Nandita Das

Acting

Nandita Das

Born 1969-11-07 · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Nandita Das is an actor and director, one of the leading figures in the Indian film industry. She has acted in more than 40 feature films in ten different languages. Das has been acclaimed for numerous performances, including in Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Bawandar (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Azhagi (2002), Kamli (2006), and Before The Rains (2007). Her directorial debut was with Firaaq (2008), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, traveled to more than 50 festivals, and won more than 20 awards.

Acting credits

Provoked poster
6.7

Provoked is the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a Punjabi woman who moved to London after her marriage with Deepak Ahluwalia. Her husband seemed caring at first but then began to beat her up. He started drinking a lot and sleeping around with other women. he also subjected her to spousal rape. After ten years and having two children with him, out of fear, she sets him on fire.

Provoked

2007

Kannaki poster
8.5

Villagers Manickan and Choman are very close friends. Manickan is in love with Kannaki and wants to marry her but Choman wants him to marry his sister. It is loosely based on Shakespeare's story of Antony & Cleopatra

Kannaki

2002

Vishwa Thulasi poster
7.0

Thulasi, returns to her village to become a dance teacher. She cannot forget her love, Vishwa, but is haunted by the memory of her cousin's obsession with her.

Vishwa Thulasi

2004

Before the Rains poster
4.8

Set in southern India in the late 1930s, this provocative tale traces the story of three people caught in an inexorable web of forbidden romance and dangerous secrets. After a British spice planter falls in love with his alluring servant, an idealistic young man finds himself torn between his ambitions and his family, his village and his past.

Before the Rains

2007

Kannathil Muthamittal poster
7.7

A little girl is told by her parents that she is adopted. Determined to find her birth mother, her family eventually agrees to take her to Sri Lanka, where they encounter the militant group known as the Tamil Tigers.

Kannathil Muthamittal

2002

Fire poster
6.8

In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.

Fire

1997

Neerparavai poster
6.1

A skeleton is found at the home of Esther (Nandita Das), whose fisherman husband Arulappasamy (Vishnu) has been missing for the past 25 years. Esther confesses that it was she who murdered her husband but when Agnes (Varsha), the cop assigned to the case, lends a sympathetic ear, she narrates a heart wrenching tale of a loving family ruined by the politics of territorial waters.

Neerparavai

2012

Rockford poster
7.5

The movie chronicles the arrival of a (Hindu) student to a strict all-boys Christian boarding school in India and his assimilation into the school. The change is quite dramatic to the protagonist and there are a lot of events that could look extremely abusive to the viewer.

Rockford

1999

Viraata Parvam poster
5.0

Vennela has fallen for Aranya aka Ravanna’s poetry and the man both. What happens when she sets out on an arduous journey to be with him?

Viraata Parvam

2022

Traces of Sandalwood poster
5.8

Despite her fame and fortune, Mina, a successful Indian actress in Mumbai, can't forget her little sister Sita, from whom she was forced to separate after their mother's death in a village. Thirty years later she will finally find out that Sita is alive and well in Barcelona. However, Sita's adoptive parents have erased all traces of her past. She is now called Paula, works as a researcher in Biology and has no recollection of her Indian background, let alone of Mina. Faced with the shocking truths of her past, Paula begins a long journey of self-discovery, aided along the way by her budding romance with the handsome Indian immigrant Prakash. A story of hope and love across Mumbai and Barcelona; from India to the Mediterranean and all the way back.

Traces of Sandalwood

2014

Earth poster
6.6

In 1947, the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl bears witnesses to tragedy as her ayah is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.

Earth

1998

I Am poster
6.5

I Am is a 2011 Indian anthology film by Onir. It consists of four short films: "Omar", "Afia", "Abhimanyu", and "Megha". Each film shares the common theme of fear and each is also based on real life stories. The film was financed by donations from more than 400 different people around the world, many of whom donated through social networking sites like Facebook. There are four stories but the characters are interwoven with each story. "Abhimanyu" is based on child abuse, "Omar" on gay rights, "Megha" is about Kashmiri Pandits and "Afia" deals with sperm donation. I Am was released with subtitles in all regions as six different languages are spoken in the film: Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Kashmiri.

