CASI presents Nandita Das: My Journey from Social Work to Cinema

The Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is pleased to invite you to the Spring 2026 Saluja Global Fellow Lecture by Nandita Das, “My Journey from Social Work to Cinema.” CASI Interim Director, Professor Nikhil Anand, and Annenberg Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC)’s Director, Professor Aswin Punathambekar will join Ms. Das in conversation following her lecture.

The lecture will take place on Thursday, March 19, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Widener Lecture Hall immediately followed by a reception at 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Sphinx Gallery, both at the Penn Museum. The lecture is cosponsored by the Departments of South Asian Studies and Cinema and Media Studies and Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

Bio: Nandita Das is an actor, filmmaker and social advocate. She has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different Indian languages, and has directed three feature films–Firaaq (2008), Manto (2018) and Zwigato (2022). In 2011, Ms. Das was conferred the “Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters” by the French Government. Ms. Das has also written, directed and produced shorts including Listen to Her. While her career began in social work and street theater, as an actor and director, Das’ films continue to shed light on important social issues. She is a strong advocate of human rights and social justice.