Highlighting the need to do away with the present perception held by society on the issue of beauty, actress Nandita Das, while participating in a discussion organised as part of a wellness conclave being held in the city, said, “Stereotyping in our society begins at a very early stage. Sometimes, parents are responsible for it. For instance, one would have come across parents telling their wards, ‘Don’t go out, you’ll become darker.’ Such statements and opinions affect the self-esteem of a child and force them to rise to the standards that society has already set.”
Asking whether such a struggle, imposed on the child, was worth the effort, the actress added, “One labours over it and fails to focus on other things such as skills and interests.”
Later, talking to City Express on the sidelines of the event, Nandita opened up on a number of issues, ranging from her films to her scripts.
When pointed out that she hadn’t been in the limelight for quite a while now, she replied,“Well, I have been silently working on my own project. I spend time with my son and do a lot of work on social issues, which are not made public. Though I get several offers from the Southern film industry, I am waiting for the right script and time.”
Giving out details of her script, she said, “I’m in the process of writing my own script for my directorial venture. It is a film about a great story writer. To recreate Mumbai and Lahore of the 40s is not going to be easy. Needless to say, it’s a challenging project.”
Woh Padhegi, Woh Udegi, a short film starring Nandita, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra, Karena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is to be aired on Star Plus on August 29. When we drew her attention to it, she said, “Girls rising was a project that was conceived in the US. People went to different parts of the world and talked about real stories of empowerment of young girls when they had education. They are now doing the Indian version and I’ve given a voice to a story that has come from Nepal.” The actress has been working tirelessly for several social causes.
Finally, when asked what motivated her to make such a commendable effort, she replied, “I get the motivation from life itself. I meet so many interesting people -- people who do such amazing work but who have not been under the limelight. They are my greatest imspiration. Apart from them, one other person who inspires me is my five-year-old son. He anchors me and asks me tough questions.”