Odia Actress Sonalli Sharmisstha Mohanty Wins Best Actress Award at New York’s SRFF for Swaha In the Name of Fire

Bhubaneswar: Odia actress Sonalli Sharmisstha Mohanty has been honoured with the Best Actress Award at the prestigious Socially Relevant Film Festival (SRFF), New York, for her powerful performance in the Magahi feature film Swaha In the Name of Fire.

The film, directed by Abhilash Sharma, also bagged the Best Narrative Feature Film Award, making it a double triumph at the international festival.

Reacting to the honour, Sonalli said, “I feel this achievement is not just a personal milestone but also a proud moment for Odisha, as it showcases our talent on the world stage.”

Born in Nanpur village of Jajpur district, Sonalli studied at Nandkishore Vidya Mandir, Kusupur, and went on to earn an engineering degree from Centurion University, Khurda.

A versatile actress, she has worked across multiple Indian languages and dialects—Odia, Hindi, Magahi, Maithili, Rajasthani, and Malayalam. Her diverse filmography includes titles such as Baby John, Jajabara 2.0, Anthony, A Life Inside Me, The Jengaburu Curse, The Face of the Faceless, Ratri Ke Yatri, Delhi Crime Season 2, Paani, There Is No Human, Decoupled, Kalira Atita, and Tribhanga. She will be next seen in Odia movie Bindusagar.

Beyond films, Sonalli has made her mark as a model, appearing in commercials for top brands like Amazon, Rasna, Rapido, Kotak, HDFC, Jio Cinema, Zomato, and Giva.

Swaha In the Name of Fire tells the harrowing story of a Dalit family in rural Bihar, grappling with poverty, caste oppression, and the supernatural. The narrative follows a husband who leaves home in search of work, while his wife—suffering from postpartum depression—struggles to feed their baby. As his journey turns perilous, her isolation deepens into a battle with inner demons.

Shot predominantly in black and white, the film’s haunting visuals heighten its timeless, eerie atmosphere, amplifying the emotional weight of its story.