දීපා මේහ්තා

Deepa Mehta,  ( born 1 January 1950) is an Indo-Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005).

Earth was submitted by India as its official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Water was Canada's official entry for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, making it only the third non-French-language Canadian film submitted in that category after Attila Bertalan's 1990 invented-language film A Bullet to the Head and Zacharias Kunuk's 2001 Inuktitut-language feature Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.

She co-founded Hamilton-Mehta Productions, with her husband, producer David Hamilton in 1996. She was awarded a Genie Award in 2003 for the screenplay of Bollywood/Hollywood. In May 2012, Mehta received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.

Early life
Mehta was born in Amritsar, Punjab though her family moved to New Delhi while she was still a child, and her father worked as a film distributor. Subsequently, Mehta attended Welham Girls High School, boarding school in Dehradun on the foothills of Himalayas. She graduated from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi with a degree in Philosophy.

Career
After graduating Mehta began working for a production company that made documentary and educational films for the Indian government. During the production of her first feature-length documentary focusing on the working life of a child bride, she met and married Canadian documentary filmmaker Paul Saltzman, who was in India making a film. She migrated to Toronto to live with her husband in 1973.

Once in Canada, Mehta and Saltzman along with Mehta's brother Dilip started Sunrise Films, a production company, initially producing documentaries but moved into television production creating the television series Spread Your Wings (1977–79) about the creative and artistic work of young people from around the world. Additionally, Mehta directed several episodes of the Saltzman produced CBC drama Danger Bay (1984–90).

Mehta also directed the documentaries At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch (1975) and Traveling Light (1986), the latter focusing on the work of Mehta's brother Dilip as a photojournalist. Traveling Light would go on to be nominated for three Gemini Awards. In 1987, based on the works of Alice Munro, Cynthia Flood and Betty Lambert, Mehta produced and co-directed Martha, Ruth and Edie. Screened at the Cannes International Film Festival, it would go on to win the Best Feature Film Award at the 11th International Film Festival in Florence in 1988.

In 1991 she made her feature-film directorial debut with Sam & Me (starring Om Puri), a story of the relationship between a young Indian boy and an elderly Jewish gentleman in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale. It broke the record at the time for the highest-budgeted film directed by a woman in Canada at $11 million. It won Honorable Mention in the Camera d'Or category of the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Mehta followed this with her film  Camilla starring Bridget Fonda and Jessica Tandy in 1994. In 2002, she directed Bollywood/Hollywood, for which she won the Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Mehta directed two episodes of George Lucas' television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The first episode, "Benares, January 1910", aired in 1993. The second episode was aired in 1996 as part of a TV movie titled Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father.

Mehta directed several English-language films set in Canada, including The Republic of Love (2003) and Heaven on Earth (2008) which deals with domestic violence and has Preity Zinta playing the female lead. It premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Also in 2008 Mehta produced the documentary The Forgotten Woman, directed by her brother Dilip.

In 2015, Mehta wrote and directed the crime thriller Beeba Boys (2015), a film starring Randeep Hooda as Jeet Johar, a proud observant Sikh and a ruthless gangster. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

On 29 October 2020, Telefilm Canada announced that Metha's film Funny Boy (2020) would represent Canada in the Academy Awards race for best international feature film.

Elements trilogy

Mehta is best known for her Elements Trilogy — Fire (1996), Earth (1998) (released in India as 1947: Earth), and Water (2005) — which won her much critical acclaim. Some notable actors who have worked in this trilogy are Aamir Khan, Seema Biswas, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, John Abraham, Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, and Nandita Das. These films are also notable for Mehta's collaborative work with author Bapsi Sidhwa. Sidhwa's novel Cracking India (1991, U.S.; 1992, India; originally published as Ice Candy Man, 1988, England) is the basis for Mehta's 1998 film Earth. Mehta's film Water was later published by Sidhwa as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel. All three films have soundtracks composed by A. R. Rahman.

