Ketan Mehta

Ketan Mehta (born 1952) is an Indian film director, who has also directed documentaries and television serials.

Early life and education
Born in Navsari 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.

Career
During his career he has made ten feature films, seven documentaries and two television serials - Captain Vyom and Mr. Yogi. His repertoire of themes includes comedy, satire, romance, violence and rebellion.

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. That experience has been vital to films that I’ve made.”

Mehta's 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 they have won numerous awards over the years. Mirch Masala was one of Mehta's notable efforts, and won him the Best Film Award at Hawaii. It was released to 52 cinemas in the United States. 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.

Awards and recognition

 * National Film Award
 * 1981: Best Feature Film on National Integration: Bhavni Bhavai
 * 1994: Best Feature Film on National Integration: Sardar


 * 15th Moscow International Film Festival: Nominated Golden Prize: Mirch Masala


 * 2010: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (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 & Television by Sandeep Marwah

Personal life
He is married to actress Deepa Sahi who has acted in two of his films,  Maya Memsaab and Aar Ya Paar. Together they promote the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics. 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. Nirad Mehta, Consultant Radiologist at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

Filmography

 * Bhavni Bhavai (1980)
 * Holi (1984)
 * Mirch Masala (1985)
 * Hero Hiralal (1988)
 * Maya Memsaab (1992)
 * Sardar (1993)
 * Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India (1995)
 * Aar Ya paar (1997)
 * Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
 * Rang Rasiya (2008)
 * Tere Mere Phere (2011) (producer)