Editing Deepa Mehta

{{Short description|Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter (born 1950)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Deepa Mehta
| image              = Canadian director Deepa Mehta (48198952367).jpg
| caption            = Deepa Mehta in 2005
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1950|09|15}}
| birth_place        = [[Amritsar]], [[East Punjab]], India
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| nationality        = Canadian
| other_names        = 
| citizenship        = 
| education          = 
| alma_mater         = 
| occupation         = Film director, screenwriter, film producer
| employer           = 
| organization       = 
| known_for          = [[Elements Trilogy]]
| notable_works      = 
| children           = [[Devyani Saltzman]] (daughter)
| parents            = 
| relatives          = [[Dilip Mehta]] (brother)
| website            = {{URL|https://www.hamiltonmehta.com/}}
| yearsactive        = 1976–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Paul Saltzman]]|1973|1983|reason=divorced}} <br />[[David Hamilton (Canadian producer)|David Hamilton]] (– present)
}}

'''Deepa Mehta''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OC|OOnt}} ({{IPA|hi|diːpa ˈmeːɦta|}}; born 15 September 1950)<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUGtBAAAQBAJ&dq=deepa+mehta+january+1&pg=PA320 | title=Canadian Immigration and South Asian Immigrants | isbn=9781499058741 | last1=Rahim | first1=Abdur | year=2014 | publisher=Xlibris Corporation }}</ref> is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her [[Elements Trilogy]], [[Fire (1996 film)|''Fire'']] (1996), ''[[Earth (1998 film)|Earth]]'' (1998), and ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' (2005), the last being nominated for [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[79th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]].

''Earth'' was submitted by [[List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|India as its official entry]] for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], and ''Water'' was Canada's official entry for the [[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 in the Head (1990 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 (Canadian producer)|David Hamilton]] in 1996. She was awarded a [[Genie Award]] in 2003 for the screenplay of ''[[Bollywood/Hollywood]]''.<ref name="Can">{{cite web |title=Deepa Metha |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/deepa-mehta |website=[[Canadian Encyclopedia]] |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref> In May 2012, Mehta received the [[Governor General's Performing Arts Award]] for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Deepa Mehta biography|url=http://ggpaa.ca/award-recipients/2012/mehta-deepa.aspx|publisher=Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation|access-date=12 February 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==
Mehta was born in [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009495 |title=The Canadian Encyclopedia bio |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204022316/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009495 |archive-date=4 December 2008}}</ref> near the militarized border of Pakistan and experienced firsthand the impacts brought forth by the [[Partition of India]].<ref name="Qureshi 80">{{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=80|doi=10.1525/fq.2017.70.4.77|issn=0015-1386|url-access=subscription}}</ref> She describes learning about warfare from citizens of [[Lahore]], stating "Even when I was growing up in Amritsar, we used to go every weekend to Lahore, so I just grew up around people who talked about it incessantly and felt it was one of the most horrific sectarian wars they knew of."<ref name="Qureshi 80"/>

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.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Welham Girls' School
 |publisher   = doonschools.com
 |url         = http://www.doonschools.com/welhamgirlsschool.html
 |access-date  = 1 October 2007
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061015235541/http://www.doonschools.com/welhamgirlsschool.html
 |archive-date = 15 October 2006
|df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> She graduated from the [[Lady Shri Ram College for Women]], [[University of Delhi]] with a degree in [[Philosophy]].<ref name="ma" />

Mehta notes how her reception to film transformed and changed as she got older and was exposed to different types of cinema, which ultimately influenced her to become a filmmaker herself. She states:

"When I was growing up in Delhi and I went to university in Delhi, I used to watch [Indian] films. I grew up with a very healthy dose of Indian commercial cinema. My father was a film distributor, so from a very young age I saw commercial Indian cinema. But once I went to university, or even my last year of school, I really started watching and enjoying [[Satyajit Ray]] and [[Ritwik Ghatak]] and had exposure to non-Hindi cinema and non-Hollywood cinema. At university, I was also exposed to directors like [[François Truffaut|Truffaut]] and [[Jean-Luc Godard|Godard]]. There was also intense exposure to Japanese cinema. So, [[Yasujirō Ozu|Ozu]], [[Kenji Mizoguchi|Mizoguchi]]."<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|pages=5}}</ref>

