Shweta Basu Prasad (born 11 January 1991) is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Bengali cinema, as well as in television and on streaming platforms. She came to national attention as a child artist with Makdee (2002), for which she won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist, and has since built a career spanning theatrical features, web series and short-format filmmaking.
| Born | 11 January 1991 |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actress, producer, writer, director |
| Languages of work | Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali |
| Notable award | National Film Award for Best Child Artist (Makdee, 2002) |
| Directorial debut | Retake (short film, 2023) |
Prasad began her screen career as a child actor in the early 2000s. Her performance in Vishal Bhardwaj's Makdee (2002) earned her the National Film Award for Best Child Artist, one of the highest recognitions for child performers in Indian cinema. She followed this with a role in Nagesh Kukunoor's sports drama Iqbal (2005), after which she gradually transitioned to adult roles.
Prasad's transition to lead roles in adult cinema was marked by the Telugu coming-of-age film Kotha Bangaru Lokam (2008), which became a significant commercial success and broadened her presence in South Indian cinema. She has subsequently worked across Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali language films. In Hindi cinema, she appeared in Vivek Agnihotri's political drama The Tashkent Files (2019).
Prasad has been a prominent presence in Indian OTT productions. Her credits include:
Beyond acting, Prasad has produced and written short films and directed a documentary on Indian classical music. She made her directorial debut in fiction with the short film Retake in 2023.
Prasad is among a small group of Indian performers to have transitioned successfully from a National Award–winning child role to a sustained adult career across multiple language industries. Her body of work bridges mainstream theatrical cinema and the streaming-era resurgence of long-form Indian storytelling, while her move into directing and documentary filmmaking reflects a broader trend of actor-led independent production in India.