Nandita Das is an actor, filmmaker and social advocate. Over the last three decades, she has acted in more than 40 feature films across 10 languages, working with eminent directors such as Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Deepa Mehta, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Rituparno Ghosh and Mani Ratnam. She made her directorial debut in 2008 with Firaaq, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won wide critical acclaim. Her second film, Manto (2018), based on the life of writer Saadat Hasan Manto, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where she has also twice served as jury. Her book, Manto & I, chronicles the six-year journey of making the film. In 2016, she founded Nandita Das Initiatives, a creative platform that co-produced Manto and her third film, Zwigato (2023), which follows a food delivery rider and his family and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. She was conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Government, and holds a Master's degree in Social Work. She continues to advocate for human rights and social justice, and is currently developing her fourth feature film, exploring the dynamics of marriage in contemporary society.