==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" />

== 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".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Gendered Screen: Canadian Women Filmmakers|last=Stojanova|first=Christina|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier University Press|year=2010|location=Waterloo|pages=217–232}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /> 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.''<ref name=":2" />

Mehta's [[Elements trilogy|''Elements'' trilogy]] notably explores themes of the emergence of new identities, particularly in the context of independence. In ''[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]'', the older character Radha's sense of agency and empowerment increases as she becomes sexually liberated through the younger character Sita.<ref name="Fire 1998">''Fire'', directed by Deepa Mehta (1996; Toronto, Canada: Zeitgeist Films, 1998), Stream.</ref> Professor Subeshini Moodley discusses how these women employ their bodies to cross boundaries & borders, stating how “their bodies being the marginal spaces that they occupy, these protagonists don’t always begin as women with agency, but grow and develop to that point. Their marginal spaces are first defined in order to show how they later redefine and transcend its boundaries”.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Moodley|first=Subeshini|date=2003|title=Postcolonial Feminisms Speaking through an 'Accented' Cinema: The Construction of Indian Women in the Films of Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4548098|journal=Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity|issue=58|pages=68|jstor=4548098|issn=1013-0950}}</ref> Put otherwise, by allowing themselves to explore their sexuality with each other, these women are breaking free of the restrictive confines of the traditional female Indian archetype that used to define their value (such as traits of virtue & obedience), and instead are reclaiming their power by transgressing the boundaries of their culture.<ref name="Fire 1998"/>

Another way in which ''Fire'' exemplifies the emergence of modern female identities is through its deliberate defiance of patriarchal structures through religious & cultural symbolism. The protagonists’ names of Radha and Sita are direct references to the heroines of the traditional Hindu epic, Ramayana, in which the characters Radha and Sita represent contrasting elements of feminine virtue; Radha embodying the playful adventuress and Sita being the dutiful and dedicated wife.<ref name="Burton 7">{{Cite journal|last=Burton|first=David|date=2 October 2013|title=Fire, Water and The Goddess: The Films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as Critiques of Hindu Patriarchy|url=https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol17/iss2/3|journal=Journal of Religion & Film|volume=17|issue=2|pages=7|issn=1092-1311}}</ref> However, Mehta switches the defining characteristics of these characters for her film, making Radha the obedient matriarch and Sita the inquisitive newlywed. This is important to note when discussing a key scene in the film in which after Ashok learns of his wife’s affair with Sita, Radha’s sari catches fire from the kitchen stove and she nearly becomes engulfed in flames.<ref name="Fire 1998"/> This is a clear allusion to a sequence from the Ramayana in which Sita is forced to prove her purity for her husband Rama by walking through a fire.<ref name="Burton 7"/> Dr. David Burton discusses how Mehta’s film subverts the traditional symbolism of the religious epic through its reversed meaning; in Fire, Radha survives the fire not to represent her purity for her husband, but rather to “assert her freedom from patriarchal control and traditional notions of sexual purity”, once again conveying how the film effectively depicts the inception of modernity in the female realm.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burton|first=David|date=2 October 2013|title=Fire, Water and The Goddess: The Films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as Critiques of Hindu Patriarchy|url=https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol17/iss2/3|journal=Journal of Religion & Film|volume=17|issue=2|pages=8|issn=1092-1311}}</ref>

