Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an

Indian-American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred t ...

filmmaker based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Her production company,

Mirabai Films Mirabai Films is a film production company founded by director Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international a ...

, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Among her best known films are '' Mississippi Masala'', '' The Namesake'', the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguis ...

–winning '' Monsoon Wedding'', and '' Salaam Bombay!'', which received nominations for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.

Early life and education

Mira Nair was born on 15 October 1957 in

Rourkela Rourkela is a planned city located in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha, India. It is the third-largest Urban Agglomeration in Odisha after Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. It is situated about west of state capital Bhubaneswar and is surrou ...

Orissa Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...

, India, and grew up with her two older brothers and parents in

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Ekamra Kshetra'' (area (''kshetra'') adorned with mango trees (''ekamra'')). Bhubaneswar i ...

. Her father, Amrit Lal Nair, was an officer of the

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services ...

and her mother, Parveen Nayyar, is a social worker who often focused on children. She lived in Bhubaneswar until age 18, and attended a convent, following which she left to attend

Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla Tara Hall is an English-medium high school located in Upper Kaithu, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. The school is run by the Loreto Education Society. It is one of the best schools for girls in Shimla. Tradition Loreto Convent, Tara Hall be ...

, an Irish-Catholic missionary school, where she developed an infatuation with English literature. Following Tara Hall, Nair went on to study at Miranda House at

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) ...

, where she majored in sociology. In order to gain the best education available, Nair applied for transfer to Western schools and, at 19, she was offered a full scholarship to

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, but ultimately turned it down and instead accepted a full scholarship to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

Career

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 In Greek mythology, Jocasta (), also rendered Iocaste ( grc, Ἰοκάστη ) and also known as Epicaste (; ), was a daughter of Menoeceus, a descendant of the Spartoi Echion, and queen consort of Thebes. She was the wife of first Laius, ...

's speech from Seneca's ''

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

''. Nair commented on film-making in a 2004 interview with FF2 Media's Jan Huttner:

It’s all in how I do it. Keeping the buns on the seats is very important to me. It requires that ineffable thing called rhythm and balance in movie-making. Foils have to be created, counter-weights. From the intimacy, let’s say, of a love scene to the visceral, jugular quality of war. That shift is something in the editing, how one cuts from the intimate to the epic that keeps you there waiting. The energy propels you.

Nair said to ''Image Journal'' in 2017 that she chose directing over any other art form because it was collaborative. "That’s why I am neither a photographer nor writer," she said. "I like to work with people, and my strength, if any, is that. Working with life."

Documentaries

At the start of her film-making career, Nair primarily made documentaries in which she explored Indian cultural tradition. For her film thesis at Harvard between 1978 and 1979, Nair produced a black-and-white film titled ''Jama Masjid Street Journal''. In the eighteen-minute film, Nair explored the streets of

Old Delhi Old Delhi or Purani Dilli is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan (the Mughal emperor at the time) decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. T ...

and had casual conversations with Indian locals. In 1982, she made her second documentary titled ''So Far from India'', which is a fifty-two-minute film that followed an Indian newspaper dealer living in the subways of New York, while his pregnant wife waited for him to return home. This film was recognized as a Best Documentary winner at the American Film Festival and New York's Global Village Film Festival. Her third documentary, ''India Cabaret'', released in 1984, revealed the exploitation of female strippers in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, and followed a customer who regularly visited a local strip club while his wife stayed at home. Nair raised roughly $130,000 for the project. The 59-minute film was shot over a span of two months. It was criticized by Nair's family. Her fourth and last documentary, made for Canadian television, explored how

amniocentesis Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used primarily in the prenatal diagnosis of genetic conditions. It has other uses such as in the assessment of infection and fetal lung maturity. Prenatal diagnostic testing, which includes amniocentesis, is n ...

was being used to determine the sex of fetuses. Released in 1987, ''Children of a Desired Sex'' exposed the aborting of female fetuses due to society's favoring male offspring. In 2001, with The Laughing Club of India, she explored laughter based on yoga. Founder Dr. Madan Kararia spoke of the club's history and the growth of laughing clubs across the country, and subsequently the world. The documentary included testimonials from members of the laughter clubs who described how the practice had improved or changed their lives. Its featured segments included a group of workers in an electrical products factory in Mumbai who took time off to laugh during their coffee break.

