Jharsuguda Belpahar’s Sonia Behera Becomes First Odisha Girl Selected for National School of Drama, New Delhi
Jharsuguda : In a significant achievement for Odisha’s theatre fraternity, Belpahar’s Sonia Behera has secured admission to the prestigious three-year Diploma in Dramatics (2026–2029) at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi, becoming the first woman from Odisha to earn a seat in the flagship programme at the institute’s main campus.
The final results, announced on Thursday, placed Sonia eighth in the All-India merit list with 80.05 marks after she cleared a rigorous selection process comprising preliminary screening, theatre workshops, practical exercises and personal interviews held at the NSD campus between June 14 and 19.
Sonia began her theatre journey with Mirror Theatre, Belpahar, in 2015 and has since established herself as one of the leading performers of the Western Odisha-based troupe. Over the years, she has played pivotal roles in productions including Lal Paen, ULPI, April-27, Badakha Dada, Pachen, Ramadevi, Tor Jhumka, etc, earning acclaim at state and national theatre festivals.
She also played the lead role in Kaenjuri, by Mirror Theatre a record-setting production that staged a continuous performance lasting 49 hours, 48 minutes and 12 seconds. Her performances in ULPI and Lal Paen further brought national recognition to the theatre group.
On her achievement, Sonia Said, “I am very happy on this achievement, As I was doing theatre for past 10 years, I had only dreamt of joining NSD and today with the help of our director Subhash Pradhan, I have secured the chance. I want to thank him for his guidance.”
Mirror Theatre founder-director Dr Subash Chandra Pradhan said Sonia’s success was a proud moment not only for the institution but for the entire theatre fraternity of Odisha. He said her achievement demonstrated that artists from rural Odisha could reach the highest levels of professional theatre through dedication and quality training.
The accomplishment has been widely welcomed by theatre personalities, writers and cultural organisations, who believe Sonia’s success will inspire a new generation of theatre aspirants, particularly young women, across Odisha.