Fire follows the love affair between two sisters-in-law whose own sexless marriages bring them together in a passionate romance. It caused controversy upon its release as several Hindutva groups took issue with its central lesbian romance, one that was seen to break traditional family and religious value within society, as there were protests in cities across India. Internationally, the film was critically acclaimed and would go on to win the Most Popular Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. This was also the first feature length dramatic film which Mehta both wrote and directed, a practice which she would continue throughout the rest of her career.

Earth focuses on the time before and during the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and how the life of one family was uprooted by this historical event. The film resembled Mehta's own family history as her parents fled the newly created Pakistan in 1947 whilst Mehta herself was born in Punjab, not far from the Indian/Pakistan border.

Water is the story of an eight-year-old child widow who is forced to enter a house of widows for the rest of her life. The film, meant to be shot in India, was attacked by Hindu fundamentalists who saw the film as disrespectful and who took issues with Mehta's earlier films and their portrayal of Hindu culture. Riots broke out, sets were destroyed, and death threats were issued towards the actors and Mehta, forcing production to stop. The regional government then overruled the permission given from the central government to the production which allowed them to film in the holy city of Varanasi however, four years later the movie was made in Sri Lanka. Water opened the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/films/water

Midnight's Children

Mehta collaborated on the screenplay for Midnight's Children with the novel's author, Salman Rushdie. Indian American actor Satya Bhabha played the role of Saleem Sinai while other roles were played by Shriya Saran, Seema Biswas, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher, Siddharth Narayan, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan,Dreaming of Midnight's Children Shahana GoswamiIrrfan moves from Mira Nair to Deepa Mehta  and Darsheel Safary.

The film was released on 9 September 2012 at Toronto International Film Festival and would be nominated for Best Motion Picture along with 7 other nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards.

 Themes 
Many of Mehta's films across her career have focused on the duality of her national and cultural identity which has informed much of her filmmaking as she has been described as the "quintessential transnational filmmaker". With her childhood and heritage informing her of key Indian and Hindu traditions, she has been seen to compare these practices with a more "Westernized" philosophy that has often resulted in controversy. The production of her film Water was delayed by protests from Hindu fundamentalists whilst several of her other films releases have seen boycotts across India, including the film Fire.

Personal life
In Canada she met and married filmmaker Paul Saltzman whom she divorced in 1983. The couple have a daughter, Devyani Saltzman, an acclaimed author, curator and cultural critic.

Mehta is currently married to producer David Hamilton. Her brother, Dilip Mehta, is a photojournalist and film director. He directed Cooking with Stella, which he co-wrote with Deepa.Beard. p 270

Mehta participated in a TV PSA for the charity Artists Against Racism, and is a member of the organization.

 Filmography 
+YearTitleDirectorScreenwriterProducerNotes1975At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy MurchDocumentary short film1986K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream OurselvesDocumentary film1988Martha, Ruth and EdieDirectorial debut1991Sam & Me1994Camilla1996Fire1998Earth2002Bollywood/HollywoodAlso executive music producer2003The Republic of Love2005WaterAlso development consultant2006Let's Talk About ItDocumentary film; direct-to-video2008The Forgotten WomanDocumentary filmHeaven on Earth2009Cooking with Stella2012Midnight's ChildrenBased on the novel by Salman Rushdie2015Beeba Boys2016Mostly SunnyDocumentary filmAnatomy of ViolenceFantassútDocumentary short filmThe Big CrunchShort film2020Violation2020Funny BoyAdaptation of the novel by Shyam Selvadurai

 TV and web series 
+YearTitleDirectorScreenwriterExecutiveproducerNotes1976–1981Spread Your WingsDocumentary:director (4 episodes);writer (episode "Child of the Andes");executive producer (13 episodes);production (2 episodes);sound (10 episodes)1989–1990Danger Bay4 episodes1993–1996The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles2 episodes2019LeilaA Netflix original series based on a missing girl named leila:director (2 episodes);writer and creative executive producer (6 episodes)2020Little AmericaEpisode "The Manager"

 As actress 
+YearTitleRoleNotes1983For the Record Ranjeet SinghTV Series (episode "Reasonable Force")1990Jurm CameoAashiquiCameo2005WaterSpecial Appearance

