Prashanta Nanda (born May 2, 1947, in Cuttack, Odisha) is an acclaimed Indian actor, director, and politician. Highly educated with degrees including a B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., LL.B., and D.Litt., Nanda showed an early passion for performing through school dramas and All India Radio broadcasts. He made his lead acting debut in the 1962 Odia film Nua Bou. His early acting career saw remarkable acclaim, as his first three films, Nua Bou, Matira Manisha (1966), and Adina Megha (1970), all earned National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Odia within eight years.
Transitioning into filmmaking, Nanda made his official directorial debut with the milestone Odia classic Shesha Shrabana in 1976. The film's success caught the attention of Rajshri Productions, prompting him to venture into Hindi cinema, where he directed and starred in films such as Naiyya (1979), Paheli (1977), and Grahasthi (1984). Throughout his career across Odia, Hindi, and Bengali cinema, he directed and starred in numerous blockbusters, including Maa O Mamata (1980), a film based on a short story he originally wrote in the ninth grade. His 2008 directorial project Jianta Bhoota went on to win the National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation.
Beyond cinema, Nanda has had a prominent career in public service and politics. He previously served as a minister in the state of Odisha, held executive leadership roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party, and later joined the Biju Janata Dal, representing Odisha as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. In addition to his political roles, he joined Stanford University's TeachAids initiative in 2013 for global HIV prevention awareness. His lifetime contributions to the arts have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Odisha Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, the FitFat Bioscope Award, and the Utkala Viswa Gaurab Samman.
