Nandana Sen is a true global citizen
Nandana Sen, daughter of economist and Nobel Prize winner Dr Amartya Sen and poet-writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen, the transformation from a "geeky little girl with thick glasses" to an enchantress, at least on-screen, is a matter of wide-eyed wonder.
"My parents expected me to be a writer or to go into academia, because quite accidentally I always topped my class. So my career choice was a total surprise to them initially, especially since I was such a shy and nerdy little girl."
The actress grew up in three different cities -- London, Kolkata, and Boston -- and lives between the US and India. She has been offered films as varied as Spanish, American and French. In the next year or so, as an Islamic pacifist in The War Within, a tough city girl in The Forest and in a comic role in It's a Mismatch.
Strangely, from Seducing Maarya (2002), to Strangers (2007) and now Rang Rasiya, the 'enchantress-seductress' seems to be Sen's preferred role. But the one she enjoyed essaying the most is her latest, simply because it has been the most challenging. "Sugandha's journey is especially complex -- we see her go from a petulant child to a girl in love, to a passionate muse to a woman betrayed."
Rang Rasiya has a few scenes for which she had to expose. "Because the film deals with art censorship and moral policing, there's a sensitive scene that forms the backbone of the story," says Sen. "By the time I shot for it I was absolutely comfortable, but it was not an easy decision to make. I thought about it a great deal and discussed it with my family. Everyone agreed it was absolutely central to the story and not exploitative in any way."
