Bhubaneswar: When audiences worldwide marvel at Mira Nair's cross-cultural cinematic masterpieces, few realize the acclaimed director's creative roots were nurtured not in cosmopolitan Mumbai or Delhi, but in the historic city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
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"I was born and brought up in Orissa," reveals Nair, whose father served as an IAS officer in the Odisha cadre. "I spent 20 years of my life there. I went to Stewart School in Bhubaneswar with my brother."
This early chapter in the Oscar-nominated filmmaker's life provides fascinating insight into the formative experiences that shaped her rebellious artistic spirit and commitment to authentic storytelling.
The Making of a Maverick
Stewart School in Bhubaneswar, with its colonial architecture and structured environment, became an unlikely incubator for Nair's questioning mind. After a brief stint at Delhi's Loreto Convent during her father's deputation, young Mira returned to Bhubaneswar with a transformed perspective.
"When I went back to this convent school in Bhubaneswar, I found education was pretty lousy there," Nair candidly admits. "By that time I had tasted what is called decent education."
What followed reveals the early sparks of the filmmaker who would later challenge cinematic conventions. Unchallenged by teachers who reflexively awarded her top marks, Nair launched her own quiet rebellion.
"I decided to have a campaign of testing them," she recounts with characteristic mischief. "When I had essays to write, let's say, on hospitals, I used to write literally gibberish and I would still get the top marks. In short, I was a spunky, kind of mad kid... I still am."
From Bhubaneswar to the World Stage
This rebellious spirit nurtured in Bhubaneswar's educational landscape eventually propelled Nair through an illustrious journey—from theatrical performances at Delhi University (where she famously played Cleopatra opposite Shashi Tharoor's Antony) to documentary filmmaking at Harvard, and finally to creating "Salaam Bombay," which earned an Oscar nomination.
Cultural critic Sambit Mohanty observes, "There's a distinctive Odia sensibility that permeates Nair's work—an ability to notice extraordinary moments in ordinary life, something she must have developed during those formative years observing life in Bhubaneswar."
Indeed, Nair herself defines filmmaking as "capturing something extraordinary about ordinary life," a perspective that ties directly back to her Bhubaneswar upbringing.
The Stewart School Legacy
Stewart School alumni remember Nair as exceptionally bright but never constrained by convention. "The school had strict British-influenced traditions, but somehow Mira always found ways to express herself differently," recalls Anjali Pattnaik, Nair's former schoolmate.
Current principal of Stewart School, Dr. Anuradha Das, notes the institution now celebrates Nair's achievements: "We tell our students about Mira Nair's journey from these same classrooms to international acclaim. Her story reminds them that geographic boundaries needn't limit creative vision."
Full Circle Moments
Though Nair's artistic journey has taken her from Harvard to Hollywood, from "Salaam Bombay" to "Monsoon Wedding" to her adaptation of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," the filmmaker occasionally returns to Odisha.
During a 2019 visit to Bhubaneswar, Nair walked the corridors of her alma mater, pausing at the school grounds where she once challenged authority.
"Everything looks smaller now," she remarked to attending journalists, "but this place gave me something immense—the courage to see things differently."
For aspiring filmmakers in Odisha, Nair's journey from Stewart School to global recognition represents possibility. As she puts it: "I feel blessed that at the age of 20, I found my place in life." That journey to finding her place began not in cinema halls, but in the classrooms of Bhubaneswar.