As previously mentioned, Mehta based ''[[Earth (1998 film)|Earth]]'' on Pakistani author [[Bapsi Sidhwa|Bapsi Sidwha]]'s acclaimed 1988 novel ''[[Cracking India|Ice Candy Man]]'', which employs a young Parsi girl from a wealthy family as its protagonist.<ref name="Qureshi 81">{{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=81|doi=10.1525/fq.2017.70.4.77|issn=0015-1386|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Mehta's decision to maintain such a privileged protagonist is noteworthy; in one scene, Lenny’s mother attempts to explain to her daughter the role which Parsis play in the movement for India’s independence, in which she compares Parsis in India to sugar in milk: “sweet but invisible”.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Earth'', directed by Deepa Mehta (1999; Canada: Jhamu Sughand), Stream.</ref> While this takes on a negative connotation within the film, in a larger historical context, Lenny’s observation further supports Mehta’s decision to have the film’s protagonist taken on by a figure of such religious, cultural and ethnic ambivalence. The main goal of Lenny’s wealthy Parsi family is to stay neutral during the political tensions of Partition, and her astute renouncement of her family’s invisibility only reinforces this. Furthermore, “the fact that Lenny is neither Hindu nor Muslim [frees] the narrative from a divisive communal dichotomy”.<ref name="Qureshi 81"/> Lenny’s whole world is encompassed by her relationship with her Hindu nanny, her nanny’s adoration from two Muslim men, and their diverse friend group. When the conflict of Partition tears the group apart, Lenny’s whole world is simultaneously destroyed, and her humanist perspective allows for an unbiased portrayal of the negative effects which a fear of change and breaking tradition can inflict upon a society’s health.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Mehta's last film in the ''Elements'' trilogy, ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'', showcases the gross oppression endured by Indian women during precolonial times. It also depicts the mistreatment of widows to present strong support for the breaking of traditional social norms and an embrace of contemporary identities for Indian women. One example of this can be seen through the Hindu male hegemony’s reliance upon the authority of Hindu scriptures to rationalize the mistreatment of widows.<ref name="Burton 3">{{Cite journal|last=Burton|first=David|date=2 October 2013|title=Fire, Water and The Goddess: The Films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as Critiques of Hindu Patriarchy|url=https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol17/iss2/3|journal=Journal of Religion & Film|volume=17|issue=2|pages=3|issn=1092-1311}}</ref> In ''Water'', when Narayan’s father is revealed to be a former client of Kalyani, he attempts to justify his sexual exploits to his son by using his class privilege, stating that Brahmins can sleep with whomever they want as the women they sleep with are blessed.<ref>''Water'', directed by Deepa Mehta (2005; Canada: David Hamilton Productions), Stream.</ref> Narayan’s response that Brahmins who interpret the Holy Scripture for their own benefit should not be honored elucidates the immense hypocrisy which underlines various ancient religious ideologies that are often employed solely by the caste of men who seek to benefit from such outdated customs.<ref>Mathew P. John, ''Film as Cultural Artifact: Religious Criticism of World Cinema''. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2017), 104.</ref> Burton also points out how such selfish reworkings of religious ideologies is the real killer of faith, instead of Mehta’s sensational films. He states, “Reformers… who often view the negative aspects of their religion as misreadings and cultural accretions are themselves in danger of essentializing Hinduism insofar as they imply that the version of Hinduism of which they approve is the only genuine one”.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burton|first=David|date=2 October 2013|title=Fire, Water and The Goddess: The Films of Deepa Mehta and Satyajit Ray as Critiques of Hindu Patriarchy|url=https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol17/iss2/3|journal=Journal of Religion & Film|volume=17|issue=2|pages=10|issn=1092-1311}}</ref> In other words, the insistence to uphold such outdated structures of patriarchal hegemony simply on the basis of religiosity is in itself more blasphemous and sacrilegious than any sin outlined by ancient scriptures. However, there are certain elements of Water that allude to the positivity of embracing modernity. For example, Chuyia’s eventual rescue by Shakuntala and potentially happy future with Narayan presents the promise of Gandhi-influenced reform within Indian society.<ref name="Burton 3"/>

Mehta often uses her films to explore the impacts of cultural and political unrest on the lives of normal citizens, stating, "A driving force in the stories I want to tell is definitely curiosity. I was intrigued by sectarian war. I’m appalled by it. I was immensely curious about how it affects the everywoman and everyman."<ref name="Qureshi 80"/>

==Personal life==
In India, she met and married filmmaker [[Paul Saltzman]] whom she divorced in 1983.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} The couple have a daughter, [[Devyani Saltzman]], an author, curator and cultural critic.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Mehta is currently married to producer [[David Hamilton (Canadian producer)|David Hamilton]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://in.rediff.com/movies/2007/feb/23dev.htm |title= Deepa Mehta is rightly being celebrated |date= 23 February 2007 |access-date=4 January 2010|work=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> Her brother, [[Dilip Mehta]], is a photojournalist and film director.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} He directed ''[[Cooking with Stella]]'', which he co-wrote with Deepa.<ref name=ma>[[#Be|Beard. p 270]]</ref>

