Nandita Das on "Provoked"
by: Manju Sara Rajan
- expressindia.com
It’s been just weeks since her debut at the French riviera, but Nandita Das is back at work on the sets of Jagmohan Mundra’s English film Provoked. ‘‘I took two days off in Nice with my husband and brother, and then came straight to London.’’
The movie, which stars Cannes favourite Aishwarya Rai, will see Das in the avatar of a social activist. ‘‘It’s what I would call a friendly guest appearance,’’ says Das, who’s done plenty of activism in real life as well.
Mundra had a tough time roping in Das for the film. She initially brushed him off because she didn’t think he could do justice to the subject.
It took the director, whose previous works included Bawander and Monsoon, months of dogged and concentrated persuasion to get her ‘yes’.
‘‘For six months, he would show up at every venue I was shooting in, trying to convince me to do this film. When I realised the amount of research he’d put in, I knew I was just being prejudiced in turning him down.’’
Shooting for the film is expected to wrap up by month-end, and once back home, Das will begin shooting for a Marathi film by Chitra Palekar.
