Vijaya Mehta (born 4 November 1934), is a noted
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
film and theatre director and also an actor in many films from the
Parallel Cinema
Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema.
Inspired by Italian Neorealism, Parallel Cinema ...
. She is a founder member of Mumbai-based theatre group, Rangayan with playwright
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. His Marathi plays established him as ...
, and actors Arvind Deshpande and
Shriram Lagoo
Dr.Shriram Lagoo (16 November 1927 – 17 December 2019) was an Indian film and theatre actor, in Hindi and Marathi, in addition to being an ENT Surgeon. He was known for his character roles in films. He acted in over 250 films including Hindi ...
. She is most known for her acclaimed role in film ''
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
'' (1984) and for her directorial ventures, ''
Rao Saheb'' (1986) and ''
Pestonjee
''Pestonjee'' is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Vijaya Mehta, starring Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, based on a story by film journalist B. K. Karanjia.
At the 35th National Film Awards, it won the award ...
'' (1988). As the founder member of theatre group, ''Rangayan'', she became a leading figure in the experimental
Marathi theatre
Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maharashtra in India, and elsewhere with Marathi diaspora. Starting in the middle of the 19th century, it flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ...
of the 1960s.
Early life and education
Vijaya Mehta was born Vijaya Jaywant in
Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
in 1934. She graduated from
Mumbai University
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
. She studied theatre with
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi (18 October 1925 – 4 August 2020) was an Indian theatre director and drama teacher. A rigid disciplinarian, he instilled in his acting students an awe and reverence that they still carry with them, with several of them havin ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and with Adi Marzban.
Career
She became a major figure in 60s
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
experimental theatre. She is a founder member of theatre group, ''Rangayan'' with playwright
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Dhondopant Tendulkar (6 January 1928 – 19 May 2008) was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi. His Marathi plays established him as ...
,
Arvind Deshpande
Arvind (from sa, अरविन्द ') is a common Indian masculine name meaning lotus. The name is of Hindu origin. Its variants include Aravind, Aravinda, Aravindan, and Aurobindo ().
Meaning
' means sun in the Sanskrit language. In pa ...
and
Shriram Lagoo
Dr.Shriram Lagoo (16 November 1927 – 17 December 2019) was an Indian film and theatre actor, in Hindi and Marathi, in addition to being an ENT Surgeon. He was known for his character roles in films. He acted in over 250 films including Hindi ...
.
Her stage production of
C. T. Khanolkar
Chintamani Tryambak Khanolkar (C. T. Khanolkar) ( mr, चिंतामणी त्र्यंबक खानोलकर) (8 March 1930 – 26 April 1976) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. He wrote poetry under the name "Arati ...
's ''Ek Shoonya Bajirao'' is considered as a landmark in contemporary Indian theatre. She introduced
Bertold Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
into
Marathi theatre
Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maharashtra in India, and elsewhere with Marathi diaspora. Starting in the middle of the 19th century, it flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ...
with adaptation of ''
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' (german: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a b ...
'' (''Ajab Nyay Vartulacha''), and
Ionesco with ''
Chairs
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...
''.
She collaborated on Indo-German theatre projects with German director
Fritz Bennewitz
Fritz Bennewitz (20 January 1926 – 13 September 1995) was a German theatre director.
Life
Bennewitz was born in Chemnitz. His father was a train driver: his mother worked as a seamstress.
Between 1950 and 1953 he was a student of German st ...
including a traditional performance of
Bhasa's ''Mudrarakshasa'' with German actors. Except ''Pestonjee'', most of her work consists of film and television adaptations of her stage plays.
She was awarded the 1975
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
for excellence in Direction, in 1986 she won the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcast ...
for her role in ''
Rao Saheb'' (1986).
Personal life
She first married Harin Khote, son of actress
Durga Khote
Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in around ...
, however he died at an early age, leaving behind two young sons. Thereafter, she married Farrokh Mehta.
Filmography
* ''
Kalyug'' (1981) - Actor
* ''Smriti Chitre'' (1982, TV film) - Director, Actor a
* ''Shakuntalam'' (1986, TV film) - Director
* ''
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
'' (1984) - Actor
* ''
Rao Saheb'' (1985) - Director, Screenwriter, Actor
* ''Haveli Bulund Thi'' (1987, TV film) - Director
* ''Hamidabai Ki Kothi'' (1987, TV film) - Director
* ''
Pestonjee
''Pestonjee'' is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Vijaya Mehta, starring Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, based on a story by film journalist B. K. Karanjia.
At the 35th National Film Awards, it won the award ...
'' (1988) - Director, Screenwriter
* ''Lifeline'' (1991, TV Series) - Director
* ''
Quest'' (2006) - Actor
Awards
* 1975
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
* 1985
Asia Pacific Film Festival
The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954.
History
The festival was first held in Toky ...
: Best Actress:
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...
* 1986
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcast ...
: ''
Rao Saheb''
* 2009
Tanveer Sanmaan
* 2012
Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna
Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna and Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Puraskar were given at special events organised by Sangeet Natak Akademi in
*Kolkata – Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Samman on 25 April 2012
*Chennai – Sangeet Natak Akademi ...
See also
*
Theatre in India
Theatre of India is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a detailed textual, sculptural, and dramatic effects which emerged in mid first millennium BC. Like in the areas of music and dance, the Indian theatre is also defin ...
Further reading
*Abode of Colour, an autobiographical account by Vijaya Mehta
* Vijaya Mehta on theatre and Guru
Mani Madhava Cakyarbr>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Vijaya
1934 births
Gujarati people
University of Mumbai alumni
People from Vadodara
Indian women dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian film directors
Indian stage actresses
Indian film actresses
Indian women film directors
National School of Drama faculty
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Living people
Indian theatre directors
Marathi theatre
Best Supporting Actress National Film Award winners
Indian women television directors
Indian television directors
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses in Gujarati cinema
20th-century Indian actresses
Women writers from Gujarat
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
Screenwriters from Gujarat
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
20th-century Indian women writers
21st-century Indian film directors
Actresses from Gujarat
21st-century Indian actresses
Indian television writers
Indian women screenwriters
Film directors from Gujarat
Indian television actresses
Indian women television writers