Nandita Das

Nandita Das
Born
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
Years active1989–present
Spouses
Soumya Sen
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2007)​
Subodh Maskara
​
​
(m. 2010; sep. 2017)​
Children1
HonoursChevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2011)

Nandita Das is an Indian actress and director. She has acted in over 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das appeared in the films Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Bawandar (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Azhagi (2002), Kamli (2006), and Before The Rains (2007). Her directorial debut Firaaq (2008), premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and travelled to more than 50 festivals, winning more than 20 awards. Her second film as a director was Manto (2018). Based on the life of 20th Century Indo-Pakistani short story writer Sadat Hasan Manto, the film was screened at Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain Regard" section.[1] In September 2019, Das produced a two-minute Public Service Announcement music video India's Got Colour. The music video is about the issue of colourism and urges the audience to celebrate India's diversity of skin colour.[2][3] Her first book, 'Manto & I', chronicles her 6-year long journey of making the film. She wrote, directed, produced and acted in a short film called, Listen to Her, that sheds light on the increase in domestic violence and overburden of work that women have been facing during the lockdown. She had also sought petition seeking the commutation of the death sentence handed out to Ajmal Kasab.[4]

Das has served twice on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, she served on the main competition jury alongside Fatih Akin, Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek, Benoît Jacquot, Emir Kusturica, Toni Morrison, Agnès Varda, and John Woo. In 2013, she served on the Cinéfondation and short films jury with Jane Campion, Maji-da Abdi, Nicoletta Braschi, and Semih Kaplanoğlu.

In 2011, she was made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Government, one of the nation's highest civilian awards.[5] She was commended for her "contribution towards the development of Indo-French cooperation in the field of cinema."[6] In 2009, France released a stamp featuring Das, from artist Titouan Lamazou's project "Women of the World."[7][8]

Das was the first Indian inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the International Women's Forum in Washington, DC. She was recognized in 2011 for "her sustained contributions to the arts and to the world as one of the most gripping cinema arts leaders of our time."[9][10][11][12] Her fellow inductees were Anna Fendi, Heidi Klum, and Madam Chen Zhili.[13]

  1. ^ "Nandita Das's 'Manto' to be premiered at Cannes Film Festival". Scroll.in. 12 April 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  2. ^ "India's got colour". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  3. ^ Das, Nandita (25 September 2019). India's Got Colour – via YouTube.
  4. ^ List of people who signed Ajmal Kasab’s mercy petition: https://advocatetanmoy.com/2019/02/13/list-of-people-who-signed-ajmal-kasabs-mercy-petition/
  5. ^ Ians (16 April 2011). "French honour for Nandita Das". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Distinction conferred on Actor-Director Nandita Das, 2011". La France en Inde / France in India. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Philatelic issues related to Nandita Das issued by Foreign Countries". indianphilately.net. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  8. ^ Taber, Kimberly Conniff (31 October 2007). "Titouan Lamazou: His vision of women around the world". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Game for Fame -Nandita Das is first Indian to be inducted into the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame". India Today. 5 November 2011.
  10. ^ "The game changer". The Telegraph (India). Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Nandita Das in IWF's International Hall of Fame | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  12. ^ "International Women's Forum Programs". International Women's Forum. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  13. ^ "International Women's Forum Brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2018.