Nandita Das, the graceful Indian actress was born on 7th November, 1969 in Delhi to the famous painter Jatin Das and Varsha. Nandita Das started acting from her school days. She worked with Jan Natya Manch, a street-theatre group in the capital for nearly six years. After completing her graduation in Geography, Nandita taught for six months in Rishi Valley School . After an year of decision she took up Social Work in her Masters degree. Nandita Das worked in a number of NGOs before entering the film industry.
Nandita Das made her first public appearance in Parinati, directed by Prakash Jha in 1987. She was in the news headlines when her first major film 'Fire' and '1947 Earth' by Deepa Mehta were released in 1998. The themes of these two films drew criticism from several quarters. Some of the controversial films where she played the central character are Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998, Rockford in 1999, Hari Bhari in 2000, Aks and Bawandar in 2001. Her characters reflect social realism and revolutionary communism.
Her most recent controversial film is Jag Mundhra's 'Provoked' where she plays the role of the South Asian social worker who empathises with the character of Kiranjit Ahluwalia played by Aiswarya Rai. The film is based on a real-life event. In 2002 she played the central characters in films Lal Salaam and Pitaah. In Supari, 2003, she played a negative role and won the hearts of her audience. Her other films more popular films are Bus Yun Hi, Ek Din 24 Ghante and Maati Maay to name a few
Nandita Das is very selective in choosing her roles for any films but she played a varied range of characters from romantic heroine to the AIDS victims. Her roles reflect vital some social issues like the fight for human rights and problems faced by contemporary women. Das herself has directed a number of short films dedicated to public issues.
Nandita Das won the Best Actress Award at the Santa Monica Film Festival for her brilliant performance in Bawander, 2001. In the Cairo Film Festival, 2002, she was the recipient of Best Actress award for magnificent performance in Amar Bhuvan by Mrinal Sen. Nandita Das was chosen to serve as a jury member of the Cannes Film Festival in May, 2005.
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