Mira Nair, the famous filmmaker of internationally successful movies like Salaam Bombay, The Namesake and Mississippi Masala is recognised for her achievements in the field of short films, documentaries and intense feature films. She belongs to that exclusive club of film directors who will continue to inspire everyone with their brilliant celluloid work. She has never been afraid to enter into a new territory and her movies are never short of creative excellence. The numerous national and international awards she has won so far prove her dominance in cross continental films. Be it the eyebrow-raising tale of 'Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love' or the interracial love story 'Mississippi Masala', Mira has never shied away from taking up controversial topics. It is her unique way of filmmaking that makes watching her movies a truly novel experience.

Born in Rourkela on October 15, 1957, Mira is the youngest of three kids. Her father was a government official and her mother was an active social worker. She did her schooling from Shimla and graduated in Sociology from Miranda House in Delhi. She later went on to study Sociology in Harvard University where she participated in several political street theatres for a proletarian drama club. While she was in the US, she met Mitch Epstein, a photographer and Sooni Taraporevala, a screenwriter, who inspired her to venture into moviemaking.

Mira had known for a long time that she would be a filmmaker one day. But, conventional movies were not her forte. She knew that had to do something different, something would set her apart from the rest. She started her filmmaking career with television documentaries like 'Jama Street Masjid Journal', 'So Far From India', 'Indian Cabaret', and 'Children of a Desired Sex'. Her debut feature film 'Salaam Bombay', which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film was a massive success worldwide. It gave her the recognition she truly deserved. The movie not only established her as a director but also helped her make a mark for herself in the international film fraternity.

Apart from the controversial movies, Mira has also delivered a slew of successful movies which include 'The Perez Family', 'Vanity Fair', 'Monsoon Wedding', 'The Namesake', and 'Amelia'. A self proclaimed independent filmmaker, Mira has often said that she dreamed of the outside world even when she lived in a remote part of India. She has been an inspiring figure for those who want to break through glass ceilings and tread the untrodden path.

Team MSN She