Awards
+YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2016Toronto International Film FestivalBest Canadian Feature FilmAnatomy of ViolenceValladolid International Film FestivalGolden Spike – Best FilmWashington DC South Asian Film FestivalOutstanding Achievement in International Cinema2015Toronto Film Critics Association AwardsClyde Gilmour AwardToronto International Film FestivalBest Canadian Feature FilmBeeba Boys 2013Canadian Screen AwardsAchievement in DirectionMidnight's ChildrenDirectors Guild of CanadaDGC Team Award – Feature Film2012London Film FestivalBest FilmValladolid International Film FestivalGolden Spike – Best Film2009Directors Guild of CanadaDGC Team Award – Feature FilmHeaven on EarthGenie AwardsBest Screenplay, OriginalVancouver Film Critics CircleBest Director – Canadian Film2008Dubai International Film FestivalMuhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Scriptwriter – FeatureMuhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Film – Feature2007Italian National Syndicate of Film JournalistsSilver Ribbon – Best Non-European DirectorWaterChlotrudis AwardsBest DirectorAwards of the International Indian Film AcademyOutstanding Achievement in International Cinema2006Genie AwardsBest Achievement in DirectionWaterOslo Films from the South FestivalSilver Mirror Award – Best FeatureNew York Film CriticsHumanitarian AwardSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalAudience Award – Best Narrative FeatureTaormina International Film FestivalArte AwardVancouver Film Critics CircleBest Director – Canadian FilmWomen Film Critics Circle AwardsBest Foreign Movie by or About Women2005Toronto Female Eye Film FestivalHonorary Director AwardValladolid International Film FestivalYouth Jury AwardWaterGolden Spike2003Directors Guild of CanadaDGC Team Award – Feature FilmBollywood/HollywoodGenie AwardsBest Screenplay, OriginalNewport International Film FestivalStudent Jury AwardSarasota Film FestivalAudience Award – Best ComedyVancouver Film Critics CircleBest Director – Canadian Film1997Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film FestivalBest Feature FilmFireL.A. OutfestOutstanding Narrative FeatureVerona Love Screens Film FestivalBest Film1996Mannheim-Heidelberg International FilmfestivalSpecial Prize of the JuryInternational Independent AwardVancouver International Film FestivalMost Popular Canadian Film1976Chicago International Film FestivalGold Hugo – Best DocumentaryAt 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch
In addition to her filmmaking awards, Mehta has received the following honors:

Doctor of Laws, University of Victoria, 2009
Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, 2012
Doctor of Laws, Mount Allison University, 2013
Doctor of Letters, Concordia University, 2013
 Member of the Order of Ontario, 2013
 Officer of the Order of Canada, 2013

See also
 List of female film and television directors
 List of LGBT-related films directed by women
 South Asian Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area
 Women's cinema

References




External links


 Hamilton Mehta Productions
 Deepa Mehta In Profile , a short film tribute on her Governor General's Performing Arts Award, National Film Board of Canada website
 Deepa Mehta speaks with WSWS 15 May 2006 with Richard Phillips on the World Socialist Web Site

ප්‍රවර්ගය:1950 උපත්
Category:Canadian screenwriters
Category:Film directors from Toronto
Category:Film directors from Punjab, India
Category:Indian emigrants to Canada
Category:Indian women film directors
ප්‍රවර්ගය:ජීවමාන ජනයා
Category:Members of the Order of Ontario
Category:Officers of the Order of Canada
Category:Punjabi people
Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent
Category:Canadian Hindus
Category:Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners
Category:Canadian people of Indian descent
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Category:Canadian documentary filmmakers
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Category:Indian documentary filmmakers
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Category:Screenwriters from Punjab, India
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Category:Artists from Amritsar
Category:Indian women documentary filmmakers
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Category:Indian women film producers
Category:21st-century Canadian women writers
Category:20th-century Canadian women writers
Category:Welham Girls' School alumni
Category:Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Short Documentary Film