nair's feature film Monsoon Wedding, and played Deepa in Shadows of Time (Schatten der Zeit), directed by Florian Gallenberger. She played a nun in the Australian film The Waiting City by Claire McCarthy. Italo Spinelli's Gangor, based on Mahashweta Devi's novel, had her play a social worker. She also worked in Qaushiq Mukherjee's Tasher Desh. She played Mrs. Ahmadi in the Hindi political thriller film Shanghai directed by Dibakar Banerjee. About her performance in Shanghai Rediff wrote "Shome created one of this year's most heartbreaking performances in a Hindi film".
Her other roles have included Lara in Little Box of Sweets (directed by Meneka Das), Jaya in Long After (short film, directed by Afia Nathaniel) and Miraal in Butterfly (directed by Tanuj Chopra).
Her performance as a girl who is raised as a boy in Qissa won her the best actress title in the New Horizons Competition of the seventh Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF). She shared the title with Norwegian actress Julia Wildschutt.

## Personal life

Shome is married to Kunal Ross, the nephew of Jaya Bachchan, thus making her the niece-in-law of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2001 | Monsoon Wedding | Alice | Hindi, English | |
| 2003 | Butterfly | Miraal | English | Short film |
| 2004 | Shadows of Time | Deepa | Bengali | |
| 2006 | Long After | Jaya | English | Short film |
| 2006 | Little Box of Sweets | Lara | English | |
| 2009 | Boond | Jeevni | Hindi | Short film |
| 2009 | The Waiting City | Sister Tessila | English | |
| 2009 | Zamir and Preeti: A Love Story | Preeti | English | Short film |
| 2009 | Clap Clap | Leena | English | Short film |
| 2010 | Gangor | Medha | English, Bengali | |
| 2011 | Turning 30 | Malini Roy | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Shanghai | Aruna Ahmedi | Hindi | |
| 2012 | Tasher Desh | Queen | Bengali | |
| 2013 | Sahasi Chori | Radha | Nepali | Short film |
| 2013 | Aatma | Vaishali Sinha | Hindi | |
| 2013 | Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost | Kanwar | Punjabi | |
| 2014 | The Letters | Kavitha Singh | English | |
| 2014 | Sold | Bimla | English | |
| 2014 | Children of War | Bhitika | Hindi | |
| 2014 | Nayantara's Necklace | Alka | Hindi | Short film |
| 2015 | Ludo | Shaman | Bengali | |
| 2016 | Budhia Singh – Born to Run | Sukanti | Hindi | |
| 2017 | A Death in the Gunj | Bonnie Bakshi | English, Hindi, Bengali | |
| 2017 | Hindi Medium | Education Consultant | Hindi | |
| 2017 | The Song of Scorpions | Lady of The Night | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Union Leader | Geeta | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Kadvi Hawa | Parvati | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Manto | Prostitute | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Sir | Ratna | Hindi, Marathi | |
| 2019 | India's Got Colour | Herself | Hindi | Music video |
| 2019 | Raahgir – The Wayfarers | Nathuni | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Dheet Patangey | Devi | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Angrezi Medium | Immigration Consultant | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Chintu Ka Birthday | Sudha Tiwary | Hindi | |
| 2021 | Deep6 | Mitul | Bengali | |
| 2023 | Lust Stories 2 | Ishita | Hindi | Segment: The Mirror |
| 2024 | The Fable | Radha | Hindi | |
| 2025 | Shadowbox | Maya | Bengali | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Language | Notes |
| 2010 | Futurestates | Syama | English | Episode: Pia |
| 2014 | Monsoon Baby | Shanti | German | TV Movie |
| 2016 | Love Shots | Nidhi | Hindi | Episode: Fired |
| 2020 | Mentalhood | Preeti | Hindi | 10 episodes |
| 2022 | Delhi Crime | Lata Solanki/Karishma | Hindi | Season 2; 5 episodes |
| 2023 | The Night Manager | Lipika Saikia Rao | Hindi | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | Tooth Pari: When Love Bites | Meera | Hindi | 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Kota Factory: Season 3 | Pooja Agarwal (Pooja Didi) | Hindi | 5 episodes |
| 2024 | Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper | Bindi Jain | Hindi | 9 episodes |
| 2025 | Paatal Lok | Meghna Barua | Hindi, Nagamese | Season 2; 8 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 2018 | Filmfare Awards | A Death in the Gunj | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 2021 | Filmfare Awards | Sir | Best Actress (Critics) | Won |
| 2023 | Filmfare OTT Awards | The Night Manager | Best Supporting Actress – Drama | Nominated |
| 2023 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Delhi Crime | Best Supporting Actress – Drama | Won |
| 2018 | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Sir | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2023 | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Delhi Crime | Best Actress in a Series | Nominated |