Editing Deepa Mehta (section)

==Career==
After graduating Mehta began working for a production company that made documentary and educational films for the Indian government.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1258-e.html|title=Deepa Mehta – Celebrating Women's Achievements}}</ref> During the production of her first feature-length documentary focusing on the working life of a child bride,<ref name=":0" /> 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,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/deepa-mehta/|title=Deepa Mehta}}</ref> and was credited in some of her early films as '''Deepa Saltzman'''.

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.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web| title=Deepa Mehta at the Canadian Women Film Directors Database| url=http://femfilm.ca/director_search.php?director=deepa-mehta&lang=e}}</ref> Additionally, Mehta directed several episodes of the Saltzman produced [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] drama ''[[Danger Bay]]'' (1984–90).<ref name=":1" />

Mehta also directed the documentaries ''[[At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch]]'' (1975)<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

In 1991 she made her feature-film directorial debut with ''[[Sam & Me]]'', a story of the relationship between a young [[Indo-Canadians|Indian]] boy and an elderly Jewish gentleman in the Toronto neighbourhood of [[Parkdale, Toronto|Parkdale]]. It broke the record at the time for the highest-budgeted film directed by a woman in Canada at $11 million.<ref name=":1" /> It won [[Camera d'Or#Caméra d'Or – Mention Spéciale|Honorable Mention]] in the [[Camera d'Or]] category of the 1991 [[Cannes Film Festival]]. Mehta followed this with her film ''[[Camilla (1994 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]].<ref name="Can" />

Mehta directed two episodes of [[George Lucas]]' television series ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Intern|date=27 June 2012|title=A Forbidden Hope|url=http://bostonreview.net/film/forbidden-hope|access-date=11 March 2021|journal=Boston Review|language=en}}</ref> 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 film)|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]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ET_Cetera/Toronto_film_fest_to_salute_Indian_cinema_/articleshow/3441582.cms |title= Toronto film festival to 'salute' Indian cinema |access-date=7 September 2008 |date= 3 September 2008|work= The Economic Times}}</ref> Also in 2008 Mehta produced the documentary ''The Forgotten Woman'', directed by her brother Dilip.<ref name=":1" />

In 2005 it was announced that Mehta would film an adaptation of [[Shilpi Somaya Gowda]]’s ''Secret Daughter''<ref name="Perennial">{{cite web |last1=Vaishnav |first1=Vaishnav |date=4 July 2014 |title=Perennial Power-ista: Deepa Mehta |url=http://www.vervemagazine.in/people/deepa-mehta |accessdate=31 May 2018 |publisher=[[Verve (Indian magazine)|Verve]]}}</ref><ref name="ELEMENTALIST">{{cite web |date=8 March 2015 |title=DEEPA MEHTA THE ELEMENTALIST |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/deepa-mehta-the-elementalist-7041 |accessdate=31 May 2018 |website=thedailystar.net |publisher=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]]}}</ref><ref name="Moviefone">{{cite web |last1=Bartyzel |first1=Monika |date=20 February 2007 |title=Deepa Mehta's Next Film is a Canadian 'Exclusion' |url=https://www.moviefone.com/2007/02/20/deepa-mehtas-next-film-is-a-canadian-exclusion/ |accessdate=31 May 2018 |website=moviefone.com |publisher=[[Moviefone]]}}</ref>with a cast including [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[John Abraham (actor)|John Abraham]], [[Seema Biswas]] and [[Terence Stamp]] in and [[Nandita Das]], [[Manisha Koirala]], [[Mahima Chaudhry]], and [[Padma Lakshmi]] in supporting roles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mehta plots Exclusion as Water follow-up |url=https://www.screendaily.com/mehta-plots-exclusion-as-water-follow-up/4024310.article |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Screen |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=The Churning Mind Of Deepa Mehta |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2006/05/07/the-churning-mind-of-deepa-mehta-span-classbankheadin-the-fight-to-film-water-director-confronted-elemental-forces-in-india-span/7c443cdf-dedc-498d-802b-25d291d4bcba/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>  The film, titled ''Exclusion'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deepa Mehta: A director in deep water - all over again |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/deepa-mehta-a-director-in-deep-water-all-over-again-478731.html |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> was to have music by [[A. R. Rahman]], and cinematography and editing by [[Giles Nuttgens]] and Colin Monie respectively. It would have been based on the [[Komagata Maru incident]],<ref name="networks.h-net.org2">{{cite web |author1=Shilpa Bhat |date=26 July 2017 |title=CFP, Edited anthology entitled Deepa Mehta's Cinematic Creations |url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/22055/discussions/188711/cfp-edited-anthology-entitled-deepa-mehta%E2%80%99s-cinematic-creations |accessdate=31 May 2018 |website=networks.h-net.org |publisher=Shilpa Bhat}}</ref> an incident where [[Canada]] turned away 397 Indian dissidents as a part of a policy to keep Canada racially white.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oscar-nominee Mehta to explore racism in new film |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/oscar-nominee-mehta-to-explore-racism-in-new-film-idUSSP333363/ |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Seguin |first=Denis |date=2008-11-07 |title=Rushdie's 'unfilmable' Midnight's Children heads for silver screen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/07/midnights-children-film |access-date=2024-10-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> But, although the project was postponed for many years, the film remained unrealised.

