Shahana Goswami was born in the bustling city of New Delhi, where her father, an economist, and mother, an editorial consultant, instilled in her a strong foundation for her future endeavors. Her elder brother and sister-in-law, both physicists, undoubtedly played a significant role in shaping her intellectual curiosity. Goswami's educational background is marked by her attendance at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Delhi and Sophia College in Mumbai, where she excelled as the house captain and sports champion.
In addition to her academic achievements, Goswami has a remarkable talent for dance, having trained in Odissi for 10 years under the guidance of Guru Padmashri Kiran Segal. Her dance troupe has performed extensively, showcasing her artistic skills to a wide audience.
From a young age, Goswami had a single-minded focus on pursuing a career in professional acting. She moved to Mumbai to complete her graduation and explore the possibility of taking up acting as a career. Her early forays into acting were with Jaimini Pathak's theatre group Working Title, where she started as a production assistant and later acted in productions such as Seagull and Arabian Nights.
Through her theater circle, Goswami met talent consultant Shaanu Sharma, who encouraged her to audition for a role in Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota. She subsequently stumbled upon a small role in Reema Katgi's Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., when she visited the production house for other work.
Meanwhile, a cinematographer who noticed her work in Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota recommended her for the lead role in Percept Picture Company's Ru Ba Ru, directed by Arjun Bali, alongside Randeep Hooda. Goswami's breakthrough role came while she was still in college, completing her graduation. She gave her first shot for the film in Bangkok, much before she was signed on for Rock On.
Her friends Shaanu Sharma and Simran, who were in the midst of casting for Rock On, suggested her name to Abhishek Kapoor, the director of Rock On. Goswami auditioned for the film and landed the role of Debbie, which not only secured her a prominent spot on the Bollywood map but also earned her numerous awards, including the prestigious Filmfare Best Actress (Critics) award, a feat previously unmatched by a supporting actress.
Goswami has also appeared in the music video for Dido's "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" as a taxi driver in Mumbai, shot by Siddharth Sikand. In between, she featured in a Fevicol commercial set in a village in Rajasthan.
Goswami's first international project is Deepa Mehta's Winds of Change, an adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight's Children. The film is expected to release in spring 2012.
