INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER..MIRA NAIR!

Foreign based Indian Filmmaker Mira Nair..now 60.!


Basically theatre artist..Mira Nair started  film making in 1978. Through her documentaries like 'So far from India' (1982) she explored culture here..And she won award in 'American Film Festival'!

In 1983 she co-written & directed her first feature film 'Salaam Bombay' for which she used her documentary style to focus on street children. Critically acclaimed this film won 23 international awards including 'Camera D'or' & 'Prix du Public' at 'Cannes Film Festival' in 1988.
 
Then she made film 'Mississippi Masala' (1991) on the Uganda-born Indians displaced in Mississippi. This film won three awards in 'Venice Film Festival'. After directing four films in a decade she produced a movie 'Monsoon Wedding' (2001) which was near to new wave cinema & used handy camera to follow the happenings naturally! This film gained commercial success and  became the first female recipient of 'Golden Lion' award at 'Venice Film Festival'!

Some of her films are an adaptations of the literature..like 'Vanity Fair' (2004) which was on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel. This was opening film of our 'International Film Festival of India' when arrived at Goa in 2004! Then her second screen adaptation was 'Namesake' (2006) on Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Pulitzer award' winner novel. Then she did biopic 'Amelia' (2009). Then she directed socio-political thriller 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' (2012) on popular novel by Mohsin Hamid!

She also made short films in which notable is 'A Fork, a Spoon and a Knight' inspired from Nelson Mandela quote "Difficulties break some men; but make others!"

She is also doing work for society like..in 1998 she founded 'Salaam Balak Trust' for the welfare of street children in India..And to train young filmmakers in 2005 she set up 'Maisha Film Lab' in Kampala, Uganda!

She won many national & international awards. In 2007 she was awarded 'India Abroad Person'..And in 2012 she received 'Padma Bhushan' from our India!

 
I still remember the premier of her famous film 'Monsoon Wedding' in 'MAMI's Film Festival at Mumbai in 2001..And meeting Mira Nair and pretty gorgeous actress-singer Vasundhara Das who played lead role in it!

Best wishes to her!

- Manoj Kulkarni
['Chitrasrushti', Pune, India]