For Celina Jaitly, stepping back into the world of cinema isn’t about returning to the spotlight — it’s about returning with purpose. The actress will next be seen portraying Sister Nivedita (also known as Nibedita), the social reformer and educator who was Swami Vivekananda’s disciple.

About her return to cinema, Celina says, “This is not my comeback. This is my homecoming through one of India’s greatest daughters.”

Celina reveals that her return to India followed one of the most difficult phases of her life. “I came back with one suitcase weighing 32 kilos, mostly full of documents, heartache, pain, trauma and uncertainty. Much of what had defined my world had changed,” she says. The actress is currently undergoing a bitter divorce battle with her estranged husband, Peter Haag.

Interestingly, Celina’s role in this movie is the complete opposite of the glamorous image audiences have long associated with her.

“I never believed glamour defines an actor. Cinema gave me fame, but characters like Sister Nivedita remind me why I became an artiste in the first place — to tell stories that outlive us,” says the actress, who was launched by Feroz Khan in Janasheen (2003) and was last seen in the short film Season's Greetings (2020).

The preparation for Sister Nibedita, which is being helmed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, extended far beyond physical transformation. Celina immersed herself in Sister Nivedita’s writings, personal correspondence and historical accounts while studying her profound connection with Swami Vivekananda.

“Every actor dreams of a role that transforms them rather than merely entertaining an audience. Sister Nivedita is one of those rare characters,” she explains.

Looking back at her years away from films, Celina says what she missed most wasn’t fame but the opportunity to tell meaningful stories. “I missed storytelling far more than I missed the spotlight. Life has taught me that fame comes and goes, but meaningful work stays with you forever,” she shares, adding, “I return today not as the actress who left years ago, but as a woman with greater empathy, greater resilience and a much deeper understanding of life. And if audiences embrace this new chapter, I will be grateful. I did not come back to reclaim fame, I came back to tell a story that deserves to be remembered,” she concludes.

Often actors choose the movies they want to front. But Celina Jaitly believes that her next movie, Nibedita, chose her. The actor, who is returning to face the camera six years after the short film, Season’s Greetings (2020), will step into the role of Irish-Indian educator and social activist Sister Nivedita in the biopic directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee.

Set to roll in early 2027, Nibedita will chronicle how Margaret Elizabeth Noble met Swami Vivekananda in London and was so influenced by his teachings that she moved to Calcutta in 1898.

Over the following years, she — having adopted the name Nivedita — turned a passionate advocate for girls’ education and women’s empowerment in India. For Jaitly, it’s a matter of pride to portray the activist.

“I never imagined that four years after collaborating with Ram Kamal Mukherjee for Season's Greetings, our paths would cross for a story of such spiritual significance. As a little girl, I wandered through the peaceful grounds of Sister Nivedita’s last home in Darjeeling, not knowing that one day I would be entrusted with bringing her life to audiences,” she said.

According to the National Film Award-winning director, Sister Nivedita’s life journey is a story “waiting to be told”, and Jaitly, the right choice for it. He shared, “While making Binodiini [2025], I was reading books on Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. That’s when I came across Sister Nivedita’s journey, and decided to make a movie.”