The artiste spoke to us about what it means to be an adoptive mother to her six-year-old daughter
Joyeeta Chakravorty (BOMBAY TIMES; February 23, 2020)

Not long ago, Nandana Sen was known for her repertoire as an actress. But soon enough, she shifted focus to being a screenwriter, children’s author and child-rights activist and bid farewell to the screen. Recently, Nandana spoke to us about adoption and being an adoptive parent.

You are mother to a six-year-old daughter, whom you adopted. How has your journey been so far as an adoptive mother?
The journey for every mother is, at heart, the same. Yes, I work passionately in several fields I care about, but nothing in the world is more important to me than my identity as a mother. Adopting was a true blessing in my life and has been a transformative journey for me. To be able to fill your home with that kind of joy and give a child what she needs the most, which is love and care, is the most powerful gift that could have been given to me.

While adoption is something that a lot more people are opening up to, many end up getting cold feet because of the elaborate process and other issues. How was it for you?
I knew that I wanted to adopt as early as when I was a teenager. I wanted to create a family by bringing a child home. It was never an issue with my side of the family, since I spoke about it early on. My family has been extremely supportive about it. My sister too adopted a daughter — my niece Hiya. My husband, John, has been an extremely involved and active parent and the bond he has with our daughter Meghla is beautiful.

You left one of your passions, films, to pursue other interests. Would you consider a return to films or maybe write a script on adoption?
I will always be passionate about films as a medium, and I love writing screenplays. I’m sure I’ll get back to cinema once my daughter is a bit older. But right now, between having three full-time occupations — writing, motherhood, and child-rights advocacy — I don’t have time to miss anything.

What’s your take on the current lot of cinema and the space it gives to female characters, considering you did some very atypical roles in your film career?
Though there is abundant talent and passion, even today, women have to struggle harder than men to make a place for themselves, especially as directors. This is why there are conspicuously fewer women directors across the world. The film industry, whether in India or the world over, has a huge gender gap to fill in order to become as open to female directors as it is to female actors.