Deepti Naval is an Indian – born American Actress, Director, and Writer, predominantly active in  Hindi cinema.

Her major contribution has been in the area of Art Cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and ‘close to life’ characters that emphasized the changing roles of women in India. Naval made her debut in 1978 with  Shyam Benegal‘s film  Junoon. Two years later, she played a lead role in Ek Baar Phir (Once again). The film story is incompatibility between a film star husband and a traditional wife resulting in an extra-marital relationship. Ek Baar Phir was described as “a bold movie that refreshingly speaks out for women’s freedom of choice in a failed marriage at a time.” This offbeat social drama casts Suresh Oberai and Deepti Naval.

Chashme Buddoor (Far be the evil eye) is a 1981 romantic comedy film starring Deepti Naval. The film is about three students; at Delhi University, who don’t go home during summer vacation and how a girl Neha (Deepti Naval) comes into their lives.

Saath Saath (together) is a 1982 , Kissi Se Na Kehna ( Don’t Tell Anyone) 1983, films stars Farooque Shaikh and Deepti Naval in the lead roles. Katha (Story) is a 1983 romantic comedy film starring Dipti Naval. The film is about the daily lives of people living in a Mumbai Chawl. The story is based on S. G. Sathye’s Marathi Play Sasa Aani Kasav (Hare and Tortoise).

Alongside  Smita Patil  and  Shabana Azmi, she became an actress in 1980s  Parallel Cinema, playing roles in films like  Kamla (1984). The film is titled after the character of Naval. Upon its release, Kamla received rave reviews. The Times of India in a review stated, “Deepti Naval is called to widen her eyes, tremble like a scared rabbit and drop pearly smiles. To her credit, she performs these chores competently.” The Indian Express wrote, “Mundhara (Film Director) is to be complimented on getting two credible – perhaps notable – performances from Deept Naval and Marc Zuber – whose talents have so far been pretty well concealed.” The movie is based on Tendulkar’s play, which in turn is inspired by a real life expose by the Journalist Ashwini Sarin, of The Indian Express. In the expose he actually bought a girl from the rural flesh market, from a village of Dholpur, Rajsthan, for an amount of Rs.20000. He presented the woman at a press conference.

Damul (Bonded until Death) is a hindi film, starring Deepti Naval. The story is about a bonded labourer who is forced to steal for his landlord, to whom he is bonded until death. Set in rural Bihar of 1984, the film focuses on the caste politics and the oppression of the lower castes in the region, through bonded labour. The film also highlights the issue of heavy migration of the poor villagers of Bihar to richer states like Punjab in search of livelihood.

Main Zinda Hoon (I am alive) is a 1988 film starring Deepti Naval. Beena (Deepti Naval) is a village girl, who is married into a middle-class family in the city. However, her husband leaves her soon after wedding. She starts working and supports his family. Eventually, she falls in love with a co-worker. That is when her husband returns.

Bawandar (The Sand Storm) in 2000 film, based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim from Rajasthan, India. The movie ends with actress Deepti Naval talking about how Bhanwari Devi has refuses to give up her fight for justice, in spite of unhelpful villagers and relatives, and incompetent police force, and a corrupt judicial system, and is today active as a rape activist who helps provide help, counseling and inspiration to women who have suffered such injustices as well.

Deepti Naval won Best Actress awards in several international film festivals for her roles in  Leela (2002),  Memories in March  (2010) and  Listen… Amaya (2013).  She was also recognized as the 2007 Tribute Honoree of the  Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

Mostly present in Hindi Cinema, Naval also acted in other Indian languages, as with  “Marhi vvDa Deeva”  and  “Mane“, which respectively won the award for Best Feature Film in  Punjabi  and Best Feature Film in Kannada  at the 1990  National Film Awards  Ceremony.  She was to make her debut in a  Bengali  movie under director  Sanjoy Nag  but the film –  “Memories in March” – was eventually shot in English.

Naval has been active on Television with a few telefilms and serials such as  Sauda (1992),  Tanaav (1994) or  Muqammal (2003). She came back in 2011 with the daily soap opera Mukti Bandhan  on Colors.  She made her theater debut in 2015 with the poetic stage show  “Ek Mulaqaat”  in which she played the celebrated Punjabi writer  “Amrita Pritam.” In 2019, Naval appeared in an episode of  “Made in Heaven,” a web series on Amazon Prime directed by  Zoya Akhtar.

Naval made her directorial debut with “Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish”  starring  Manisha Koirala  and  Rajit Kapoor. The film won the Best Screenpla y Award at the 2009  New York Indian Film Festival  which released on Netflix in 2019.  She also wrote and directed  “Thoda Sa Aasmaan“, a TV serial centred around strong female characters, and produced a travel show,  “The Path Less Travelled.^” Her first selection of poems in Hindi, “Lamha Lamha”  was published in 1983. In 2004, MapinLit published a new collection called  “Black Wind and Other Poems.”  Naval is also the author of a collection of short stories,  “The Mad Tibetan“, published in 2011.

Naval is also a painter and photographer with several exhibitions to her credit. She also runs the Vinod Pandit Charitable Trust, set up in memory of her late companion, for the education of the girl child.

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.