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Navnindra Behl | |
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| Born | 30 October 1949 Delhi, India |
| Died | 16 March 2026 (aged 76) |
| Occupations | Director, writer, actor |
| Spouse | Lalit Behl |
| Children | Kanu Behl |
Navnindra Behl (30 October 1949 – 16 March 2026) was an Indian director, writer and actor. She was known for directing theatre and television shows.
Behl was born in Delhi, India on 30 October 1949, into a Jatt Sikh family. She started stage acting when she was just three years old. Besides participation in plays at school and college, she got involved in amateur theatre at Patiala, a former princely state in India, and did her post-graduatate studies in Punjabi literature.
Shortly after her graduation, Navnindra Behl joined the Drama Department of Punjabi University, Patiala as a lecturer. Besides writing and directing a number of stage plays, Navnindra bore the credit for training and grooming many stage, television and film artists during her career of 37 years as lecturer, reader, professor and head of department. She was Director, Audio-Visual Research Centre, funded by CEC (University Grants Commission, Delhi) for 3 years and had 25 years' experience of teaching production, direction and acting for television at Patiala University and as visiting faculty in various institutes. She acted in numerous stage plays.
Behl had 30 years experience as writer, actress and director in the television industry. She directed films and serials for television, wrote scripts for television programmes for Doordarshan, documentaries for the Central and Punjab Government Departments, documentaries and educational programmes for the Audio-Visual Research Centre, CEC, Delhi and the Films Division.
She had 15 years' experience as writer and actress in the film industry and acted with filmmakers of high repute such as Gulzar (Maachis, 1996), Dibakar Banerjee (Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!), Vishal Bhardwaj (Gubaare) and Hollywood projects like The Pride and The Guru.
Behl was a member on the selection panels of UPSC (for theatre and media), Rabindra Bharti University, and had been on the list of the board of experts and advisers of the Indian Theatre Department, Punjab University, Chandigarh, Doordarshan Kendra, Jullundur and the Department of Cultural Affairs Ministry, Delhi Government. In addition to being Member Syndicate and Member Academic Council, Punjabi University, Patiala, she was on the panel as eminent visiting faculty of Punjab University, Jaipur University, Garhwal University, GNDU University, Amritsar, Film & Television Institute Kolkata, Mumbai University, etc. Author of ten books, as creative writer, research related subjects on theatre and media studies, she made significant contribution as resource person and keynote speaker at many conferences, seminars and workshops on cinema, television and theatre.
Behl was the eldest daughter of dramatist and theatre personality Kapoor Singh Ghuman. Her husband Lalit Behl was a theatre and television director-actor. Her son Kanu Behl is a film writer and director.
Behl died on 16 March 2026, at the age of 76.
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