Ketan Mehta stands as one of India's most internationally recognized filmmakers. With a career spanning over 25 years, Mehta has garnered numerous National and International awards for his contributions to cinema. His filmography includes acclaimed works such as 'The Rising - Ballad of Mangal Pandey', 'Mirch Masala', 'Maya Memsaab', 'Sardar', 'Holi' and 'Bhavni Bhavai'.
Early Life and Education
Mehta is a graduate in Film making from India's premier film institute FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). After graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India, Mehta joined the Indian Space Research Organisation as a television producer. There, he was given almost total freedom in what to create. In an interview years later, Mehta remarked about how influential this was to his development: "It was an incredible experience. Traveling all over Gujarat, meeting people, making programs on whatever you felt like, whatever you came across. It was real, genuine experimentation with medium, with people.
Career Highlights
Bhavni Bhavai (1980)
Mehta's first film, Bhavni Bhavai, a Gujarati film, won him acclaim. Received Best Film on Human Rights for Bhavni Bhavai.
Mirch Masala (1987)
Mirch Masala was one of Mehta's notable efforts, and won him the Best Film Award at Hawaii. Received Best Film for Mirch Masala at the Hawaii International Film Festival. It was released to 52 cinemas in the United States.
The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005)
Received the Audience Choice Award at Locarno for the Ballad of Mangal Pandey.
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Recent Works
His latest two films Rang Rasiya, 2014 and Manjhi the Mountain Man, 2015 both opened to tepid box office and universally positive critical reviews.
Awards and Recognition
His films have been selected for various international film festivals such as Nantes (France) and the Moscow Film Festival, where they have won numerous awards over the years.
Contributions and Affiliations
He has served as a consultant on many Government of India bodies including Doordarshan, Directorate of Film Festivals and is currently a Member of the Board of Directors of NFDC (National Film Development Corporation of India).
Personal Life
He is married to actress Deepa Sahi who has acted in three of his films, Maya Memsaab, Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India and Aar Ya Paar. Together they founded the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics and Maya Digital Studios. He is the nephew of Gandhian and freedom fighter, Usha Mehta. His younger brother, Dr. Yatin Mehta, is Chairman of Medanta Institute of Critical Care and Anesthesiology, Gurgaon, Haryana. His youngest brother is Dr. Mr.
Filmography
During his career, Mehta has made ten feature films, seven documentaries and two television serials - Captain Vyom and Mr.
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Feature Films:
*Bhavni Bhavai*Mirch Masala*Maya Memsaab*Sardar*Holi*'The Rising - Ballad of Mangal Pandey'*Rang Rasiya*Manjhi the Mountain Man
Television Serials:
*Captain Vyom*Mr.
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