Nandita Das

Nandita Das, born on November seventh, nineteen sixty-nine, is a prominent Indian actress and director known for her impactful contributions to cinema. With a remarkable career spanning over four decades, she has acted in more than forty feature films across ten different languages. Some of her notable performances include roles in 'Fire' (nineteen ninety-six), 'Earth' (nineteen ninety-eight), 'Bawandar' (two thousand), 'Kannathil Muthamittal' (two thousand two), 'Azhagi' (two thousand two), 'Kamli' (two thousand six), and 'Before The Rains' (two thousand seven).

Das made her directorial debut with 'Firaaq' in two thousand eight, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and traveled to over fifty festivals, garnering more than twenty awards. Her second directorial venture, 'Manto' (two thousand eighteen), is based on the life of the renowned Indo-Pakistani writer Sadat Hasan Manto and was screened in the 'Un Certain Regard' section at the Cannes Film Festival. In September two thousand nineteen, she produced a two-minute Public Service Announcement music video titled 'India's Got Colour', addressing the issue of colorism and celebrating the diversity of skin tones in India.

In addition to her film work, Das authored her first book, 'Manto & I', which chronicles her six-year journey in making the film 'Manto'. She also wrote, directed, produced, and acted in a short film called 'Listen to Her', highlighting the rise in domestic violence and the burdens faced by women during the lockdown. Her third directorial project, 'Zwigato', explores the life of a food delivery rider and his family, premiering at various festivals before its release in India and overseas on March seventeenth, two thousand twenty-three.

Das has served on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival twice, first in two thousand five and again in two thousand thirteen. Her contributions to the arts have been recognized with numerous accolades, including being made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in two thousand eleven. She was also the first Indian to be inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the International Women's Forum in Washington, DC, in recognition of her significant contributions to cinema.