Nandita Das

Das has served twice on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, she served on the main competition jury alongside Fatih Akin, Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek, Benoît Jacquot, Emir Kusturica, Toni Morrison, Agnès Varda, and John Woo. In 2013, she served on the Cinéfondation and short films jury with Jane Campion, Maji-da Abdi, Nicoletta Braschi, and Semih Kaplanoğlu.

In 2011, she was made Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Government, one of the nation's highest civilian awards.^[4] She was commended for her "contribution towards the development of Indo-French cooperation in the field of cinema."^[5] In 2009, France released a stamp featuring Das, from artist Titouan Lamazou's project "Women of the World."^[6][7]

Das was the first Indian inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the International Women's Forum in Washington, DC. She was recognized in 2011 for "her sustained contributions to the arts and to the world as one of the most gripping cinema arts leaders of our time."^{[8][9][10][11]} Her fellow inductees were Anna Fendi, Heidi Klum, and Madam Chen Zhili.^[12]

Das's father is the artist

She has also taught at the Rishi Valley School.^[17]

Das has acted in over 40 feature films with directors such as

Das co-wrote, directed and acted in a play called Between the Lines (2014).^[citation needed] She has also acted in Khamosh! Adalat jaari hai (2017), a Cineplay production written by Vijay Tendulkar.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, she directed her first film, Firaaq.^[18] The film is a work of fiction "based on a thousand true stories" and is set a month after the 2002 Gujarat riots in India. It is an ensemble film that interweaves multiple stories over a 24-hour period, as the characters from different strata of society, grapple with the lingering effects of violence. Das said that the film "gave a voice to so much that remains silent".^{[citation needed]} In 2018, Nandita directed Manto^[19] which is based on the life and works of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Urdu writer of the 1940's. It features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rasika Dugal in the lead roles. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival^[20] and then at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018.^[21] Das produced and directed a PSA music video, India's Got Colour in 2019.^[2] Her third directorial venture Zwigato explores the life of a food delivery rider and his family, starring Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami in the lead roles. It is also produced by her company Nandita Das Initiatives, in collaboration with Applause Entertainment. Zwigato was released in India in 2023 and is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The film has garnered much critical acclaim from critics and audiences.

Nandita Das’s writing work has evolved organically. She has written articles for various publications and used to write a monthly column for The Week, called the Last Word. In 2019, Das wrote Manto and I, a hardbound book that chronicles her 6 year long journey of making the film, Manto. It is a book of images and writings that explores the creative process from the inception of the idea to finally releasing the film. In addition, Das edited Jatin Das: A Retrospective 1963-2023, a book that was launched during the Retrospective show of her artist father at the National Gallery of Modern Art. The book traces his six-decade career, featuring his artwork, writings, and essays by art scholars and friends.

Through her writings, Nandita Das has blended her personal insights with artistic expressions, creating compelling narratives that extend beyond her cinematic work.

Das narrated the children's