In 2015, Mehta wrote and directed ''[[Beeba Boys]]''. It premiered at the [[2015 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Toronto to open with 'Demolition'; world premieres for 'Trumbo', 'The Program'|url=http://www.screendaily.com/toronto-to-open-with-demolition-world-premieres-for-trumbo-the-program/5090990.article?referrer=RSS|publisher=Screen Daily|work=screendaily.com|access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref>

In 2016, Mehta directed the drama film ''[[Anatomy of Violence]]'', which uses fiction to explore the root causes which led to the [[2012 Delhi gang rape and murder]].<ref name="Qureshi 78">{{Cite journal|last=Qureshi|first=Bilal|date=1 June 2017|title=ElsewhereThe Discomforting Legacy of Deepa Mehta's Earth|url=https://online.ucpress.edu/fq/article/70/4/77/110012/ElsewhereThe-Discomforting-Legacy-of-Deepa-Mehta-s|journal=Film Quarterly|language=en|volume=70|issue=4|pages=78|doi=10.1525/fq.2017.70.4.77|issn=0015-1386|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

On 29 October 2020, [[Telefilm Canada]] announced that Mehta's film ''Funny Boy'' (2020) would represent Canada in the [[Academy Awards]] race for best international feature film.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deepa Mehta movie 'Funny Boy' chosen as Canada's Oscar contender|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7432071/deepa-mehta-movie-funny-boy-canada-oscar/|access-date=30 October 2020|website=Global News|language=en-US}}</ref> However, the film was disqualified by the Academy Awards as its mix of English, Sinhala and Tamil dialogue did not surpass the required percentage of non-English dialogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/oscar-funny-boy-category-change-1234866675/|title=Canada's Oscar Entry 'Funny Boy' Pulled From International Feature Film Race|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|author=Naman Ramanchandran|date=18 December 2020}}</ref>

At the [[9th Canadian Screen Awards]] in 2021, Mehta won the [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Director|Best Director]] award for ''Funny Boy''.<ref>Zach Harper, [https://ca.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/02021052160352/schitts-creek-kims-convenience-2021-canadian-screen-awards-winners "'Schitt's Creek' and 'Kim's Convenience' win big at 2021 Canadian Screen Awards"]. ''[[Hello! Canada]]'', 21 May 2021.</ref> She and cowriter [[Shyam Selvadurai]] also won the award for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]].<ref>Naman Ramachandran, [https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/schitts-creek-blood-quantum-canadian-screen-awards-1234978520/ "‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Blood Quantum’ Triumph at Canadian Screen Awards"]. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 21 May 2021.</ref>

In November 2021, ''Variety'' announced that Mehta is set to direct a film adaptation of [[Avni Doshi]]'s novel ''[[Girl in White Cotton|Burnt Sugar]]'', with [[Ben Silverman]]'s [[Propagate Content]] producing the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|author-link=Naman Ramachandran|date=5 November 2021|title=Deepa Mehta to Direct Adaptation of Avni Doshi's Bestselling Novel 'Burnt Sugar' for Propagate Content|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/global/deepa-mehta-avni-doshi-burnt-sugar-propagate-1235105686/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref>

===Elements trilogy===
{{Main|Elements trilogy}}

Mehta is best known for her [[Elements Trilogy]] — [[Fire (1996 film)|''Fire'']] (1996), ''[[Earth (1998 film)|Earth]]'' (1998) (released in India as ''1947: Earth''), and ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' (2005) — which won her much critical acclaim.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/movies/28wate.html|title=Movie Review: Water (2005): NYT Critics' Pick|last=Catsoulis|first=Jeannette|date=28 April 2006|work=New York Times}}</ref> Some notable actors who have worked in this trilogy are [[Aamir Khan]], [[Seema Biswas]], [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Kulbhushan Kharbanda]], [[John Abraham (actor)|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 describes the conception of the idea for the ''Elements'' films to be extremely organic. She first conceived of the idea for ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' while shooting in Varanasi, stating "You know, you read about widows — my grandmother is a widow — but I had never seen such institutionalization of widows until I went to Varanasi. There was a widow there called Gyanvati who was about 80 years old, and through her I got to know about ashrams and found it very moving. I thought that if I make a film, it would be about something surrounding widows; then I forgot about it. Then I wrote ''[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]''."<ref name="Khorana 4">{{Cite journal|last=Khorana|first=Sukhmani|date=1 January 2009|title=Maps and movies: talking with Deepa Mehta|url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/388|journal=Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers|pages=4}}</ref>

After completing the filming process for ''Fire'', Mehta told [[Shabana Azmi]] that her next film would be an adaptation of Bapsi Sidwha's ''[[Cracking India]]''; when Azmi asked what it would be called, Mehta replied: "Earth".<ref name="Khorana 4"/> Mehta maintains that each film centers on politics of a certain phenomenon.<ref name="Khorana 4"/>

