Deepa Mehta Height, Age, Family, Wiki & More

Bio

Profession(s)

- Filmmaker

- Producer

- Screenwriter

Physical Stats

Height (approx.)

in feet inches- 5 5

Eye Colour

Black

Hair Colour

Black

Career

Debut

Director:

- Martha, Ruth and Edie (1988)

Producer:

- Martha, Ruth and Edie (1988)

Writer:

- Fire (1996)

Actor:

- Jurm (1990) as 'cameo'

Director:

- Spread Your Wings (19761981) (4 episodes)

Executive Producer:

- Spread Your Wings (19761981) (13 episodes)

Writer:

- Spread Your Wings (19761981) (episode "Child of the Andes")

Actor:

- For the Record (1983) as 'Ranjeet Singh' (episode "Reasonable Force")

Director:

- At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch (1975)

Producer:

- K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream Ourselves (1986)

Writer:

- K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream Ourselves (1986)

Awards/Honours

- Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema by Washington DC South Asian Film Festival in 2016.

- Clyde Gilmour Award by Toronto Film Critics Association Awards in 2015

- DGC Team Award Feature Film by Directors Guild of Canada in 2013

- Muhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Scriptwriter Feature by Dubai International Film Festival in 2008

- Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema by Awards of the International Indian Film Academy in 2007

- Silver Mirror Award Best Feature by Oslo Films from the South Festival in 2006

- Humanitarian Award by New York Film Critics in 2006

- Audience Award Best Narrative Feature by San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in 2006

- Arte Award by Taormina International Film Festival in 2006

- Best Director Canadian Film by Vancouver Film Critics Circle in 2006

- Best Foreign Movie by or About Women by Women Film Critics Circle Awards in 2006

- Honorary Director Award by Toronto Female Eye Film Festival in 2005

- Youth Jury Award by Valladolid International Film Festival in 2005

- DGC Team Award Feature Film by Directors Guild of Canada in 2003

- Best Screenplay, Original by Genie Awards in 2003

- Student Jury Award by Newport International Film Festival in 2003

- Audience Award Best Comedy by Sarasota Film Festival in 2003

- Best Feature Film by Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival in 1997

- Outstanding Narrative Feature by L.A. Outfest in 1997

- Best Film by Verona Love Screens Film Festival in 1997

- Special Prize of the Jury by Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival in 1996

- Most Popular Canadian Film by Vancouver International Film Festival in 1996

- Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (2007 Academy Awards)

- Honorary doctorates from five Canadian universities

- Named one of Canadas Top 100 most powerful women (Womens Executive Network, 2011)

- Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award Winner (2009)

- Global Leadership Award by Indian International Film Awards in 2011

- Governor Generals Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2012

- Named to the Order of Ontario and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013

- Inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2016

- Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Screen Awards (2019) in Toronto

- The Life of Distinction Award from the Canadian Centre of Diversity (2011)

- The Excellence in the Arts Award from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (2011)

- YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2008)

Personal Life

Date Of Birth

Birthplace

Amritsar, Punjab, India

Zodiac Sign

Capricorn

Nationality

Canadian

Hometown

Amritsar

Schools

- Welham Girls High School, Dehradun

College(s)

- Degree in Hindu Philosophy from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi

Educational Qualification

- Graduation in Hindu Philosophy

[Source]

Food Habit

Non-Vegetarian

[Source]

Signature

Relationships

Marriage Date

Marital Status

Married

Family

Parents

Father

- - Satwinder Mehta (film distributor)

Mother

- - Vimla

Siblings

Brother

- - Dilip Mehta (Indo-Canadian photojournalist)

Cousin Sister

- - Ritu Kumar (Fashion Designer)

Children

Daughter

- -1

- Devyani Saltzman (from first husband)

Personal Details

Bio

Profession(s): Filmmaker, Producer, Screenwriter

Physical Stats

Height (approx.): in feet inches- 5 5
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black

Career

Debut: Martha, Ruth and Edie (1988), Martha, Ruth and Edie (1988), Fire (1996), Jurm (1990) as 'cameo', Spread Your Wings (19761981) (4 episodes), Spread Your Wings (19761981) (13 episodes), Spread Your Wings (19761981) (episode "Child of the Andes"), For the Record (1983) as 'Ranjeet Singh' (episode "Reasonable Force"), At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch (1975), K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream Ourselves (1986), K.Y.T.E.S: How We Dream Ourselves (1986)
Awards/Honours: Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema by Washington DC South Asian Film Festival in 2016., Clyde Gilmour Award by Toronto Film Critics Association Awards in 2015, DGC Team Award Feature Film by Directors Guild of Canada in 2013, Muhr AsiaAfrica Award: Best Scriptwriter Feature by Dubai International Film Festival in 2008, Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema by Awards of the International Indian Film Academy in 2007, Silver Mirror Award Best Feature by Oslo Films from the South Festival in 2006, Humanitarian Award by New York Film Critics in 2006, Audience Award Best Narrative Feature by San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in 2006, Arte Award by Taormina International Film Festival in 2006, Best Director Canadian Film by Vancouver Film Critics Circle in 2006, Best Foreign Movie by or About Women by Women Film Critics Circle Awards in 2006, Honorary Director Award by Toronto Female Eye Film Festival in 2005, Youth Jury Award by Valladolid International Film Festival in 2005, DGC Team Award Feature Film by Directors Guild of Canada in 2003, Best Screenplay, Original by Genie Awards in 2003, Student Jury Award by Newport International Film Festival in 2003, Audience Award Best Comedy by Sarasota Film Festival in 2003, Best Feature Film by Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival in 1997, Outstanding Narrative Feature by L.A. Outfest in 1997, Best Film by Verona Love Screens Film Festival in 1997, Special Prize of the Jury by Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival in 1996, Most Popular Canadian Film by Vancouver International Film Festival in 1996, Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (2007 Academy Awards), Honorary doctorates from five Canadian universities, Named one of Canadas Top 100 most powerful women (Womens Executive Network, 2011), Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award Winner (2009), Global Leadership Award by Indian International Film Awards in 2011, Governor Generals Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2012, Named to the Order of Ontario and appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013, Inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2016, Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Screen Awards (2019) in Toronto, The Life of Distinction Award from the Canadian Centre of Diversity (2011), The Excellence in the Arts Award from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (2011), YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2008)

