Nadira Babbar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nadira Babbar is Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai based theatre group called Ekjute.
Nadira Babbar was most recently seen as the mother to Aishwariya Rai in Gurinder Chadha's film, Bride and Prejudice (2004), and M. F. Hussain's Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004).
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[edit] Early life
Nadira Zaheer was born to communist leader Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Urdu writer Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Nadira is third amongst four sisters, Najma Ali Baquer, Naseem Bhatia and Noor Sajjad Zaheer. Her parents were actively associated with Progressive Writers' Association, and IPTA, giving her an upbringing strongly rooted culture and theatre.
She graduated from National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi in 1971.[1] Nadira was a Gold Medallist at NSD and went to Germany on a scholarship, and later got a chance to work with renowned directors like Grotovisky and Peter Brooks.[2]
[edit] Career
She moved to Mumbai in 1980, and eventually started her theatre group, Ekjute, which came out with its first production 'Yahudi ki Ladki' in 1981, which is considered one of its finest.[3]
Over the last 25 years Ekjute has given Indian theatre over sixty plays including, Sandhya Chhaya, Look Back in Anger, Ballabpur Ki Roop Katha, Baat Laat Ki Halaat Ki, Bharam Ke Bhoot, and Begum Jaan; apart from directing plays written by herself: Dayashankar Ki Diary (1997), Sakku Bai (1999), Suman Aur Sana and Ji Jaisi Aapki Marzi.[4]
In 1990, Ekjute started the 'Ekjute Young People's Theatre Group', which has given productions like, Aao Picnic Challen and Azdak Ka Insaaf.[5]
[edit] Personal life
It was at NSD that she met her husband, actor, politician Raj Babbar. They have a son, Arya Babbar, an upcoming actor in Hindi cinema, and a daughter Juhi Babbar, a fashion designer by profession who also acts and designs costumes for Nadir's plays.