Mehta participated in a TV PSA for the charity Artists Against Racism, and is a member of the organization.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://artistsagainstracism.org/tv/ | title=TV – Artists Against Racism | access-date=18 June 2018 | archive-date=28 February 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228060940/https://artistsagainstracism.org/tv/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Filmography ==
===Documentary film===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Director
!Writer
!Producer
!Notes
|-
| 1973
| ''St. Demetrius Rides a Red Horse'' 
| {{No}}
| {{Yes|Narration}}
| {{No}}
|
|-
| 1986
| ''K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream Ourselves''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| 
|-
| 2006
| ''Let's Talk About It''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Direct-to-video
|-
| 2008
| ''[[The Forgotten Woman]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Mostly Sunny]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2023
| ''[[I Am Sirat]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{No}}
| {{No}}
| Co-directed with Sirat Taneja
|}

'''Documentary shorts'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Director
!Producer
|-
| 1975
| ''[[At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 2016
| ''Fantassút''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|}

=== Narrative film ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Director
!Writer
!Producer
!Notes
|-
| 1973
| ''The Perlmutar Story'' 
| {{No}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{No}}
| Short film
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Martha, Ruth and Edie]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| Anthology film co-directed with [[Norma Bailey]] and [[Danièle J. Suissa]]
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Sam & Me]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Camilla (1994 film)|Camilla]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Earth (1998 film)|Earth]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Bollywood/Hollywood]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Also executive music producer
|-
| 2003
| ''[[The Republic of Love]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Also development consultant
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Heaven on Earth (2008 film)|Heaven on Earth]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Cooking with Stella]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Midnight's Children (film)|Midnight's Children]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
| <ref name="visits" />
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Beeba Boys]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/randeep-hooda-plays-gangster-in-deepa-mehtas-next/20140822.htm|title=Randeep Hooda plays gangster in Deepa Mehta's next}}</ref>
|-
| 2016 
| ''[[Anatomy of Violence]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |2020
| ''[[Violation (film)|Violation]]''
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
|-
| ''[[Funny Boy (2020 film)|Funny Boy]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Donkeyhead]]''
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes|Executive}}
|
|-
| TBA
| ''Sky''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|}

'''Upcoming films'''
* ''Troilokya''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Frater|first=Patrick|title=Deepa Mehta Sets 'Troilokya,' Indian Female Serial Killer Film, at Through the Lens Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/deepa-mehta-troilokya-female-serial-killer-film-1235895157/|website=Variety|date=February 2, 2024}}</ref> (Thriller about policeman [[Priyanath Mukhopadhyay]]'s decade-long pursuit of a prostitute turned serial killer in 19th century [[Calcutta]]. The screenplay is by [[Juhi Chaturvedi]].)
* ''Forgiveness''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|title=Sherlock Holmes' Indian Daughter to Be Subject of New Deepa Mehta Film 'Sher' (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sherlock-holmes-indian-daughter-deepa-mehta-new-film-1236350925/|website=Variety|date=March 28, 2025}}</ref> (Biographical drama about two families (one Japanese-Canadian) in post World War II Canada. Adapted by [[Mark Sakamoto]] from his memoir of the same name.)
* ''Sher''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|title=Sherlock Holmes' Indian Daughter to Be Subject of New Deepa Mehta Film 'Sher' (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sherlock-holmes-indian-daughter-deepa-mehta-new-film-1236350925/|website=Variety|date=March 28, 2025}}</ref> (Comedy about [[Sherlock Holmes]]' Indian daughter, scripted by Johnny Gurzman.)

'''Film appearances'''
* ''[[Jurm (1990 film)|Jurm]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Aashiqui]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]'' (2005)

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Director
!Writer
!Executive<br />producer
!Notes
|-
| 1976–1981
| ''Spread Your Wings''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| Documentary series:<br />director (4 episodes);<br />writer (Episode: "Child of the Andes");<br />executive producer (13 episodes);<br />production (2 episodes);<br />sound (10 episodes)
|-
| 1989–1990
| ''[[Danger Bay]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1993–1996
| ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Leila (TV series)|Leila]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes|Creative}}
| director (2 episodes);<br />writer and creative executive producer (6 episodes)
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Little America (TV series)|Little America]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "The Manager"
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Yellowjackets (TV series)|Yellowjackets]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
| Episode "Bear Down"
|}

