<span class=normal>Nandita Das<BR><BR><br><p class=clear>&nbsp;</p>The dusky beauty Nandita Das created a niche for herself in the world of parallel cinema through sensitive performances in films like Fire, 1947: Earth, Bawandar, and Ramchand Pakistani. In fact Nandita is only the second Indian celebrity to be invited (after Aishwarya Rai in 2003) to be a part of the jury at the world famous Cannes International Film Festival in 2005. Having achieved a fair amount of acclaim for her acting prowess, Nandita decided to don the directors hat with Firaaq - a story set one month after the ghastly Gujarat riots. While the film is yet to release in India, it has made the rounds of several prestigious international film festivals. In fact those who have seen the film are pretty confident that Nandita would make for an equally promising director too. <BR><BR><br><p class=clear>&nbsp;</p>Besides the above mentioned names, there are some more female directors who are slowly but surely managing to create a niche for themselves namely Shona Urvashi (Chupke Se, Saas, Bahu Aur Sensex), Leena Yadav (Shabd, Teen Patti) and Madhureeta Anand (Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye). Heres saluting these lovely ladies who have managed to hold their own in this male dominated industry.</span>