# Nitya Mehra

Nitya Mehra is an Indian film director and screenwriter based in Mumbai. She is best known for her work on the romantic drama film Baar Baar Dekho (2016), and the Prime Video series Made in Heaven (2019–present) and Big Girls Don't Cry (2024). Early in her career she began a close association with Excel Entertainment, assisting Farhan Akhtar on films like Lakshya (2004) and Don (2006). She has also assisted acclaimed international directors such as Ang Lee on his Academy Award winning Life of Pi (2012), and Mira Nair on celebrated films likeThe Namesake (2006) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012).

## Early life and education

Mehra was born in Amritsar into a Punjabi Hindu family. Her mother was a fashion designer. She studied at Welham Girls' School, a boarding school in Dehradun. After completing her schooling she went on to study literature at Delhi University, after which she pursued a film production and direction program at New York University.

## Career

Mehra started her film making journey in 2001 as a Production Assistant in New York, on a Spike Lee production called 3 am. Eager to return to India, she began assisting film makers in India and learning the ropes. As an assistant director she worked on various Indian and international projects such as Lakshya, The Namesake, Don, Little Zizou, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and Life of Pi.
Mehra directed the Star One teen comedy sitcom Happy Go Lucky in 2005.
Mehra's directorial breakthrough came in 2013 with the first season of Indian remake of the hit TV show 24, which aired on Colors TV. The show starring Anil Kapoor was well-received and praised for its direction, performances, and ensemble cast.
In 2016, Mehra directed her first feature film Baar Baar Dekho starring Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif, co-produced by Excel Entertainment and Dharma Productions.
In 2019, Mehra worked on the critically acclaimed drama series Made in Heaven for Amazon Prime Video, where she served as the Director, Showrunner, and Executive Producer for Season 1. The show and its ensemble cast starring Arjun Mathur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jim Sarbh, and Kalki Koechlin received universal positive reviews, and features in IMDb's '50 Most Popular Indian Web-Shows of All Time' list.
She wrote and directed the segment Chand Mubarak as part of Unpaused (2020), an Indian Hindi-language anthology film, released on Amazon Prime Video. The story, focusing on the unusual friendship between an auto-rickshaw driver, played by Abhishek Bannerjee and a reclusive older woman, played Ratna Pathak, received favourable reviews and was praised for its poignant writing and direction.
In 2023, Mehra returned as a Director for the second season of Made in Heaven.
She created and directed the coming-of-age drama Big Girls Don't Cry (2024) for Amazon Prime Video. The young-adult show following the lives of students at an all-girls boarding school, dealt with the themes of identity, class, and growing up.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Movie | Notes |
| 2006 | The Namesake | Assistant Director |
| 2006 | Don | Assistant Director |
| 2008 | The Other End of the Line | Assistant Director |
| 2008 | Little Zizou | Assistant Director |
| 2012 | Life of Pi | Assistant Director |
| 2012 | The Reluctant Fundamentalist | Assistant Director |
| 2016 | Baar Baar Dekho | Director |
| 2020 | Unpaused | Director (Chaand Mubarak) |

### Television

| Year | Television Show | Notes |
| 2013 | 24 | Season 1, Director (4 episodes) |
| 2019 | Made in Heaven | Season 1, Director (2 episodes), Showrunner, Executive Producer |
| 2023 | Made in Heaven | Season 2, Director (2 episodes) |
| 2024 | Big Girls Don't Cry | Creator, Director, Executive Producer |

## Awards and nominations

* Winner of the Best Director for Made in Heaven, at the Indian Television Academy Awards 2019
* Made in Heaven Nominated for Critics Choice Awards 2019

## Personal life

Nitya Mehra is married to Karan D. Kapadia and they have a son.