On behalf of the French government, Ambassador of France to India, Mr Jérôme Bonnafont, conferred the distinction of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on Nandita Das. The honour came in recognition of Ms Nandita Das’ contribution towards the development of Indo-French cooperation in the field of cinema.
Nandita Das is known to world audiences for her critically acclaimed performances in Fire, Earth, Bawander, Before the Rains and many other films. As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq (2008). Apart from various Indian awards, she has received international recognition as actress at the film festivals of Santa Monica (2001), Cairo (2002), and Madrid (2007). She has also served as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.
Source: http://www.nanditadas.com
The French government distinction Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) is conferred on “persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world.” Some noted Indian recipients of this honour in the past include Shahrukh Khan, Raghu Rai, the late Habib Tanveer, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ritu Beri.
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