Movies Are A Mirror Of Who We Are: Nandita Das

Nandita Das is an actor and director known for her remarkable skill in creating movies that have moved people. Speaking to Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld, at the BW Future of Design Summit, Das gives us an insight into her process of filmmaking.

The entertainment industry has a multitude of talent and huge revenue profit. A part of the industry is actor and director Nandita Das, who uses empathy as a key aspect in her storytelling. Das recently directed Zwigato - a film that revolves around the working pattern of food delivery riders. Sensitively handled, the film has been garnering appreciation from all quarters.

On films mirroring real life

Das said that films are the mirror of who we are. “Films are a graceful way of storytelling. Art remains a means to an end when you decide to tell a story. How you tell it is important,” she said.

Das is known for making films on social issues that have the ability to touch people. “Empathy is central to one’s being, invoking empathy through our work is the ultimate goal,” she said. For example, Zwigato is a film about a food delivery rider. We order food from food delivery apps but how much do we really know about their lives? We are taken aback when asked by them for a good rating, but when you see the film you will understand that all they get is an equivalent of 5 rupees per delivery. If you are empathetic, you will be more tolerant of a slightly late delivery or even them asking for a good rating.

On growing up around creativity

Growing up around creativity definitely shaped my creative sensibilities. They say the wiring gets set in the early days. It was normal for me at that time. It was much later that I realised how creatively rich my childhood was. At that time we didn’t use words like success, and money, which are an essential part of people’s vocabulary today. Back in the day, it was about doing what you love and loving what you do. We were encouraged to try out different things without the fear of failure. We were taught to question things.

My father always told us that creativity is not something out of the world. You absorb it when you look around, if you are observant and care for nature, as nature is the mother of all creativity, she said. My aesthetic sensibilities and my creativity is a reflection of that upbringing.