Vijaya Mehta (English: Vijaya Mehta; born November 4, 1934, Baroda, Gujarat) is a high-ranking female filmmaker of Indian cinema. He has also acted in many films. Vijaya Mehta came to the film world from theatre. He has a deep hold on the film medium.
birth and education
Vijaya Mehta was born on November 4, 1934 in Baroda (Gujarat) during the British rule. He had passed his graduation examination from ‘Mumbai University’. He then studied theater with Ebrahim Alkazi in Delhi.
Marriage
Vijaya Mehta’s first marriage was with Harin Khote, who was the son of Durga Khote, a well-known actress of her time. But after some time Harin Khote died. After this Vijaya Mehta got married for the second time to Farrukh Mehta.
film direction
Vijaya Mehta, who came from theater background, has a deep hold on the film medium. How strong his grip is can be known by watching his films. The film by which Vijaya Mehta became truly recognized in the Hindi film industry was ‘Rao Saheb’. This film, released in 1986, was his first film as a director.[1]
The film ‘Rao Saheb’ depicts the conflict between tradition and modernity from many aspects. This is the story of that period (1910-1920 AD), when in the typical traditional environment of Maharashtra, many youths were returning home after receiving education from England. He brought with him the seeds of revolution from the modern society there. But the soil here was not suitable for them. Therefore his revolutionism was purely ideological. His work or should we say actions were traditional. One such idea was ‘widow remarriage’, which he could not openly support. The film ‘Rao Saheb’ was based on Jayant Dalvi’s famous Marathi play ‘Barrister’. Vijaya Mehta herself has unsuccessfully staged this play on stage. The role of the barrister on stage was played by Vikram Gokhale, while in the film the role was played by Anupam Kher. In the same play, the role of the young widow was played by Suhas Joshi, while in the film it was played by Tanvi Akami.
awards and honors
In both the play and the film, the role of the widowed aunt was played by the director Vijaya Mehta himself. It is noteworthy that ‘Rao Saheb’ was not only appreciated by the audience and critics, but it was also highly appreciated and awarded at the national and international level. Vijaya received the ‘National Award’ for Supporting Actress (1986) for this film.[1] Earlier in the year 1975, he had also received the ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi Award’.
