About
Nadira Zaheer Babbar is an eminent Indian theatre director and actress, and the founder of the Mumbai-based theatre group Ekjute, a well-known name in Hindi theatre. A Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and NSD gold medallist, she is celebrated for productions that revived the Parsi theatre style and for a body of socially engaged, music-rich work.
Born in 1948 to the writers Sajjad Zaheer and Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Nadira Babbar graduated as a gold medallist from the National School of Drama in 1971 and trained in Germany and with renowned directors abroad. She founded Ekjute in 1981, whose first production Yahudi Ki Ladki revived the Parsi theatre style, and received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001, building Ekjute into a lasting institution of Hindi theatre.
The artistry
Babbar's theatre draws on her training with masters including Jerzy Grotowski and Peter Brook and on India's Parsi and folk traditions, producing vibrant, music-filled and often socially themed work. Her Ekjute productions, from the acclaimed Yahudi Ki Ladki to Bhavai-based musicals, blend tradition with contemporary concern.
[Atlas Perspective] Nadira Zaheer Babbar is a leading Hindi theatre director and institution-builder. For festivals and cultural programmes, she is a strong choice.
Nadira Zaheer Babbar has been a major force in modern Hindi theatre, reviving the Parsi theatre style, building Ekjute into a lasting institution and sustaining a socially engaged, music-rich stage tradition over four decades.