'''Acting credits'''
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1983
| ''[[For the Record (Canadian TV series)|For the Record]]'' 
| Ranjeet Singh
| Episode "Reasonable Force"
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Inside Stories]]''
|
| Episode: "In Limbo"
|}

==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Award
!Category
!Work
!Result
|-
| rowspan="3" |2016
|[[Toronto International Film Festival]]
|Best Canadian Feature Film
| rowspan="3" |[[Anatomy of Violence]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Seminci|Valladolid International Film Festival]]
|Golden Spike – Best Film
|{{nom}}
|-
|Washington DC South Asian Film Festival
|Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |2015
|[[Toronto Film Critics Association|Toronto Film Critics Association Awards]]
|Clyde Gilmour Award
|
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Toronto International Film Festival]]
|Best Canadian Feature Film
|[[Beeba Boys]] 
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |2013
|[[Canadian Screen Awards]]
|Achievement in Direction
| rowspan="4" |[[Midnight's Children (film)|Midnight's Children]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Directors Guild of Canada]]
|DGC Team Award – Feature Film
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |2012
|[[BFI London Film Festival|London Film Festival]]
|Best Film
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Seminci|Valladolid International Film Festival]]
|Golden Spike – Best Film
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |2009
|[[Directors Guild of Canada]]
|DGC Team Award – Feature Film
| rowspan="5" |[[Heaven on Earth (2008 film)|Heaven on Earth]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Genie Awards]]
|Best Screenplay, Original
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Vancouver Film Critics Circle]]
|Best Director – Canadian Film
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |2008
| rowspan="2" |[[Dubai International Film Festival]]
|Muhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Scriptwriter – Feature
|{{won}}
|-
|Muhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Film – Feature
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |2007
|[[Nastro d'Argento|Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists]]
|Silver Ribbon – Best Non-European Director
| rowspan="2" |[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Chlotrudis Awards]]
|Best Director
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[International Indian Film Academy Awards|Awards of the International Indian Film Academy]]
|Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema
|
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="7" |2006
|[[Genie Awards]]
|Best Achievement in Direction
| rowspan="7" |[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Films from the South|Oslo Films from the South Festival]]
|Silver Mirror Award – Best Feature
|{{won}}
|-
|[[New York Film Critics Circle|New York Film Critics]]
|Humanitarian Award
|{{won}}
|-
|[[CAAMFest|San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival]]
|Audience Award – Best Narrative Feature
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Taormina Film Fest|Taormina International Film Festival]]
|Arte Award
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Vancouver Film Critics Circle]]
|Best Director – Canadian Film
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Women Film Critics Circle|Women Film Critics Circle Awards]]
|Best Foreign Movie by or About Women
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |2005
|Toronto [[Female Eye Film Festival]]
|Honorary Director Award
|
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Seminci|Valladolid International Film Festival]]
| rowspan="1" |Youth Jury Award
| rowspan="2" |[[Water (2005 film)|Water]]
|{{won}}
|-
|Golden Spike
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5" |2003
|[[Directors Guild of Canada]]
|DGC Team Award – Feature Film
| rowspan="5" |[[Bollywood/Hollywood]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Genie Awards]]
|Best Screenplay, Original
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Newport International Film Festival]]
|Student Jury Award
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Sarasota Film Festival]]
|Audience Award – Best Comedy
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Vancouver Film Critics Circle]]
|Best Director – Canadian Film
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |1997
|[[Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival]]
|Best Feature Film
| rowspan="6" |[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Outfest|L.A. Outfest]]
|Outstanding Narrative Feature
|{{won}}
|-
|Verona Love Screens Film Festival
|Best Film
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |1996
| rowspan="2" |[[International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg|Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival]]
|Special Prize of the Jury
|{{won}}
|-
|International Independent Award
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Vancouver International Film Festival]]
|Most Popular Canadian Film
|{{won}}
|-
|1976
|[[Chicago International Film Festival]]
|Gold Hugo – Best Documentary
|At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch
|{{nom}}
|}
In addition to her filmmaking awards, Mehta has received the following honors:

