Shabana Raza Bajpayee was born in 1975 in Nanded, Maharashta, and is an Indian film producer and actress, who has worked predominantly in Bollywood. While studying and working as a model, she was spotted on television by film director Vidhu Vinod Chopra and cast in his film Kareeb (1998). Chopra gave her the screen name “Neha”, to which she is often professionally referred. She acted across the following 10 years including most recognisably, Fiza (2000) and Acid Factory (2009). She later moved into production on the film Missing (2018) and Bhonsle (2019), which launched its first-look at the Cannes Film Festival and for which she received her first APSA nomination. She is married to APSA-winning Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
