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.