Das was born to Jatin Das, a popular artist, and Varsha, a writer. Das is of Odia descent on her father's side and Gujarati on her mother’s side. She has a younger brother who works as a creative designer. Despite being born in Mumbai, she was largely brought up in Delhi, where she was schooled at the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya. Later, she received her bachelor's degree in Geography from Miranda House and a Master of Social Work degree from the Delhi School of Social Work, both affiliated to the University of Delhi.
Nandita Das was a Yale World Fellow 2014. She was among the 16 emerging global leaders who were chosen from close to 4000 applicants. The mission of the fellowship is to cultivate and empower a network of globally engaged leaders committed to positive change through dialogue and action.
Nandita Das started her acting career with the theatre group Jana Natya Manch. She taught at the Rishi Valley School.
She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages with many eminent directors like Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal, Deepa Mehta, Mani Ratnam and others.
She is best known for her performances in Deepa Mehta films Fire, Earth alongside Aamir Khan, Bawander (directed by Jagmohan Mundhra) and Naalu Pennungal (directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan ). Das has acted in films in ten different languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Oriya and Kannada. The movie star Sukanya provided Das' speaking voice in the Tamil classic Kannathil Muthamittal.
Nandita Das revisited her theatre roots with a play called Between the Lines co-written and directed by her. She has also acted in Khamosh! Adalat jaari hai, a Cineplay production written by Vijay Tendulkar's
In 2008, she completed filming her directorial debut, Firaaq. The film is a work of fiction "based on a thousand true stories" and is set a month after the 2002 Gujarat riots. It is an ensemble film that interweaves multiple stories over a 24-hour period, as the characters from different strata of society, grapple with the lingering effects of violence. The film traces the emotional journeys of ordinary people – some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who chose to watch silently.
Das said that the film "gave a voice to so much that remains silent".
Das narrated the children's audiobook series Under the Banyan, and Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography by Charkha Audiobooks The Story of My Experiments with Truth. She has also lent her voice to the children's television series, Wonder Pets as the Bengal Tiger.
In 2002, Das married Saumya Sen. The couple began Leapfrog, a media organisation geared towards making socially conscious ad films. The couple divorced in 2007. After dating Subodh Maskara, an industrialist based out of Mumbai for a couple of months, she married him on 2 January 2010 and moved to Mumbai. Das and Maskara had a baby boy named Vihaan.[13] In January 2017, the couple announced that they have parted ways.[14]
Das has remained an atheist throughout her life.[15]
Das has a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Delhi and continues to advocate issues of social justice and human rights. She is a passionate volunteer and served as a Guest of honour in the prestigious iVolunteer Awards 2012, held in Mumbai.[16]
Among other topics, she campaigns for child survival, against AIDS, and violence against women.[17] She was appointed as the chairperson of the Children's Film Society of India in 2009.[18]
She was also one of the petitioners who sought mercy for Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab involved in Mumbai 26/11 terror attack.[19] Das also donated INR 1 lac for setting up online magazine Tehelka founded by Tarun Tejpal.[20]
She was a member of the main jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, among other reputed international film festivals. She has served as the Chairperson of the Children's Film Society, India.
She has spoken out against the dark skin colour bias in India. "Even in the [Indian film] industry when a makeup man or a cinematographer would come and say can you lighten your skin a little, especially when you are playing the middle class educated character," she said in an interview in September 2014.[21]
Nandita Das is a featured speaker who has spoken at various platforms, both in India and around the world. She spoke at MIT on 12 April 2007 after a screening of Fire.
In 2013, she gave her support to the Dark is Beautiful campaign to draw attention to the unjust effects of skin colour bias in India and celebrate the beauty and diversity of all skin tones.[22] She is exhorting women to 'Stay Unfair, Stay Beautiful' [23] She spoke at Tufts University on 30 October 2014 on gender in society and cinema.
The French government has bestowed on Nandita Das the award of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a very prestigious Civil Award. In 2011, she was the first Indian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Women's Forum, Washington DC. On 10.03.2009 France released a self-adhesive stamp as part of the project "Women of the world" for Nandita Das.[24]
Year | Title | Role | Language(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Parinati | Hindi | ||
1995 | Ek Thi Goonja | Goonja | Hindi | |
1996 | Fire | Sita | English | |
1998 | 1947 Earth | Shanta, the Ayah | Hindi | Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut |
Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa | Nandini Mitra | Hindi | ||
Janmadinam | Sarasu | Malayalam | ||
Biswaprakash | Anjali | Oriya | ||
1999 | Deveeri | Deveeri (Akka) | Kannada | |
Rockford | Lily Vegas | English | ||
Punaradhivasam | Shalini | Malayalam | ||
2000 | Hari-Bhari | Afsana | Hindi | |
Saanjh | Hindi | Short film | ||
Bawandar | Sanwari | Hindi, Rajasthani, English |
Best Actress at Santa Monica Film Festival | |
2001 | Aks | Supriya Verma | Hindi | |
Daughters of the Century | Charu | Hindi | ||
2002 | Aamaar Bhuvan | Sakina | Bengali | Best Actress at Cairo Film Festival Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female |
Kannaki | Kannaki | Malayalam | ||
Pitaah | Paro | Hindi | ||
Azhagi | Dhanalakshmi | Tamil | ||
Kannathil Muthamittal | Shyama | Tamil | Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize | |
Lal Salaam | Rupi(alias Chandrakka) | Hindi | ||
2003 | Ek Alag Mausam | Aparna Verma | Hindi | |
Bas Yun Hi | Veda | Hindi | ||
Supari | Mamta Sikri | Urdu | ||
Shubho Mahurat | Mallika Sen | Bengali | ||
Kagaar: Life on the Edge | Aditi | Hindi | ||
Ek Din 24 Ghante | Sameera Dutta | Hindi | ||
2004 | Vishwa Thulasi | Sita | Tamil | |
2005 | Fleeting Beauty | Indian woman | English | |
2006 | Maati Maay | Chandi | Marathi | |
Podokkhep | Megha | Bengali | ||
Kamli | Kamli | Telugu | Nandi Award for Best Actress | |
2007 | Before the Rains | Sajani | English, Malayalam |
|
Provoked | Radha Dalal | English | ||
Naalu Pennungal | Kamakshi | Malayalam | ||
Paani: A Drop of Life | Mira Ben | Hindi | Short film | |
2008 | Ramchand Pakistani | Champa | Urdu | Pakistani film |
2011 | I Am | Afia | Hindi | |
2012 | Neerparavai | Esther | Tamil | Nominated—SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Tamil Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil |
2014 | Rastres de Sàndal | Mina | English, Catalan |
|
2016 | Untitled Kutty Revathi Film | TBA | Tamil |
Year | Title | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Firaaq | Hindi Urdu & Gujarati |
Best Film and Best Screenplay at Asian Festival of First Films Purple Orchid Award for Best Film at Asian Festival of First Films Special Jury Award at International Film Festival of Kerala Special Prize at International Thessaloniki Film Festival Filmfare Special Award Nominated—Golden Alexander at International Thessaloniki Film Festival |
2017 | In Defence of Freedom | Hindi | Short film |
2017 | Manto | Hindi Urdu |
Post-production |
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