Nandita Roy

Nandita Roy (; born 3 April 1955) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and editor who works in Bengali cinema. She made her directorial debut with Icche, co-directed with Shiboprosad Mukherjee. Since then, the duo have co-written and co-directed films including Muktodhara (2012), Ramdhanu (2014), Bela Seshe (2015), Praktan (2016), Posto (2017), Haami (2018), Konttho (2019), Gotro (2019), Raktabeej (2023) and Bohurupi (2024).

Roy's collaborations with Shiboprosad Mukherjee have focused on family relationships, social issues and middle-class Bengali life. Since founding Windows Production in 2002, Roy and Mukherjee have directed several commercially successful Bengali films, including Praktan, Bela Seshe and Bohurupi, which ranked among the highest-grossing Bengali films of their respective years.

Roy's films have been recognized for their educational and cultural significance. Icche was accepted into the National Film Archive of India for cultural and educational purposes. Icche, Muktodhara and Ramdhanu were included in the B.Ed. curriculum of Visva-Bharati University, while Icche and Muktodhara have been used in the Certificate Course on Legal and Psychological Counselling for Women in Distress. Aamar Boss was screened in the Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.

Early life and education Nandita Roy was born on April 3, 1955, in Vile Parle, Mumbai. She attended high school at St. Joseph's Convent High School, Mumbai. She graduated in Economics from Parle College, Mumbai. For a brief period, Roy worked as a teacher at St. Joseph's Convent Primary School. Later, she did her postgrad in Economics from University of Mumbai, Santacruz. After completing her postgraduate, Roy moved to Kolkata, where she began her career in the television industry in the late 1970s.

Career 1978-2001: Early career and television Roy's father wanted her to become a bank manager. However, from a young age, she was fascinated by filmmaker Subodh Mukherjee, her maternal aunt's husband, and aspired to write screenplays. After marrying filmmaker Nitish Roy in 1977 and moving to Kolkata, she began her professional career in 1978, as a glove-puppet operator and co-director on Agadoom-Bagadoom, a short puppet film for children. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Roy worked as a crew member in multiple films; working as an assistant editor, assistant director, set dresser, research assistant, and scriptwriter.

Roy was appointed as ETV Bangla's first Creative Head and Programming Manager. She played a significant role in establishing the network in West Bengal. For ETV Bangla, she created 19 original nonfiction programs, including Sreemoti, the first Bengali women's magazine program, and Ebong Rituparno, a celebrity chat show hosted by Rituparno Ghosh. Roy also started a series of one-hour television films by well-known directors for streaming on ETV Bangla. Upon noticing Mukherjee's urge to work professionally in the films, Roy decided to collaborate with him. In 2002, Roy and Mukherjee co-founded Windows Production, and started producing television programmes. In the meantime, they were pitching their scripts to different production houses until Rituparno Ghosh agreed to produce Icche (2011). They subsequently directed Accident (2012), a thriller inspired by the aftermaths of a fatal real life road accident. It was selected for screening under the Indian Cinema Now section at the 18th International Kerala Film Festival in 2013.

Windows Production entered film production with Alik Sukh (2013), a psychological thriller exploring the ethical dilemmas faced by doctors. The film premiered at the Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival and earned the duo the Filmfare Awards East for Best Direction. In 2014, the duo directed Ramdhanu, a family drama centred on modern parenting and the pressures of school admissions. They followed it with Belaseshe (2015), starring Soumitra Chatterjee and Swatilekha Sengupta.

2015-2021: Commercial breakthrough and family dramas During the 2010s, Roy and Mukherjee established themselves as one of Bengali cinema's most commercially successful directing duos, producing a succession of family dramas that combined social commentary with mainstream appeal. Their next release, Praktan (2016), reunited Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta on screen after fourteen years. The film became the highest-grossing Bengali film of the year, while its songs received the 64th National Film Awards for Best Lyrics and Best Female Playback Singer.

Roy and Mukherjee continued with Posto (2017), a family drama exploring child custody and grandparent–grandchild relationships. In 2018, they released Haami, based on friendship and bullying among schoolchildren. It was followed later that year by the biographical drama Rosogolla, inspired by confectioner Nobin Chandra Das. The duo released two films in 2019: Konttho and Gotro, both of which addressed contemporary social issues through family-oriented narratives.

