Nandita Roy

Roy worked across film director and screenwriter. This article rests on 2 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Nandita Roy • Born — 3 April 1955 • Birthplace — Vile Parle, Bombay, Maharashtra, India • Organisation — Windows Production • Education — Parle College (BEc) University of Mumbai (MEc) • Occupation — * Film director • Screenwriter • Editor • Film producer • Years Active — 1978—present

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.

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.

• Illustration — Windows Production, co-founded in 2002 Nandita Roy noticed Shiboprosad Mukherjee's performance in Ekushe Pa (1995) and suggested her husband Nitish Roy to cast him as the lead in his upcoming directorial Jamai No. 1. After two meetings, Shiboprosad was cast. 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). After making their directorial debut with Icche, Roy and Mukherjee directed Hello Memsaheb. It was followed by Muktodhara (2012), a social drama which won the Anandalok Award for Best Film. 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.

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.

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.

• All films are in Bengali language, unless otherwise noted. • All films are co-directed with Shiboprosad Mukherjee, unless otherwise mentioned. • Year — Title — Director — Screenwriter — Notes • 2011 — Icche — Feature directorial debut; based on the novel Iccher Gach by Suchitra Bhattacharya • Hello Memshaheb • 2012 — Muktodhara — Based on the real-life reformation of ex-convict Nigel Akkara • Accident — Based on the Kestopur Road Accident of 2008 • 2013 — Alik Sukh — Based on the novel Aleek Shukh by Suchitra Bhattacharya • 2014 — Ramdhanu — Based on the novel Ramdhanu Rang by Suchitra Bhattacharya • 2015 — Bela Seshe • 2016 — Praktan — Based on the novel Ujaan by Suchitra Bhattacharya • 2017 — Posto • 2018 — Haami • 2019 — Konttho — Inspired by the real-life story of cancer survivor Bibhuti Bhushan Chakraborty • Gotro • 2022 — Bela Shuru — Last film of Soumitra Chatterjee; was released posthumously, after his death • Haami 2 • 2023 — Raktabeej — Based on the 2014 Burdwan blast • Shastry Viruddh Shastry — Hindi-language remake of Roy's 2017 Bengali film Posto • 2024 — Bohurupi — Inspired by the life of bank robber Sheikh Eklas, who had robbed 27 banks between 1998-2002 • 2025 — Aamar Boss — 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 • 2026 — Phool Pishi O Edward — Inspired from Agatha Christie's Miss Marple's character • Bohurupi: The Golden Daku — Spin-off of Bohurupi

• 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 East — Best 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 Awards — Bohurupi • Filmfare Awards Bangla — 8th Filmfare Awards Bangla — Best Film • Best Original Story • Best Director

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.

Nandita Roy was born on 3 April 1955 in Mumbai. Roy held the nationality of India. Roy was educated at University of Mumbai.

Roy worked for the screen, as film director and screenwriter. 20 films survive in the institutional catalogues, spanning 2011 to 2025. Among them are Icche (2011), Hello Memsaheb (2011), Accident (2012), Muktodhara (2012), Alik Sukh (2013) and Ramdhanu (2014). The whole run is set out in the catalogue below.