Write approach

Actor-director Nandita Das opens up about writing for an Indo-Australian feature film

July 23, 2014 05:46 pm | Updated 05:46 pm IST

Nandita Das

Nandita Das

There is a lot happening in Nandita Das’ life right now. She has been invited to write a feature film set in Western Australia and India, is working on directing a period film, and is heading to Yale University in August on a scholarship. The actor-director has just returned from Australia after initial research. She will work with Dalip Sondhi, Simon Devlin and J. Barrey Williams of Desert Silk Pictures for the project.

The opportunity came through Dalip, who was working with Nandita’s husband, Subodh Maskara, on CinePlay, a medium that captures theatre on cinema. “Dalip asked if I would write a script based on an Indian woman’s journey to Western Australia. The coming together of cultures has always fascinated me, more so from the perspective of a woman protagonist. Before I knew it, I was signing a contract and meeting the project consultant, Australian producer Robyn Kershaw ( Bran Nue Dae, Save Your Legs ),” she says.

Nandita, a “writer by default,” has written two works of fiction — Firaaq , her directorial debut, and Between the Lines , the play that stars her and Subodh. “Both stories came from a very personal space and as I wrote it for myself, I never felt the pressure. This is the first time I’ve been commissioned to write, that too for something set in a place completely unfamiliar to me. But, at the core, it is a story of relationships and has the potential of being layered by respective cultural milieus, social history and the politics of its respective indigenous people,” she says in an e-mail interview.

For now, Nandita is basking in her experiences in Perth and Broome. “A story has already formed in my head. I can slowly see it unfold,” she says. The producers are exploring the idea of her either directing or acting in the movie too. “But, I can’t and don’t want to play all three roles. For now, I am focussing on the writing. The first draft has to be submitted by mid-next year. However, I plan to give in a 10-pager in a month or two, when the incredible people I met and the scenic places are still fresh in my mind,” she says.

Next month, Nandita heads to Yale University on a four-month scholarship. “It will be a stimulating experience.”

The coming year, Nandita says, is going to be a year of writing. “I have been researching for my period film. Thankfully, I have a co-writer on the period project,” she says. She has had offers to act, but “nothing half as exciting as the ones I am working on.” Advocacy work and being a hands-on mom take up a lot of her time. As for Between The Lines, it is now a CinePlay and travelling to places where they have not been able to perform.

The actor has also been in the news for being part of the Dark is Beautiful project, which went viral. “The time has come to react to this fairness obsession. I am so glad I am able to add my voice to such a campaign. Too many young girls and now boys are losing their confidence purely because of a prejudice that discriminates them. By default, I have become the face of the campaign, as you barely see any dark women in films/ televisions/hoardings/ magazine covers. The dusky ones have all progressively become lighter and lighter!”

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