The ever-vivacious Nandita Das, has achieved what very few other actresses of this day and age have been able to. Recognition and acclaim without a proper commercial release in the Indian sub-continent. The Pashas of the Hindi film industry observe this phenomena quite bemusedly, not quite being able to slot Nandita in any of the cliché categories. However, at the same time, all of them evince an active interest to work with her, purely based on her electrifying performance in Deepa Mehta's "Fire", where her dusky sensual appearance was matched by giving a seasoned actress like Shabana Azmi a run for her money.
A native of New Delhi (born in Mumbai), and daughter of the famous painter, Jatin Das, Nandita graduated in geography from Delhi's Mirinda College. After one-year hiatus from education, the time she spent travelling, she found herself joining the Delhi School of Social Work for her Masters. Says she, "Sometime during my 'vacation', I found that I liked relating with people, especially with children". That's how I decided on social work. After the course, she worked with Ankur, a non-governmental organisation. Later, she switched to another NGO."My work with these NGOs gives me plenty of opportunities to be with children. We conduct workshops for tribal children.
Anyway, my work takes me out of Delhi frequently"! she says mischievously in the garb of a world traveller. Also, the acting bug had also caught on with her. "It was during my college days", she says. "I began with street theatre.One of my classmates introduced me to Safdar Hashmi's group, 'Jan Natya Manch'. I found it very interesting... the whole process of street theatre was very meaningful. I did street plays with them till Hashmi was murdered (in 1990)".
Though she stopped acting in street plays after that incident, Nandita continued doing plays. Nandita has worked with well-known theatre personalities like Habib Tanveer, M. K. Raina, Barry John and Dadi Padumjee. She has also acted in television series for acclaimed directors Amal Allana and A. K. Bir, and is also known for her work in Muzaffer Ali's popular television series 'Husne Jaana'. "Actually, theatre is a much more satisfying experience when compared to acting in films", she says. "In theatre, you are going through a whole process. In films, you are just transcending yourself to a particular emotion without going through the basics. It's two lines now, two lines later. There are too many 'cuts', too many lights, and too many mikes that shouldn't rustle so that you are made aware every moment that you are Nandita and you are playing this particular role". 'Fire' changed Nandita's life. She had already been offered the lead role in Mira Nair's 'Kama Sutra', but had turned it down. Nandita was introduced to Deepa Mehta by Hindi film villain, Gulshan Grover, who upon being rejected for a film role in one of his Hindi commercial pot boilers suggested that she meets Deepa for a movie about the relationship between two women.
Nandita met Deepa Mehta on the same day, despite the pouring rains that lashed the city. Says she of the first time she met Deepa, "I arrived at her place, completely drenched, not looking at all like an actress (Not that I know what an actress is supposed to look like!). She opened the door and said, 'Okay, let's go down; we will talk in the lounge'. She was wearing this dupatta... and I had exactly the same one at home. I asked her "Did you get it from Fab India"? She said "Yes... Why don't you come in"? I found it very funny - first the lady wants to go down to the lounge but, at the mention of a dupatta, she changes her mind and wants me in! Anyway, I went in, dripping water and all, and... we talked and, well, that was it! We clicked!".
Nandita was not even asked to give a screen test. The rapport between the two has evolved into an ever continuing process. Deepa Mehta is now working on the third film of her trilogy - Fire, Earth and Water - in which Nandita figures again. After the first two films, Nandita has also changed her mind about the whole film business. The controversy around 'Fire' was definitely a catalyst. "I really can't say; I had a lot of apprehensions" she hesitates. "Some people liked it, some people said "Yeh tho kharab ladki hain"!. I started getting death threats and thought that this might turn out to be my last film but the overwhelming response of the common man on the streets gave me the idea of the immense reach of the medium". However, this does not change the way Nandita would like to approach her work. The innumerable offers that have come her way have been shrugged off as they lacked substance. The commitment to enact only those roles which are not nonsensical, is also exemplified by her agreeing to do a cameo for Nagesh Kukunoor for his film, 'Rockford'.
