Nandana Sen

Nandana Sen
at the Tagore Literature Awards.
Born	(1967-08-19) 19 August 1967 (age 49) Calcutta, West Bengal, India (now Kolkata)
Residence	India, United States
Alma mater	Harvard University
Occupation	Actor, activist, writer
Years active	1997-present (Latest release - Rang Rasiya, 2014)
Organization	Current Ambassadorship in Operation Smile, UNICEF, RAHI
Spouse(s)	John Makinson (2013–present) Madhu Mantena (ex partner)
Parent(s)	Amartya Sen Nabaneeta Dev Sen

Nandana Sen is an Indian actress, screenwriter, children's author and child-rights activist. Her first vehicle in Bollywood was the Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black (2005) in which she played the role of Rani’s 17-year-old younger sister. Sen gave a highly proclaimed performance in the role and the film was applauded by both audience and critics, earning her a nomination for Breakthrough Performance of the Year. Time Magazine (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from across the globe.

After teaming up on a succession of projects with Indian directors including Ram Gopal Varma and Ketan Mehta, Sen signed for one of the principal roles in the jarring, terrorist-themed American drama The War Within (2005) which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and, in the process, both made a name for herself and began to cultivate a reputation for being drawn to offbeat, challenging, and demanding roles, often with a social or political theme.

Sen is the daughter of Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna economist Amartya Sen and Padma Shri winner Nabanita Dev Sen, one of the most prominent authors in the contemporary Bengali literature. Her elder sister Antara Deb Sen is a journalist. Nandana Sen's first piece of writing was published when she was a child in the magazine Sandesh, selected by Satyajit Ray. She spent her growing years in various cities across Europe, India and America.

Nandana Sen studied literature at Harvard University, where she was awarded the Detur Prize in her first year for topping her class, and thereafter every year she also won both the John Harvard Scholarship and the Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Award for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction. As a Junior, she was elected early into the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Subsequently, Sen studied Film Producing at the Peter Stark Producing Program at the USC Film School. She wrote and directed various short films, including her thesis film "Arranged Marriage" which was shown at multiple film festivals. As an actor, Nandana trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, New York, as well as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London.