Feature films

In 1983 with her friend, Sooni Taraporevala, Nair co-wrote '' Salaam Bombay!''. Using her documentary film-making and acting experience, Nair sought out real "street children" to more authentically portray the lives of children who survived in the streets and were deprived of a true childhood. Though the film did not do well at the box office, it won 23 international awards, including the Camera D’or and Prix du Public at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

in 1988. ''Salaam Bombay!'' was nominated at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

in 1989. Nair and Taraporevala continued to challenge audiences with the 1991 film '' Mississippi Masala,'' which told the story of Ugandan-born Indians displaced in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. The film, featuring

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

, Roshan Seth, and

Sarita Choudhury Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury (born 18 August 1966) is a British actress, known for her role as Mina in the Mira Nair-directed feature film '' Mississippi Masala'' (1991). Choudhury has played roles in American and international films and te ...

, centers on a carpet-cleaner business owner (Washington) who falls in love with the daughter (Choudhury) of one of his Indian clients. The film revealed the evident prejudice in African-American and Indian communities. Like ''Salaam Bombay!'', the film was well received by critics, earned a standing ovation at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

in 1992, and won three awards at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. 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 Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

Indian wedding, written by

Sabrina Dhawan Sabrina Dhawan is an Indian screenwriter and producer, born in England and raised in Delhi, India. Dhawan is an associate professor and the area head of screenwriting at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been commissi ...

. Employing a small crew and casting some of Nair's acquaintances and relatives, the film grossed over $30 million worldwide. The film was awarded the

award at the

, making Nair the first female recipient of the award. Nair then directed the Golden Globe winning ''Hysterical Blindness'' (2002), followed by making William Makepeace Thackeray's epic ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' (2004). In 2007, Nair was asked to direct ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Wi ...

'', but turned it down to work on '' The Namesake''. Based on the book by

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winner Jhumpa Lahiri, Sooni Taraporevala's screenplay follows the son of Indian immigrants who wants to fit in with New York City society, but struggles to get away from his family's traditional ways. The film was presented with the Dartmouth Film Award and was also honored with the Pride of India award at the Bollywood Movie Awards. This was followed by the

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

biopic '' Amelia'' (2009), starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere. In 2012, Nair directed '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'', a thriller based on the best-selling novel by Mohsin Hamid. It opened the 2012 Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim and was released worldwide in early 2013. For the academic reception of Nair's adaptation of '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'', ''The Journal of Commonwealth Literature'' questions "how the ambivalence and provocativeness of the 'source' text translates into the film adaptation, and the extent to which the film format makes the narrative more palatable and appealing to wider audiences as compared to the novel’s target readership." Nair's 2016 film '' Queen of Katwe'', a

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

production, starred

Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (, ; ; born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. The daughter of Kenyan politi ...

and

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

and was based on the story of Ugandan chess prodigy

Phiona Mutesi Phiona Mutesi (born 28 March 1996) is a Ugandan chess player. She has represented Uganda at four Women's Chess Olympiads, and is one of the first titled female players in Ugandan chess history. Mutesi is the subject of a 2012 book and a 2016 fil ...

. Nair's short films include ''A Fork, a Spoon and a Knight,'' inspired by the

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

quote, ″Difficulties break some men but make others.″ She contributed to ''

11'09"01 September 11 ''11'09"1 September 11'' is a 2002 international film composed of 11 contributions from different filmmakers, each from a different country. Each gave their own vision of the events in New York City during the September 11 attacks, in a short ...

