Mita Vashisht
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Mita Vashisht (मीता विशष्ठ) is an Indian television, film and theatre actress, who graduated from National School of Drama, (NSD), New Delhi in 1987.
A post-graduate in literature from Punjab University, Chandigarh and a graduate from the National School of Drama (Delhi) she is also visiting faculty to some of the premier design, film and theatre institutes of India---the NIFT (Delhi), FTII (Pune), NSD (Delhi) and the NID (Ahmedabad). She has also conducted theatre workshops in the UK (London, Birmingham, Leichester) and in Damascus. She teaches students of fashion design, film direction and acting, using theatre techniques.
Meeta has written and produced three short films, as well as a serial for television. She has worked as executive producer on the award winning film 'The name of a River' (A BFI (London)- NFDC (India)- Bangladesh film co-prodution).
She has worked in off-beat cinema as well as in commercial roles. She has worked in theatre and has written scripts as well. Since 2004, she has performed her solo play in English, Hindi and Kashmiri, titled, 'Lal Ded', based on life of medieval Kashmiri mystic Lal Ded, all over India [1][2].
Due to her roles that often challenge the superficially-traditional outlook of the Indian society, she is often labelled a "non-conforming artiste" by the media.
Apart from acting, Mita is also actively involved in social work. She has worked with children in remand homes and with sex workers (she started a theatre troupe by enlisting 30 sex workers).
She has not had any significant assignments from 2004, after the film Phir Milenge.
Meeta Vasisht created a non-conformist niche for herself in Indian cinema with her very first two films 'Siddheshwari' and 'Kasba'. Even as her amazing performances in both films were hailed by critics and audiences, she entered a storm of controversy for having unabashedly appeared in the full nude in those films. ( In the entire history of Indian cinema she is possibly the only actress to have done so) She however, quashed all controversy that arose around those films, with surprising maturity for a young twenty something actress.
In June 2001 Meeta established Mandala, space for arts collaborations research and education. It's aim was to spearhead a new movement in the arts, to centre stage and individuate the performing arts in society (she considers that imperative, in the face of an electronic media onslaught) and to aid artistic collaborations.
Her first project under Mandala however took an unusual twist. A chance theatre workshop that she conducted with trafficked minors in a remand home in Mumbai led to four years of her full time involvement with the cause of self- empowerment and rehabilitation of trafficked minors. (trafficked minors i.e minor girls rescued from prostitution from the city brothels).
As artistic director of Mandala she created Mandala TAM (theatre arts module)--- a methodology and a training process based on the performing arts that proved to be highly successful in helping the trafficked minors to heal and transform mentally, physically, emotionally and intellectually. This methodology was then replicated in remand homes in Bombay, Orissa, Nasik and Andhra Pradesh by some of the trafficked minors who had graduated to becoming Mandala Tam teachers. (I'm really proud of these kids... quite a few of them are in regular touch with me...they are my extended family' quote-unquote Meeta)
Currently, while continuing to work for the cause of trafficked minors, Meeta is engaged in acting in feature films and in performing 'Lal Ded'---- a seventy minute solo theatre performance based on the life and poetry of the great 14th century Kashmiri woman mystic and poet of the same name.
She has been signed on by an Indo German publishing house Vitastaa to write a book on her experience of the trafficked minors.
Meeta is also currently working on the pre production of her debut directorial venture--- a feature film scripted by her.
[edit] Filmography
- "Idiot" (1991) TV mini series [3]
[edit] References
- ^ Songs of a mystic The Hindu, May 01, 2005.
- ^ Lal Ded at NCPA Bombay
- ^ Filmography NY Times
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Mita Vashisht at the Internet Movie Database
- A non-conforming artiste - The Tribune, 2002
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