I Am

2011

Pitaah poster
6.4

A man seeks justice against two men who raped his young daughter.

Pitaah

2002

Kamli poster
NR

Kamli was actually inspired by a K.N.T. Sastry's award winning documentary harvesting babies. K.N.T. Sastry wanted to make a feature film based on the documentary about the plight of tribal women selling their babies for a pittance. He actually contacted and wanted to make film with Soundarya as the main female lead of Kamli, but she died in a helicopter crash, and finally made the film with Nandita Das.

Kamli

2006

Aks poster
5.2

On the trail of an underworld contract killer, a dedicated police officer is thrust into a battle between good vs evil.

Aks

2001

No artwork available
NR

1970s, Andhra Pradesh. Deep in the forest, the last of an ancient tribe tenuously holds onto its way of life amid disturbing omens and a brutal drought.

Nadhi

Supari poster
3.8

Four best friends end up owing 500,000 rupees to Mamta Sekhri, a woman involved in various underworld activities. The friends are forced to kill for money (an act called) "Supari" to pay their debt. But things begin to change when the men realize that in this game of Supari, they are not just hunters but also the hunted.

Supari

2003

Lal Salaam poster
8.0

Based on the true stories of families, politics and tribes in Nagpur, India. Growing crime and military-style gangs have created chaos in local communities. This musical action film pits Dr. Kanna's allegiance to his childhood love, Rupi, against his increasingly militaristic brother Ghisu.

Lal Salaam

2002

Ramchand Pakistani poster
8.1

Based on a actual events, the story is about a Pakistani Hindu boy and his father who accidentally cross the border into India from their village in Pakistan at a time of extreme war like tension between the 2 countries and end up spending 5 years in an Indian prison while the mother left behind wonders what has happened to them.

Ramchand Pakistani

2008

Parinati poster
8.0

Greedy innkeepers resort to robbery and murder after their son leaves to seek a better life.

Parinati

1989

Mother of 1084 poster
7.9

A bank worker tries to understand her son's actions after he dies in a revolutionary movement.

Mother of 1084

1998

Bird of Dusk poster
NR

An insight into the life of late writer-director Rituparno Ghosh, the iconic cultural figure from West Bengal (India), who pushed and transgressed the boundaries of sexuality, feminism, and freedom of thought. The film is about an artist's relationship to his city Calcutta and is based on his personal memoirs, archival material, and conversations with cast, crew, and family.

Bird of Dusk

2018

Ek Alag Mausam poster
NR

A woman finds out she caught AIDS from her husband so she divorces him. She volunteers at a rehab house and falls in love.

Ek Alag Mausam

2003

Azhagi poster
7.5

Shanmugam meets his childhood sweetheart after many years and employs her as his housemaid as she urgently needs a job. However, his wife creates problems when she learns about their relationship.

Azhagi

2002

Behind the camera

Manto poster
7.4

In Bombay's seedy-shiny film world, Manto and his stories are widely read and accepted. But as sectarian violence engulfs the nation, Manto makes the difficult choice of leaving his beloved Bombay. In Lahore, he finds himself bereft of friends and unable to find takers for his writings.

Manto

2018

Manto poster
7.4

In Bombay's seedy-shiny film world, Manto and his stories are widely read and accepted. But as sectarian violence engulfs the nation, Manto makes the difficult choice of leaving his beloved Bombay. In Lahore, he finds himself bereft of friends and unable to find takers for his writings.

Manto

2018

Firaaq poster
6.1

Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. The film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand stories. The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a campaign that took place in Gujarat, India, in 2002. It traces the emotional journey of ordinary people- some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who choose to watch silently.

