Actress and filmmaker Nandita Das joined the bandwagon of artists and intellectuals who criticized the intolerance in the country. She commented that, democracy is under threat in India with ‘artists, writers and rationalists’ being attacked in some form or the other. Nandita Das is currently directing “Manto” movie. The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the title character of Indo-Pakistani author, writer Saadat Hasan Manto.
Nandita Das remarked, “These days whether it is media or individuals, people are being censored by self-proclaimed vigilante groups or are self-censoring themselves, out of fear. Conservatives and right-wing groups are increasingly becoming the moral police. At the same time, official censoring bodies are becoming more bigoted and their rulings are getting more and more subjective and arbitrary.”
Das has been acclaimed for numerous performances, including in Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Bawandar (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Azhagi (2002), Kamli (2006), and Before The Rains (2007). Her current movie “Manto” about Indo-Pakistani author, is going to be screened at Sydney Film Festival and 71st Cannes Film Festivals.
