Nandita Das
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| Nandita Das | |
| Born | November 7, 1969 Delhi, India |
| Spouse(s) | Saumya Sen (divorced) |
| Official site | Official website |
| Notable roles | Fire (1996) Earth (1998) |
Nandita Das (born November 7, 1969 in Delhi, India) is an Indian actress. Das gained popularity in the 1990's by starring in Deepa Mehta films like Fire (1996) and Earth (1998).
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Das holds a Master's degree in Social Work and initially started work as a member of a street theatre group, going on to be employed by a number of NGOs. She has stated that as films have such mass appeal, they can be used as a powerful instrument for social change. Her work in social activism involves human rights issues, particularly with respect to women and children. She has directed four public service short films for Civil Society Organizations through the socio-communication organization Leapfrog, co-founded with her ex-husband Saumya Sen.
She is the daughter of noted Oriya painter Jatin Das and writer Varsha Das. She has a younger brother, Siddhartha who is a graphic and exhibition designer. She has been married twice and has recently divorced.
Indian actress Nandita Das is known for her critically acclaimed performances in the films Fire, Earth (both directed by Deepa Mehta), Bawander (directed by Jagmohan Mundhra) and Amar Bhuvan (directed by Mrinal Sen). She has performed in over 25 feature films. She won the Best Actress award for her performance in the film Bawander at the Santa Monica Film Festival (2001). She also won the Best Actress award for performance in Amar Bhuvan at the Cairo Film Festival (2002). In May 2005 Das served as a Member of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
She has played storyteller/narrator in the audiobook series for kids "Under the Banyan" by Karadi Tales. She has also been the narrator in the audiobook of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography by Charkha Audiobooks "The Story of My Experiments with Truth".