Nandita Das walked into Coon Auditorium on Monday night without anyone knowing. With no bodyguards or fanfare, no one would have guessed that Das was a movie star.
Famous in her native India for the controversial acting roles she selects, Das was invited by the South Asian Students Alliance to speak to students about her journey into acting and commitment to social change.
“Das is an actress who has substantial ideas and can relate to college students,” said Sriranjani Parthasarathy, an event organizer and Weinberg junior.
Das told the audience she never intended to become a movie star. The daughter of a painter and a writer, she received her bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Delhi and, unlike most Indian youth, she took a year off after college to travel and teach.
Das’ advocacy led her into acting, she said. Shortly after college, she began performing with a street theater group that staged plays about social issues, and she found that performance art could be a medium for voicing her views, she said.
“Street theater puts an emphasis on what you are trying to say,” Das said. She later went back to school to get her master’s in social work.
Many of Das’ films address social issues, including homosexuality and the plight of widows in India. She says this happened by accident, as she was “instinctively anchored toward those films.” Das said she accepts roles because she feels connected to the character and that cinema should aim to affect an audience.
“Although society has a greater effect on cinema,” she said, “why act if there is no gradual change of mindset?”
Many of Das’ films, such as “Fire,” ‘Earth” and “Water,” have sparked much controversy in India. The trilogy, directed by Deepa Mehta, touched on topics that are not discussed between parents and children at home, she said.
A lesbian relationship in her first film, “Fire,” brought her film under attack, and censorship halted production of “Water.” The movie, which deals with the oppressive lives of widows in the Ganges, was banned because it portrayed Indians in a negative light, she said.
“Controversial is a big word in India,” she said. “Unfortunately it’s attached to me.”
Das continues making independent films not because she doesn’t want to sell out to “Bollywood” but because she enjoys their themes, she said.
Initially her family feared her taking on these controversial roles, such as a recent role in a small film “Sandstorm,” in which she plays a woman who is gang-raped.
But she said she will continue to use film to defend certain causes and make social statements.
Although Das regularly faces opposition in India, she remains optimistic about freedom of expression in the country, which she said gradually is making strides.
Students said they were impressed by Das’ commitment to social progress.
“She does not compromise her values and her opinions because of the media,” said Neilanjan Nandi, a first-year medical student.
Weinberg freshman Sarah Ansari said Das comes across as more intelligent than other Indian actresses.
“She has substance and presents themes that transcend religion,” Ansari said.