'' (2002) in which 11 filmmakers reacted to the events of 11 September 2001. Other titles include ''How Can It Be?'' (2008), ''Migration'' (2008), ''New York, I Love You'' (2009) and her collaboration with, among others,

Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...

and

Guillermo Arriaga Guillermo Arriaga Jordán (; born 13 March 1958) is a Mexican author, screenwriter, director and producer. Self-defined as "a hunter who works as a writer," he is best known for his Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and BAFTA Award fo ...

on the compilation feature '' Words with Gods''.

Other work

A longtime activist, Nair set up an annual film-makers' laboratory,

Maisha Film Lab Maisha Film Lab is a Uganda-based non-profit training film initiative for emerging East African filmmakers and mentor ship programme for aspiring filmmakers and youth in Eastern Africa. It encompasses film production, screenwriting, directing, prod ...

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''". Maisha is currently building a school with Architect Raul Pantaleo, winner of Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and his company Studio Tamassociati. In 1998, she used the profits from ''Salaam Bombay!'' to create the Salaam Baalak Trust which works with street children in India. A musical adaptation of '' Monsoon Wedding'', directed by Nair, premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, running from 5 May to 16 July 2017. As of 2015, she lives in New York City, where she is an adjunct professor in the Film Division of the School of Arts for

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. The university has a collaboration with Nair's Maisha Film Lab, and offers opportunities for international students to work together and share their interests in film-making. In July 2020, journalist Ellen Barry announced that her

-nominated story "The Jungle Prince of Delhi" about the " royal family of Oudh", published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', would be adapted into a web series for Amazon Studios by Nair. In March 2021 it was announced Nair would direct a ten episode TV series for

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

reimagining the ''National Treasure'' series with a new cast.

Personal life

In 1977, Nair met her first husband, Mitch Epstein, when taking photography classes at Harvard University. They divorced by 1987, and in 1988 Nair met her second husband, the Indo-Ugandan political scientist

Mahmood Mamdani Mahmood Mamdani, FBA (born 23 April 1946) is an Indian-born Ugandan academic, author, and political commentator. He currently serves as the Chancellor of Kampala International University, Uganda. He was the director of the Makerere Institute o ...

, while in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

doing research for the film ''Mississippi Masala''. Like his wife, Mamdani also teaches at

. Their son,

Zohran Mamdani Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) is a Ugandan-born American politician. He is the assembly member for the 36th district of the New York State Assembly, in Queens. Mamdani was elected after defeating incumbent Democrat Aravella Simota ...

, was born in Uganda in 1991. In 2020, Zohran won a seat representing

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeas ...

in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

after defeating incumbent Assemblymember Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary election earlier in the year. Nair has been an enthusiastic

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

practitioner for decades; when making a film, she has the cast and crew start the day with a yoga session.

Political views

In July 2013, Nair declined an invitation to the Haifa International Film Festival as a "guest of honor" to protest Israel's policies toward Palestine. In postings on her Twitter account, Nair stated "I will go to Israel when the walls come down. I will go to Israel when occupation is gone...I will go to Israel when the state does not privilege one religion over another. I will go to Israel when Apartheid is over. I will go to Israel, soon. I stand w/ Palestine for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) & the larger

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...

(BDS) Mov’t." Nair was subsequently praised by PACBI, which stated that her decision to boycott Israel "helps to highlight the struggle against colonialism and apartheid." She subsequently tweeted "I will go to Israel, soon."

Filmography

Awards

She was awarded the India Abroad Person of the Year-2007. In 2012 she was awarded India's third highest civilian award the Padma Bhushan by President of India,

Pratibha Patil Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...

