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Welcome to my world! As you will see, it’s got many threads for you to pick from. This space will always remain a work in progress, as I will keep adding bits and pieces. Hope you stumble upon something you like.
Welcome to my world! As you will see, it’s got many threads for you to pick from. This space will always remain a work in progress, as I will keep adding bits and pieces. Hope you stumble upon something you like.
What's New...
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Featured film
Zwigato
Featured film
Zwigato
The film is set in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It explores the life of Manas, an ex-factory floor manager and his family. After losing his job, Manas is forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app on his phone and the world of ratings and incentives.
Direction
I didn't choose to be a director. It's the stories that compelled me to become one. My stories emerge from all that engulfs me. Whether it’s the people I meet, the point of views I hear and read, my observations of life around me…everything that I am knowingly or unknowingly impacted by. Making films is consuming, challenging but also exciting. It has pushed my boundaries like nothing else has. Maybe only second to being a mother!
Direction
I didn't choose to be a director. It's the stories that compelled me to become one. My stories emerge from all that engulfs me. Whether it’s the people I meet, the point of views I hear and read, my observations of life around me…everything that I am knowingly or unknowingly impacted by. Making films is consuming, challenging but also exciting. It has pushed my boundaries like nothing else has. Maybe only second to being a mother!
2008
Firaaq
Firaaq traces the emotional journeys of ‘ordinary’ people in the aftermath of a carnage. Some are victims, some perpetrators and some who choose to watch silently.
more...
2018
Manto
Manto is based on the four most tumultuous years in the life of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Urdu writer of the 1940’s.
more...
2023
Zwigato
Zwigato is about a food delivery rider and his family and how they grapple with the relentlessness of life. But not without their shared moments of joy.
Nandita Das Initiatives was set up as a creative platform in 2016. It aims to produce cinema with a conscience and also provide a space for other artistic expressions. The first NDI project was Manto and the most recent one is Zwigato. They rhyme but that was not intentional!
Acting
Acting was neither a dream, nor an ambition. But every character and every experience has enriched my life.
Acting
Acting was neither a dream, nor an ambition. But every character and every experience has enriched my life. I feel fortunate to have worked with so many diverse and eminent filmmakers such as Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal, Mani Ratnam, Govind Nihalani and Deepa Mehta, among others.
Social Advocacy
Before I knew words like feminism and secularism, my upbringing was innately liberal and inclusive. Just as I entered college, I joined the group, Jan Natya Manch which was led by the amazing theatre activist, Safdar Hashmi. We performed plays on various social issues on the streets of Delhi. At 18, the idealist in me thought I could change the world! Slowly, I began to get involved with civil society organizations and movements, and chose to do my Master’s degree in Social Work.
Social Advocacy
Before I knew words like feminism and secularism, my upbringing was innately liberal and inclusive. Just as I entered college, I joined the group, Jan Natya Manch which was led by the amazing theatre activist, Safdar Hashmi. We performed plays on various social issues on the streets of Delhi. At 18, the idealist in me thought I could change the world! Slowly, I began to get involved with civil society organizations and movements, and chose to do my Master’s degree in Social Work. But getting into films gave me an opportunity to engage and express more in the public space. Slowly my community work turned into social advocacy.
Nandita Das has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages. She’s done many memorable roles and worked with several eminent filmmakers. Her directorial debut in 2008 was Firaaq that captures the aftermath of a carnage. The film garnered many accolades and much appreciation, both in India and abroad. She was conferred the ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by the French Government. Manto, her second directorial feature is based on the four most tumultuous years in the life of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Urdu writer of the 1940s. The film premiered in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival. Her first book Manto & I chronicles her 6-year-long journey of making the film. Nandita was the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work and is a strong advocate for social justice. In 2016, she founded ‘Nandita Das Initiatives’ (NDI), a creative platform which produced her feature films Manto and Zwigato. Under NDI, she has also directed and produced shorts such as India’s Got Colour and Listen to Her that shed light on pertinent social issues. Her third directorial venture, Zwigato, explores the life of a food delivery rider and his family. After premiering at various festivals, it was released in India and overseas on 17th March 2023.
Nandita Das has acted in 40 films in 10 languages. She has directed 3 well-acclaimed films, Firaaq (2008), Manto (2018) and Zwigato (2023). She has served twice as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival among others. She is a strong advocate for issues of social justice. In 2016, she founded ‘Nandita Das Initiatives', a creative platform which also produced her feature films Manto and Zwigato.