''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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Burton|first=David F.|title=Fire, Water and The Goddess: The Films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as Critiques of Hindu Patriarchy|journal=Journal of Religion and Film|volume=17|pages=1–22}}</ref> Internationally, the film was critically acclaimed and would go on to win the Most Popular Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.<ref name=":1" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />

''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 central focus for ''Earth'' was intended to be about "the division of the earth, but it is also metaphoric- what does our matrubhoomi (motherland) mean to us?"<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Khorana|first=Sukhmani|date=1 January 2009|title=Maps and movies: talking with Deepa Mehta|url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/388|journal=Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />

''Water'' is about is an eight-year-old girl who is suddenly widowed. In keeping with traditions of widowhood, she is left in an [[ashram]], where she is to live from then on. 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.<ref name=":2" /> The regional government overruled the permission given from the central government to the production which allowed them to film in the holy city of Varanasi.<ref name=":2" /> Eventually the production moved to Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deepa Mehta: A director in deep water – all over again|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/deepa-mehta-a-director-in-deep-water--all-over-again-478731.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=19 May 2006}}</ref> ''Water'' opened the 2005 [[Toronto International Film Festival]] and was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/films/water |title=Canadian Film Encyclopedia - Water |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222070029/http://tiff.net/CANADIANFILMENCYCLOPEDIA/content/films/water |archive-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===''Midnight's Children''===
{{Main|Midnight's Children (film)}}

Mehta directed ''[[Midnight's Children (film)|Midnight's Children]]'' after collaborating on the screenplay with the [[Midnight's Children|novel]]'s author, [[Salman Rushdie]].<ref name=visits>{{cite web |url=http://movies.indiatimes.com/International/Rushdie-visits-Mumbai-for-Midnights-Children-film-/articleshow/5432895.cms |title=Rushdie visits Mumbai for 'Midnight's Children' film |publisher=Movies.indiatimes.com |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114151659/http://movies.indiatimes.com/International/Rushdie-visits-Mumbai-for-Midnights-Children-film-/articleshow/5432895.cms |archive-date=14 January 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Subhash K Jha |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Im-a-film-buff-Rushdie/articleshow/5436509.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811030544/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-13/news-interviews/28121143_1_deepa-mehta-bt-midnight-s-children |url-status=live |archive-date=11 August 2011 |title=I'm a film buff: Rushdie |date=13 January 2010 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=3 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mendes|first1=Ana Cristina|last2=Kuortti|first2=Joel|date=21 December 2016|title=Padma or No Padma: Audience in the Adaptations of Midnight's Children|journal=The Journal of Commonwealth Literature|language=en|volume=52|issue=3|pages=501–518|doi=10.1177/0021989416671171|issn=0021-9894|hdl=10451/29281|s2cid=164759708|hdl-access=free}}</ref> [[Indian American]] actor [[Satya Bhabha]] played the role of Saleem Sinai<ref>{{cite news|title=Deepa finds Midnight's Children lead|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Deepa-finds-Midnights-Children-lead/articleshow/6386128.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503103606/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-21/news-interviews/28306314_1_salman-rushdie-s-midnight-s-children-saleem-sinai-imran-khan|url-status=live|archive-date=3 May 2012|access-date=9 April 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=21 August 2010}}</ref> while other roles were played by [[Shriya Saran]], [[Seema Biswas]], [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Anupam Kher]], [[Siddharth Narayan]], [[Rahul Bose]], [[Soha Ali Khan]],<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Dreaming-of-Midnight-s-Children/563437/ Dreaming of Midnight's Children]</ref> [[Shahana Goswami]]<ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/Irrfan-moves-from-Mira-Nair-to-Deepa-Mehta/H1-Article1-499416.aspx Irrfan moves from Mira Nair to Deepa Mehta] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304213538/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Irrfan-moves-from-Mira-Nair-to-Deepa-Mehta/H1-Article1-499416.aspx |date=4 March 2010 }}</ref> and [[Darsheel Safary]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Jha|first=Subhash K.|title= Darsheel Safary Darsheel Safary in Midnight's Children|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Darsheel-Safary-in-Midnights-Children/articleshow/7832012.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609143444/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-31/news-interviews/29365634_1_darsheel-safary-deepa-mehta-salman-rushdie-s-midnight-s-children|url-status=live|archive-date=9 June 2012|access-date=20 May 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=31 March 2011}}</ref>

The film was released on 9 September 2012 at Toronto International Film Festival<ref>{{cite news|last=Nolen|first=Stephanie|title=Mehta at midnight|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/movies/deepa-mehta-films-rushdies-midnights-children/article2021293/singlepage/#articlecontent|access-date=17 May 2011|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=15 May 2011|archive-date=23 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523090739/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/movies/deepa-mehta-films-rushdies-midnights-children/article2021293/singlepage/#articlecontent|url-status=dead}}</ref> and would be nominated for Best Motion Picture along with 7 other nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards.<ref name=":1" />