Personal Life

Date Of Birth: 1 January 1950 (Sunday)
Birthplace: Amritsar, Punjab, India
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Nationality: Canadian
Hometown: Amritsar
Schools: Welham Girls High School, Dehradun
College(s): Degree in Hindu Philosophy from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi
Educational Qualification: Graduation in Hindu Philosophy
Food Habit: Non-Vegetarian
Lesser Known Facts: Deepa Mehta is a prolific Indo-Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. She is the co-founder of Hamilton-Mehta Productions. She is best known for making movies on sensitive issues of society. She is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker and her movies are played at almost all the major international film festivals., She was born in Amritsar, which is about 28 km away from the border of Pakistan. She grew up watching and learning the after-effects and impact of the partition of India. In an interview, Deepa said,, She shifted to Delhi with her family in her childhood., Her father worked as a film distributor in Delhi which is why she grew up watching Indian commercial cinema., Later. during her college life, Deepa started watching Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Non-Hindi cinema and Non-Japanese cinema. She even got exposure with directors like Truffaut, Godard, Ozu and Mizoguchi., After completing college, Mehta began working for a production company that made documentaries for the Indian government., When Deepa was directing her first film which was based on a child bride, she met Canadian filmmaker, Paul Saltzman. They got married in 1970 and moved together to Toronto, Canada in 1973, where they co-founded the production house, Sunrise Films., Soon after, the couple welcomed their daughter, Devyani Saltzman, who is an author and a critic., Deepa made several documentaries and a tv series titled Spread Your Wings (197779) under her production house, with her husband Paul and her brother, Dilip Mehta who is an Indo-Canadian photojournalist best known for his coverage of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy., Deepa Mehta divorced her then-husband, Paul Saltzman in 1983 and got married to Canadian film producer, David Hamilton, who holds an MBA from Harvard University., The couple co-founded the Hamilton-Mehta production house in 1996., Mehta then began making the Elements Trilogy, which turned out to be one of her most talked-about pieces of work. The Element Trilogy included 3 films titled, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005). These films were provocative and brought forward the taboo topics of society., The film Fire (1996), was one of a kind and depicted a lesbian relationship between two housewives, who were shown as Hindu sisters-in-law. Once released, the film made Deepa face the rage and wrath of some fundamentalists who burnt her effigies and theatres in order to protest against it., Fire (1996) not only received outrage but also immense appreciation and awards. It was a transnational production with non-Canadian actors, speaking a language other than English or French and despite all these facts, it opened the Perspective Canada program at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and won the award for Most Popular Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Some other awards won by this movie, include Best Feature Film by Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival (1997), Outstanding Narrative Feature by L.A. Outfest (1997), Best Film by Verona Love Screens Film Festival (1997), and Special Prize of the Jury by Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (1996)., The second film of the trilogy, Earth (1998) showcased the uprooting of families during the partition of India. It was based on Bapsi Sidwas novel, Cracking India, which was about the largest forced migration in the history of mankind., Despite the protests, the movie released in 2005, which was about the conservative rituals of shunning the widows of hot meals, the right to re-marry, and basically the right to live life happily. The film was internationally acclaimed and was nominated for 9 Genie Awards (winning three) and an Academy for Best Foreign Language film., After the success of Water (2005), Deepa kept her focus on making women-centric films like The Forgotten Woman (2008) and Heaven on Earth (2008)., Deepa Mehta made Midnights Children (2012), an adaptation of a celebrated novel by Salman Rushdie. This movie was about two children born at the dawn of the Independence of India, and their story of how they were exchanged at the time of their birth. It was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and got nominated for 8 Canadian Screen Awards nominations., Does Deepa Mehta drink alcohol?: Yes
Signature

Relationships

Marriage Date: 1970 (with Canadian documentarian, Paul Saltzman)
Marital Status: Married

Family

Parents: - Satwinder Mehta (film distributor), - Vimla
Siblings: - Dilip Mehta (Indo-Canadian photojournalist), - Ritu Kumar (Fashion Designer)
Children: -1, Devyani Saltzman (from first husband)

Updated: Monday,Sep 14, 2026 15:07 PM GMT+05:30

The above information is sourced from various websites/ media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures. Please use the "Suggest Edit" page to send us correction and more information.