2008 Hindi film Firaaq, the directorial debut of Nandita Das, has picked up the Critics' Choice Award for Best Film. The film, set one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat, India, and looks at the aftermath in terms of the effects on the lives of everyday people. The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Paresh Rawal, Raghubir Yadav, Sanjay Suri, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash and Tisca Chopra. The film has largely been well received, both locally and internationally. It won three awards at the Asian Festival of First Films in Singapore in December 2008, the Special Prize at the International Thessaloniki Film Festival, an award at the Kara Film Festival, and Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Government of France.
As an actress, Nandita Das is known for her critically acclaimed performances in Fire (1996), Earth (1998), Bawandar (2000) and Aamaar Bhuvan (2002). For the Filmfare Awards she was present with her husband. Firaaq won awards in the categories below:
Best Film: Nandita Das won the Critics Best Film Award for her directorial debut Firaaq
Best Costume Design: Vaishali Menon
Best Editing: Sreekar Prasad
Best Sound Design: Manas Chaudhury