Firaaq

2009

Firaaq poster
6.1

Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. The film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand stories. The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a campaign that took place in Gujarat, India, in 2002. It traces the emotional journey of ordinary people- some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who choose to watch silently.

Firaaq

2009

Zwigato poster
6.4

Manas, an ex-factory floor manager loses his job during the pandemic. He is then forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app and the world of ratings and incentives. Life is relentless for him, but not without shared moments of joy with his wife, Pratima. The film captures the life of invisible 'ordinary' people, hidden in plain sight.

Zwigato

2023

Zwigato poster
6.4

Manas, an ex-factory floor manager loses his job during the pandemic. He is then forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app and the world of ratings and incentives. Life is relentless for him, but not without shared moments of joy with his wife, Pratima. The film captures the life of invisible 'ordinary' people, hidden in plain sight.

Zwigato

2023

Zwigato poster
6.4

Manas, an ex-factory floor manager loses his job during the pandemic. He is then forced to work as a food delivery rider, grappling with the app and the world of ratings and incentives. Life is relentless for him, but not without shared moments of joy with his wife, Pratima. The film captures the life of invisible 'ordinary' people, hidden in plain sight.

Zwigato

2023

No artwork available
NR

The film is a spontaneous response to the irony of “STAY HOME, STAY SAFE” for millions of women in India and around the world. The film is adding its voice to a conversation that is much needed in the public space. It reminds us that speaking up is only possible when women know that there is someone listening. This pandemic has taught us that our lives are deeply intertwined, and so we must respond to the realities beyond ours.

Listen To Her

2020

No artwork available
NR

The film is a spontaneous response to the irony of “STAY HOME, STAY SAFE” for millions of women in India and around the world. The film is adding its voice to a conversation that is much needed in the public space. It reminds us that speaking up is only possible when women know that there is someone listening. This pandemic has taught us that our lives are deeply intertwined, and so we must respond to the realities beyond ours.

Listen To Her

2020

No artwork available
NR

The film is a spontaneous response to the irony of “STAY HOME, STAY SAFE” for millions of women in India and around the world. The film is adding its voice to a conversation that is much needed in the public space. It reminds us that speaking up is only possible when women know that there is someone listening. This pandemic has taught us that our lives are deeply intertwined, and so we must respond to the realities beyond ours.

Listen To Her

2020

Beyond Boundaries - Cricket for Peace poster
NR

‘Beyond Boundaries’ was an Indo-Pak street children initiative. It was a response to the growing communal tension in the region. Cricket, a much revered subcontinental game, was the bridge that brought street children together to play cricket across both borders.

Beyond Boundaries - Cricket for Peace

2004

Imprint in Clay poster
NR

“Sardar Gurcharan Singh was the father of studio pottery in India. "Daddyji" as most called him lovingly was very close to my father. I often tagged along to visit his home studio where pottery wheels were lined up under the big neem trees in his old brick house. My father wanted me to make a film on Daddyji, who was then 95. He was afraid that Daddyji's wonderful story would be left untold. He not only introduced studio pottery in India but due to his longevity, mentored many potters. So despite not knowing anything about films, I made the documentary, Imprint in Clay with a classmate of mine, which was mostly funded by my father.”

Imprint in Clay

1993

No artwork available
NR

After 6 months of separation, Avi and Smi revisit their 16-year marriage over a day and night – what held them together, what drove them apart. Will they find closure?

Avi & Smi

No artwork available
NR

After 6 months of separation, Avi and Smi revisit their 16-year marriage over a day and night – what held them together, what drove them apart. Will they find closure?

Avi & Smi

In Defence Of Freedom poster
NR

This short film is literally a conglomeration of all the beautiful dialogues that were said by Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the feature film Manto(2018) by Nandita Das.

In Defence Of Freedom

2017

In Defence Of Freedom poster
NR

This short film is literally a conglomeration of all the beautiful dialogues that were said by Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the feature film Manto(2018) by Nandita Das.

In Defence Of Freedom

2017