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Introduction edit
Mira Nair is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City.[1] Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres.
Early life and education edit
Nair was born on 15 October 1957 in Rourkela, Odisha, and grew up with her two older brothers and parents in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Her father, Amrit Nair, is an Indian administrative officer, and her mother, Parveen Nayyar, is a social worker who often worked with children.[2]
Tara Hall and Delhi University edit
By thirteen she left home to attend Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla, an Irish-Catholic missionary school located in Simla, where she developed an infatuation with English literature. Following Tara Hall, Nair went on to study at Miranda House at Delhi University, where she majored in sociology.[3]
Harvard University edit
In order to gain the best education available, Nair applied to Western schools and at nineteen she was offered a full scholarship to Cambridge University, but ultimately turned it down and instead accepted a full scholarship to Harvard University.[3]
Career edit
Before she became a filmmaker, Nair was originally interested in acting, and at one point she performed plays written by Badal Sarkar, a Bengali performer. While she studied at Harvard University, Nair became involved in the theater program and won a Boylston Prize for her performance of Jocasta’s speech from Seneca’s Oedipus.[2]
Documentaries edit
At the start of her film-making career, Nair primarily made documentaries in which she explored Indian cultural tradition. Nair produced a black-and-white film entitled Jama Masjid Street Journal. In the eighteen-minute film, Nair explores the streets of Old Delhi and has casual conversations with Indian locals.[3]
So Far from India edit
In 1982, she made her second documentary entitled So Far from India, which is a fifty-two-minute film that followed an Indian newspaper dealer living in the subways of New York.[4] This film was recognized as a Best Documentary winner at the American Film Festival and New York's Global Village Film Festival.[3]
Last documentary edit
Her fourth and last documentary, made for Canadian television, explored how amniocentesis was being used to determine the sex of fetuses.[2]
Feature films edit
In 1983 with her friend, Sooni Taraporevala, Nair co-wrote Salaam Bombay!. Though the film did not do well in the box office, it won 23 international awards, including the Camera D’or and Prix du Public at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988.[5]
Mississippi Masala edit
Nair and Taraporevala continued to challenge audiences with the 1991 film Mississippi Masala, which told the story of Ugandan-born Indians displaced in Mississippi.[4]
Monsoon Wedding edit
Nair went on to direct four more films before she produced one of her most notable films, Monsoon Wedding. Released in 2001, the film told the story of a Punjabi Indian wedding, written by Sabrina Dhawan. The film was awarded the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, making Nair the first female recipient of the award.[6]
The Namesake edit
In 2007, Nair was asked to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but turned it down to work on The Namesake, based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri.[4]
Queen of Katwe edit
Nair's 2016 Queen of Katwe, a Walt Disney Pictures production, starred Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo and was based on the story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi.
Maisha Film Lab edit
A longtime activist, Nair set up an annual film-makers’ laboratory, Maisha Film Lab in Kampala, Uganda. Since 2005, young directors in East Africa have been trained at this non-profit facility with the belief that "If we don’t tell our stories, no one else will".[7]
Columbia University edit
She currently lives in New York City, where she is an adjunct professor in the Film Division of the School of Arts for Columbia University.[8]
Personal life edit
In 1977, Nair met her first husband, Mitch Epstein, when taking photography classes at Harvard University.[2] They divorced by 1987.
Second marriage edit
In 1988 Nair met her second husband, the Indo-Ugandan political scientist Mahmood Mamdani, while in Uganda doing research for the film Mississippi Masala. Their son, Zohran, was born in 1991. Like his wife, Mamdani also teaches at Columbia University.[4]
Awards and recognition edit
She was awarded the India Abroad Person of the Year-2007.[9] In 2012 she was awarded India's third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan by President of India, Pratibha Patil.[10]
References edit
- ^ Spelling, Ian (1 September 2004). "Director likes to do her own thing". Waterloo Region Record. pp. C4.
- ^ a b c d Muir, John Kenneth (1 June 2006). Mercy In Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair. Applause Theater & Cinema Books. ISBN 1557836493.
- ^ a b c d Blenski, Simon; Debreyne, Adrien Maurice; Hegewisch, Martha Eugina; Trivedi, Avani Anant. "Mira Nair". University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota. Retrieved 30 April 2015.[failed verification]
- ^ a b c d "Nair, Mira – Postcolonial Studies". Scholar Blogs. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ Crossette, Barabara (23 December 1990). "Homeless and Hungry Youths of India". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ^ Whitney, Anna (10 September 2001). "Indian director is first woman to win Golden Lion". The Independent. London. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (2016-09-22). "If we don't tell our stories no one else will: Mira Nair". DailyO. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- ^ "Global Programs". Columbia University School of the Arts. Columbia University. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "Mira Nair is India Abroad Person of the Year 2007". Rediff.com. 29 March 2008.
- ^ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (25 January 2012). "Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, Mira Nair to get Padma Bhushan". Reuters.