Wins

* 1985: Best Documentary Film, Global Village Film Festival: ''India Cabaret'' * 1986: Golden Athena, Athens International Film Festival: ''India Cabaret'' * 1986: Blue Ribbon, American Film Festival: ''India Cabaret'' * 1988: Audience Award,

: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1988: Golden Camera (Best First Film),

: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1988:

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1988: National Board of Review Award for Top Foreign Films: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1988: "Jury Prize", "Most Popular Film" and " Prize of the Ecumenical Jury" at Montreal World Film Festival: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1988: New Generation Award,

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles-based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organiza ...

* 1988: Lilian Gish Award (Excellence in Feature Film), Los Angeles Women in Film Festival: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1991:

Golden Osella The Golden Osella is the name of several awards given at the Venice Film Festival. They are awarded irregularly and in various categories such as directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and technical contributions. The name derives from the '' ...

(Best Original Screenplay),

: '' Mississippi Masala'' (with Sooni Taraporevala) * 1991: Critics Special Award,

São Paulo International Film Festival The São Paulo International Film Festival ( pt, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo), also known internationally as Mostra, is an annual film festival held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A non-profit event, the festival is organi ...

: '' Mississippi Masala'' * 1992: Best Director (Foreign Film), Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: '' Mississippi Masala'' * 1992: Asian Media Award, Asian American International Film Festival * 1993: Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature: '' Mississippi Masala'' * 2000: Special Mention (Documentary and Essay), Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming: ''The Laughing Club of India'' * 2001:

(Best Film),

: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2001: Laterna Magica Prize,

: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2002: Audience Award,

Canberra International Film Festival The Canberra International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival held in Canberra, Australia. It is a cinema celebration across an 11-day program in October/November each year. It is a showcase of films from Australia and around the glo ...

: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2002: Special Award for International Cinema, Zee Cine Awards: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2002: UNESCO Award,

: '' 11'9"01 September 11'' * 2003: Faith Hubley Memorial Award, Provincetown International Film Festival *2003: Harvard Arts Medal * 2004: Faith Hubley Web of Life Award, Rochester-High Falls International Film Festival * 2007: "Golden Aphrodite", Love Is Folly International Film Festival (Bulgaria): '' The Namesake'' * 2012: " IFFI Centenary Award" for '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'' * 2012: Padma Bhushan by Government of India

Nominations

* 1989:

: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1989:

César Award for Best Foreign Film This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Foreign Film (french: César du meilleur film étranger). Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Awards by nation Notes See also *Lumières A ...

(''Meilleur film étranger''): '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1989:

Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...

: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1990: BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1990: Filmfare Best Director Award: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1990: Filmfare Best Movie Award: '' Salaam Bombay!'' * 1991:

(Best Film),

: '' Mississippi Masala'' * 1996: Golden Seashell, San Sebastián International Film Festival: '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love'' * 1999: Best Film, Verzaubert International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: ''

My Own Country ''My Own Country: A Doctor's Story'' is Abraham Verghese's first book. First published in 1994, it made that year's ''New York Times Notable Book'' list. It is used in colleges and medical schools throughout North America and across the world becau ...

'' * 2001: Screen International Award (Best Non-European Film),

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2001:

: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2002: BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language: '' Monsoon Wedding'' * 2003: Golden Star, International Film Festival of Marrakech: ''

Hysterical Blindness Conversion disorder (CD), or functional neurologic symptom disorder, is a diagnostic category used in some psychiatric classification systems. It is sometimes applied to patients who present with neurological symptoms, such as numbness, blindness ...

'' * 2003:

César Award for Best Film from the European Union This is a list of the winners of and nominees for the César Award for Best Film from the European Union (''Meilleur film de l'Union Européenne''). The prize was awarded three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and was subsequently discontinued. In 200 ...

: '' 11'9"01 September 11'' * 2004:

(Best Film),

: ''

'' * 2007: Gotham Award for Best Film: '' The Namesake''

Early life and education

Career

Documentaries

Feature films

Other work

Personal life

Political views

Filmography

Awards

Wins

Nominations

See also

References

Further reading

External links