*[[Doctor of Laws]], [[University of Victoria]], 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=1089 |title=Honorary Degrees For Leaders in Arts, Business And Law |publisher=Communications.uvic.ca |date=5 November 2009 |access-date=3 March 2011}}</ref>
*Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award Winner, 2009<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canada's Top 25 Immigrants 2009|url=https://canadianimmigrant.ca/canadas-top-25-immigrants/canadas-top-25-immigrants-2009|access-date=18 June 2021|website=Canadian Immigrant|language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement]], 2012<ref name="GG">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/rush-wins-governor-general-s-award-1.1212117|title=Rush wins Governor General's Award|publisher=[[CBC News]]|date=6 March 2012|access-date=6 March 2012}}</ref>
*Doctor of Laws, [[Mount Allison University]], 2013<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary degree recipients 21st century |url=https://www.mta.ca/Community/Governance_and_admin/Governance/Board_of_Regents/Board_committees/Honorary_degrees/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/ |website=Mount Allison University |access-date=24 January 2020 |archive-date=9 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609232358/https://www.mta.ca/Community/Governance_and_admin/Governance/Board_of_Regents/Board_committees/Honorary_degrees/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/Honorary_degree_recipients_21st_century/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Doctor of Letters]], [[Concordia University]], 2013<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary degree recipients |url=https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/honorary-degree-recipients.html |website=Concordia University}}</ref>
* Member of the [[Order of Ontario]], 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2013/01/25-appointees-named-to-ontarios-highest-honour.html|title=25 Appointees Named to Ontario's Highest Honour|work=Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration}}</ref>
* Officer of the [[Order of Canada]], 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15215|title=Appointments to the Order of Canada|date=28 June 2013|access-date=29 June 2013}}</ref>
* Head Juror: In 2021 she was selected as head juror for BIFF New Current Award in [[26th Busan International Film Festival]] to be held in October.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/movie/article/003/0010685662 |title= 부산국제영화제, 경쟁부문 '뉴 커런츠' 심사위원 확정 |trans-title= Busan International Film Festival Confirms Jury for 'New Currents' in Competition|author= Ha Kyung-min |work= Newsis |publisher= Naver |date= 26 August 2021 |access-date= 26 August 2021 |language=ko}}</ref>

==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==
{{reflist}} 
* {{cite book|last=Beard|first=William|author2=Jerry White|title=North of everything: English-Canadian cinema since 1980|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLNhHWfarosC&q=%22Deepa+Mehta%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA270|year=2002|publisher=University of Alberta|isbn=978-0-88864-390-2|chapter=Deepa Mehta as Transnational Filmmaker|ref=Be|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/northofeverythin00bear}}
* {{cite book|last= Levitin|first=Jacqueline|author2=Judith Plessis |author3=Valerie Raoul |title=Women Filmmakers: Refocusing|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxO38D-I1UoC&q=%22Deepa+Mehta%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA273|year=2003|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-0903-0|chapter=25 An Introduction to Deepa Mehta: Making Films in Canada and India| ref=Le}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0576548|name=Deepa Mehta}}
* [http://www.hamiltonmehta.com Hamilton Mehta Productions]

{{Deepa Mehta}}
{{ACCT Best Director}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Deepa}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters]]
[[Category:Film directors from Toronto]]
[[Category:Film directors from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Women artists from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Indian women film directors]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Canadian Hindus]]
[[Category:Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Punjabi descent]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriates in India]]
[[Category:Delhi University alumni]]
[[Category:Lady Shri Ram College alumni]]
[[Category:Canadian documentary film directors]]
[[Category:Indian documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:Canadian women film directors]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Toronto]]
[[Category:Indian television directors]]
[[Category:Indian women television directors]]
[[Category:Indian women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Artists from Amritsar]]
[[Category:Indian women documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:Canadian women television directors]]
[[Category:Canadian television directors]]
[[Category:Canadian women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian women film producers]]
[[Category:Writers from Amritsar]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Amritsar]]
[[Category:Film producers from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Businesswomen from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Indian women film producers]]
[[Category:Welham Girls' School alumni]]
[[Category:Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Short Documentary Film]]
[[Category:Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners]]
[[Category:Asian-Canadian filmmakers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women writers]]
[[Category:Canadian women documentary filmmakers]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian film production company founders]]
[[Category:Film producers from Ontario]]
[[Category:Governor General's Award winners]]