Nadira Babbar

Nadira Babbar Biography

Nadira Babbar is an actress of theatre and cinema. But she is better known as a prominent stage director. Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute in 1981, a well known theatre for Hindi plays. She is married to actor cum politician Raj Babbar. Arya Babbar and Juhi Babbar, personalities of films, television and theatre are their children. Popular television actor Anup Soni is her son-in-law. She appeared in Bride and Prejudice as Aishwarya Rai’s mother and Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. She plays mother of Chhotu Ali in Sohail Khan's Mental, that’s scheduled to release in 2014.

Nadira was born as the third daughter of communist leader Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Urdu writer Razia Sajjad Zaheer. Her parents were actively associated with Progressive Writers' Association and IPTA. Thus from a younger age, Nadira was attached to theatre life. She graduated from National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi in 1971 with a gold medal and scholarship to go to Germany for further studies. In Germany she accumulated experience by working with renowned directors like Grotovisky and Peter Brooks.

She founded her theatre group Ekjute in 1981 and its first played drama was Yahudi ki Ladki in 1981. Her work was well appreciated and later Ekjute became one of the leading theatre groups of Hindi drama. Nadira moved to Mumbai in 1988, and reestablished her theatre group. Till now, her group has played more than 60 plays. Sandhya Chhaya, Baat Laat Ki Halaat Ki, Bharam Ke Bhoot, Shabash Anarkali, Look Back in Anger, Ballabpur Ki Roop Katha and Begum Jaan are her most noted plays. She was the playwright of the plays including Dayashankar Ki Diary, Sakku Bai, Suman Aur Sana and Ji Jaisi Aapki Marzi. In 1990, Ekjute started 'Ekjute Young People's Theatre Group'.

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Updated: September 26, 2017