Background
Naval was born in Amritsar, Punjab, but moved to New York when her father got a teaching job at the City University.
Naval was born in Amritsar, Punjab, but moved to New York when her father got a teaching job at the City University.
She studied fine arts at Hunter College.
Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and ‘close to life’ characters that emphasized the changing roles of women in India. Naval made her debut in 1978 with Shyam Benegal"s film Junoon. Two years later, she played a lead role in the critically acclaimed Ek Baar Phir.
Alongside Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, she became one of the key actresses of 1980s Parallel Cinema, earning praise for her roles in films like Kamla (1984) or Ankahee (1985).
Starting with Chashme Buddoor in 1981, she was often cast with Farooq Shaikh and they became one of India"s most iconic on-screen couples of the early 1980s, with films such as Saath Saath, Kissi Se Na Kehna, Katha and Rang Birangi. Three decades later, they were reunited in Tell Maine O Kkhuda (2011).
Their last film together was Listen. Amaya which was released in 2013, the year of Shaikh"s death.
While she was very prolific in the 1980s, her career slowed down in the 1990s and she seized the opportunity to explore other art forms.
Amaya (2013). She was also recognized as the 2007 Tribute Honoree of the Indian Film Festival of Los Los Angeles She was to make her debut in a Bengali movie under director Sanjoy Nag but the film - Memories in March - was eventually shot in English.
Naval has been active on television with a few telefilms and serials such as Sauda (1992), Tanaav (1994) or Muqammal (2003).
She came back in 2011 with the daily soap opera Mukti Bandhan on Colors. She made her theater debut in 2015 with the poetic stage show Ek Mulaqaat in which she played the celebrated Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam.