Ketan Mehta
Encyclopedia
Ketan Mehta is an India
n film director, who has also directed documentaries and television serials.
in Gujarat, Ketan Mehta did his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
, Delhi
and later graduated in film direction from Film and Television Institute of India
, Pune
.
s, seven documentaries
and 2 television serials- Captain Vyom & Mr. Yogi (TV series)
to his credit. His repertoire of themes include comedy
, satire
, romance
, violence
and rebellion
.
Ketan Mehta's very first film Bhavni Bhavai
,a Gujarati film, won him acclaim. His movies have been selected for various international film festivals such as Nantes
(France
) and the Moscow
Film Festival, where his movies have won numerous awards over the years. Mirch Masala
was one of Ketan Mehta's notable efforts which won him the Best Film Award at Hawaii
. It was released to 52 cinemas in the United States
. Ketan Mehta has also had the honour of serving as a member of the Jury in various national and international film festivals.
He did a biopic Sardar
, on the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
.
who has acted in few of his films, Maya Memsaab and Aar Ya Paar, and along with whom, he promotes, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics
. He is the nephew of Gandhian and freedom fighter, Usha Mehta
.His younger brother, Dr. Yatin Mehta, is a Chairman - Medanta Institute of Critical Care and Anesthesiology, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, Haryana . His youngest brother is Dr. Nirad Mehta, Consultant Radiologist at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai .
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film director, who has also directed documentaries and television serials.
Early life and education
Born in NavsariNavsari
Navsari is a city and municipality in the Surat Metropolitan Region and also the administrative headquarters Navsari District of Gujarat, India. Navsari is also the Twin City of Surat, and only 37 km south of Surat.-Geography:...
in Gujarat, Ketan Mehta did his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya is a premier school in New Delhi, India, located in the heart of the city at Lodi Estate. It has 1500 students from the nursery level to the 12th grade with 200 teachers and supporting staff members....
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and later graduated in film direction from Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
.
Career
During his career he has made 10 feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s, seven documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
and 2 television serials- Captain Vyom & Mr. Yogi (TV series)
Mr. Yogi (TV series)
It is a story of an USA settled Indian boy trying to arrange his marriage in India.This one was directed by Ketan Mehta, and starred Mohan Gokhale.-Story:...
to his credit. His repertoire of themes include comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
, romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
, violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
.
Ketan Mehta's very first film Bhavni Bhavai
Bhavni Bhavai
Bhavni Bhavai is a 1980 Gujarati film directed by Ketan Mehta. Ketan Mehta's debut film is a successful adaptation of folk idioms into cinema. The film is dedicated to Bertolt Brecht, Goscinny and to the inventor of the Bhavai, Asait Thakore, who was a Brahmin outcast and lived among the lower...
,a Gujarati film, won him acclaim. His movies have been selected for various international film festivals such as Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Film Festival, where his movies have won numerous awards over the years. Mirch Masala
Mirch Masala
-Story:The film opens with an arrogant subedar and his soldiers rampaging through a village. The subedar has an eye for women and soon spots Sonbai on the riverbank. Sonbai is an intelligent, beautiful and strong woman. Her confidence intrigues the subedar.The film moves deeper into the village...
was one of Ketan Mehta's notable efforts which won him the Best Film Award at Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It was released to 52 cinemas in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ketan Mehta has also had the honour of serving as a member of the Jury in various national and international film festivals.
He did a biopic Sardar
Sardar (film)
Sardar is a 1993 Indian biopic on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest freedom fighters, directed by Ketan Mehta and written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar.-Plot synopsis:...
, on the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
.
Awards and recognition
- National Film Award
- 1981: Best Feature Film on National IntegrationNargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National IntegrationThe Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is a National Film Award - Silver Lotus, given to an Indian feature film director, for the best film relating to National Integration in India.The winners of the Award:-References:...
: Bhavni BhavaiBhavni BhavaiBhavni Bhavai is a 1980 Gujarati film directed by Ketan Mehta. Ketan Mehta's debut film is a successful adaptation of folk idioms into cinema. The film is dedicated to Bertolt Brecht, Goscinny and to the inventor of the Bhavai, Asait Thakore, who was a Brahmin outcast and lived among the lower... - 1994: Best Feature Film on National IntegrationNargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National IntegrationThe Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is a National Film Award - Silver Lotus, given to an Indian feature film director, for the best film relating to National Integration in India.The winners of the Award:-References:...
: 'SardarSardar (film)Sardar is a 1993 Indian biopic on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest freedom fighters, directed by Ketan Mehta and written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar.-Plot synopsis:...
- 1981: Best Feature Film on National Integration
- 2010: Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
(French Government) - Filmfare Award
- 1993: Best Documentary: All in the Family
- 2010 Honored with Life Membership of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & TelevisionAsian Academy of Film & TelevisionThe Asian Academy of Film & Television is a film school located in India's Noida Film City in India's Capital region, NCR. It is affiliated with the International Film & Television Research Center and the Marwah Films & Video Studios....
by Sandeep Marwah
Personal life
He is married to actress Deepa SahiDeepa Sahi
-Early life:Deepa Sahi was born in India in Dehradun. Her family later shifted to Canada but she continued to stay in India.-Early career:An alumnus of National School of Drama, Delhi, Sahi started off with a theater career, with strong Leftist leanings and social activism a core value of the...
who has acted in few of his films, Maya Memsaab and Aar Ya Paar, and along with whom, he promotes, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics is the academic wing of Maya Entertainment Ltd., a premier 3D and Visual Effects house based in Mumbai now a business line of ., India and promoted by Internationally renowned producer-director, Mr. Ketan Mehta and acclaimed film actress Ms. Deepa Sahi...
. He is the nephew of Gandhian and freedom fighter, Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta
Usha Mehta was a renowned Gandhian and freedom fighter of India. She is also remembered for organizing the Congress Radio, also called the Secret Congress Radio, an underground radio station, which functioned for few months during the Quit India Movement of 1942...
.His younger brother, Dr. Yatin Mehta, is a Chairman - Medanta Institute of Critical Care and Anesthesiology, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, Haryana . His youngest brother is Dr. Nirad Mehta, Consultant Radiologist at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai .
Filmography
- Bhavni BhavaiBhavni BhavaiBhavni Bhavai is a 1980 Gujarati film directed by Ketan Mehta. Ketan Mehta's debut film is a successful adaptation of folk idioms into cinema. The film is dedicated to Bertolt Brecht, Goscinny and to the inventor of the Bhavai, Asait Thakore, who was a Brahmin outcast and lived among the lower...
(19801980 in film- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
) - HoliHoli (film)Holi is a 1984 Indian film, directed by Ketan Mehta, whose socially conscious work has been compared to American director, Spike Lee. The film is based on eponymous play by Marathi writer, Mahesh Elkunchwar...
(19841984 in film-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
) - Mirch MasalaMirch Masala-Story:The film opens with an arrogant subedar and his soldiers rampaging through a village. The subedar has an eye for women and soon spots Sonbai on the riverbank. Sonbai is an intelligent, beautiful and strong woman. Her confidence intrigues the subedar.The film moves deeper into the village...
(1985) - Hero HiralalHero HiralalHero Hiralal is a 1988 film directed by Ketan Mehta. It is a movie about an auto rickshaw driver who falls in love with a film actress.The movie had some good performances by the lead actors and by Saeed Jaffrey and Satish Shah in their supporting roles....
(19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - Maya MemsaabMaya MemsaabMaya Memsaab , also known as Maya and Maya: The Enchanting Illusion in English) is a 1993 Hindi film directed by Ketan Mehta. The film is based on Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary.-Synopsis:...
(19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) - SardarSardar (film)Sardar is a 1993 Indian biopic on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest freedom fighters, directed by Ketan Mehta and written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar.-Plot synopsis:...
(19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
) - Oh Darling! Yeh Hai IndiaOh Darling! Yeh Hai IndiaOh Darling! Yeh Hai India! is an 1995 Indian musical spoof film directed by Ketan Mehta, and starring Shahrukh Khan, Deepa Sahi, Jaaved Jaffrey and Amrish Puri...
(19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
) - Aar Ya paarAar Ya PaarAar Ya Paar is a 1997 Bollywood film produced and directed by Ketan Mehta. The film stars Jackie Shroff, Deepa Sahi , Ritu Shivpuri, Paresh Rawal and Kamal Sidhu. The music is by Viju Shah-Story:...
(19971997 in film-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
) - Mangal Pandey: The RisingMangal Pandey: The RisingMangal Pandey: The Rising or The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey is an Indian movie based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who is known for his role in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. It is directed by Ketan Mehta, produced by Bobby Bedi, and with a screenplay by Farrukh Dhondy...
(20052005 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
) - Rang RasiyaRang RasiyaRang Rasiya is an Indian drama film based on the life of the 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. The film is directed and co-produced by Ketan Mehta, and stars Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen and a newcomer Triptha Parashar in the lead roles....
(20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
) - "Tere Mere Phere" (2011)