2022-present: Mainstream success and genre expansion In 2022, Roy and Mukherjee directed Belashuru, a spiritual successor to Belaseshe, revisiting themes of ageing and long-term relationships. It was the last film of Soumitra Chatterjee, and was released posthumously, after his death. The following year, they released Raktabeej, a political thriller inspired by real-life incidents.

In 2024, the duo wrote, directed and produced Bohurupi, a heist thriller inspired by a "Bohurupi" gang of bank robbers in West Bengal. The film became one of the highest-grossing Bengali films of the year and won the Filmfare Awards Bangla for Best Film and Best Director.

Following the success of Bohurupi, Roy and Mukherjee directed Aamar Boss (2025), a workplace family drama starring Rakhee Gulzar in her return to Bengali cinema after more than two decades. Inspired by corporate day-care initiatives, the film was screened in the Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.

Later in 2025, they directed Raktabeej 2, a sequel to Raktabeej. In 2026, the duo released Phool Pishi O Edward, a period mystery drama set in a zamindar household. Her upcoming project Bohurupi: The Golden Daku is a spin-off to Bohurupi and is scheduled to release in Puja 2026.

Filmmaking style Roy's films, made in collaboration with Shiboprosad Mukherjee, primarily focus on family relationships, contemporary social issues and the lives of the Bengali middle class. Hello Memshaheb

Based on the real-life reformation of ex-convict Nigel Akkara Accident Based on the Kestopur Road Accident of 2008

Based on the novel Aleek Shukh by Suchitra Bhattacharya

Based on the novel Ramdhanu Rang by Suchitra Bhattacharya

Based on the novel Ujaan by Suchitra Bhattacharya

Inspired by the real-life story of cancer survivor Bibhuti Bhushan Chakraborty Gotro

Last film of Soumitra Chatterjee; was released posthumously, after his death Haami 2

Based on the 2014 Burdwan blast Shastry Viruddh Shastry Hindi-language remake of Roy's 2017 Bengali film Posto

Inspired by the life of bank robber Sheikh Eklas, who had robbed 27 banks between 1998-2002

Inspired by real-life corporate day-care initiatives Raktabeej 2 Inspired by the security challenges during former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee's 2013 visit to Bangladesh

Phool Pishi O Edward Inspired from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple's character Spin-off of Bohurupi Accolades Year Award Ceremony Category Work Result 2012 Anandalok Awards 14th Anandalok Award Best Film Muktodhara 2014 Filmfare Awards East 1st Filmfare Awards East Best Direction Alik Sukh Best Film 2016 Sera Bangali Awards 12th Sera Bangali Awards Sera Bangali (Direction) Zee Cine Awards 16th Zee Cinema Awards Best Bengali Film Belaseshe International Business Film Awards Highest Grossing Film Praktan 2017 Filmfare Awards East 2nd Filmfare Awards EastBest Film Best Director Zee Cine Awards 17th Zee Cinema Awards Best Bengali Film WBFJA Awards 1st WBFJA Award Best Director Most Popular Film 2020 4th WBFJA Award Konttho 2021 Filmfare Awards Bangla 4th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Film Best Director 2023 WBFJA Awards 6th WBFJA Awards Most Popular Film Belashuru 2024 Filmfare Awards Bangla 7th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Film Raktabeej Best Director Best Original Story WBFJA Awards 7th WBFJA Award Most Popular Film 2025 8th WBFJA AwardsBohurupi Filmfare Awards Bangla8th Filmfare Awards Bangla Best Film Best Original Story Best Director

Personal life Roy married filmmaker and production designer Nitish Roy in 1977. They have a son. In an interview with The Times of India, Roy said that after relocating from Mumbai to Kolkata for work, she was away for much of her son's childhood, a decision she later described as one of her greatest personal regrets. Meanwhile, her husband, Nitish Roy, was in Hyderabad working on the development of the Ramoji Film City. As a result, their son grew up with limited parental presence. Roy also added that she lost her parents at a young age and had to raise her younger sister, who is thirteen years her junior.

Reception and legacy

Roy's films, made in collaboration with Shiboprosad Mukherjee, have been recognised for their educational, cultural and commercial impact. Their works have frequently combined family-oriented narratives with contemporary social issues, contributing to their popularity among audiences and critics alike. Accident was selected for the Indian Cinema Now section of the 18th International Kerala Film Festival in 2013. Alik Sukh was premiered at the Marché du Film section in Cannes Film Festival in 2013. In 2025, Aamar Boss was screened in Panorama section of the 55th International Film Festival of India.