Mira Nair
This Harvard educated film director has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood to produce films such as Vanity Fair, but her work has also included directing several Hindi films. Her films are sometimes dark and controversial, but almost always thought provoking, and Nair is the recipient of several awards recognizing her valuable contributions to film.
Mira Nair was born on October 15, 1957, in Rourkela, India. After studying sociology at Delhi University and spending three years as a performer with an amateur drama company, Mira left India for the United States. Her work ethic and intelligence won her a scholarship to the prestigious Harvard University. It was here in the United States that Mira met acclaimed screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala, and the pair eventually worked together on a number of films.
Mira first used her directing talents to produce a series of four documentaries. India Cabaret, a documentary about the lives of strippers in Bombay, earned her an American Film Festival Award in 1986.
In 1988, with only a small number of productions under her belt, Nair and Taraporevala combined forces to produce Salaam Bombay. Now considered a film classic, it received an Academy Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, and is still a favorite for students aspiring to a film career.
After the release of the acclaimed Salaam Bombay, Mira directed several English language films, during which she worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Mississippi Masala, a heart-wrenching story about a forbidden love affair between an Indian-Ugandan woman and an African American man starred the high profile film favorite Denzel Washington. Hysterical Blindness, an HBO film which premiered in 2002, featured Uma Thurman, Gena Rowlands, and Juliette Lewis. Her 2004 adaptation of the classic novel Vanity Fair starred Reese Witherspoon, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, and Gabriel Byrne. Her upcoming film, Shantaram, will star Johnny Depp. In addition to working with big stars, Mira continues to produce Hindi films.
In 2006, Mira was recognized for her directing work with a Dartmouth Film Award from Dartmouth College. Previous winners of the honor have included Johnny Depp, Robert Redford, and Meryl Streep.
Nair’s first husband was photographer Mitch Epstein, whom she met shortly after her arrival in the United States. Currently, Mira is married to Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan professor now living in the United States. Their son, Zohran, was born in 1991. The couple resides in New York City where they both work as professors at Columbia University.
YUDDY
