Nandita jokes that her son shouldn’t become an actor
Mention Vihaan, her eightyear-old son, and the first thing that actorfilmmaker Nandita Das says is, “he is growing up too fast”. At the same time, the mother is concerned that they hardly get time to spend with each other, as she is usually busy with her work.
Things were worse when Nandita started working on the film Manto. She would take Vihaan to shoots, and he was there when she sat down to edit the film. And at home when Nandita was working on the PC, he would fall asleep on her lap. “He used to be like ‘Mumma, when I am sleeping you are with the computer and when I wake up, you are still with your computer. Do you keep it open all night?’ And I had no answer [to that]. So, I think he has to suffer a lot [because] of that. However, I feel it’s also a good thing for the children to see their mother work, and for girls, they have the right role models in their lives,” says Nandita.
The actor-filmmaker feels that while watching their parents work, children may get inspired. She says, “Children also end up developing respect. They understand that their mother is not just making food for them, taking care of other household chores, getting them ready for school etc but they also have a mind of their own.”
Growing up in a family where his grandfather, Jatin Das, is a painter, mother is also a performing artist, it is kind of obvious that Vihaan might also have started developing interest towards art. And Nandita does not deny it.
“I hope he does not become an actor. He is good at role playing and he is constantly doing it. I am not saying it isn’t the right thing, but there are so many more important things to do in life,” says Nandita, before adding, “At this age, a child should not worry about what they want to do but explore every avenue without thinking what this will lead them to, before they find their true calling. Even now, I don’t know what my real profession is, because I do a little bit of this and that, and I am not a big fan of specialisation.”