Nitya Mehra | |
|---|---|
 Nitya Mehra at aMade in Heaven screening, Mumbai in 2019 | |
| Born | (1980-01-31)31 January 1980 (age 45) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Welham Girls' School |
| Occupation | Film Director / Executive Producer / Writer |
| Known for | Made in Heaven Baar Baar Dekho Big Girls Don't Cry Life of Pi The Namesake |
| Spouse | Karan Kapadiya (m. 2015) |
Nitya Mehra is an Indianfilm director and screenwriter based inMumbai. She is best known for her work on the romantic drama filmBaar Baar Dekho (2016), and the Prime Video seriesMade in Heaven (2019–present) andBig Girls Don't Cry (2024).[1][2][3][4] Early in her career she began a close association withExcel Entertainment, assistingFarhan Akhtar on films likeLakshya (2004) andDon (2006). She has also assisted acclaimed international directors such asAng Lee on his Academy Award winningLife of Pi (2012), andMira Nair on celebrated films likeThe Namesake (2006) andThe Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012).
Mehra was born inAmritsar into aPunjabi Hindu family. Her mother was a fashion designer. She studied atWelham Girls' School, a boarding school inDehradun.[5] After completing her schooling she went on to study literature atDelhi University, after which she pursued a film production and direction program atNew York University.[6]
Mehra started her film making journey in 2001 as a Production Assistant in New York, on aSpike Lee production called3 am.[7] Eager to return to India, she began assisting film makers in India and learning the ropes. As an assistant director she worked on various Indian and international projects such asLakshya,The Namesake,Don,Little Zizou,The Reluctant Fundamentalist, andLife of Pi.[8]
Mehra directed theStar One teen comedy sitcomHappy Go Lucky in 2005.[9]
Mehra's directorial breakthrough came in 2013 with the first season of Indian remake of the hit TV show24, which aired onColors TV.[10] The show starringAnil Kapoor was well-received and praised for its direction, performances, and ensemble cast.
In 2016, Mehra directed her first feature filmBaar Baar Dekho starringSidharth Malhotra andKatrina Kaif, co-produced byExcel Entertainment andDharma Productions.[11]
In 2019, Mehra worked on the critically acclaimed drama seriesMade in Heaven forAmazon Prime Video, where she served as the Director, Showrunner, and Executive Producer for Season 1. The show and its ensemble cast starringArjun Mathur,Sobhita Dhulipala,Jim Sarbh, andKalki Koechlin received universal positive reviews,[12] and features in IMDb's'50 Most Popular Indian Web-Shows of All Time' list.[13][14]
She wrote and directed the segmentChand Mubarak as part ofUnpaused (2020), an Indian Hindi-language anthology film, released onAmazon Prime Video. The story, focusing on the unusual friendship between an auto-rickshaw driver, played byAbhishek Bannerjee and a reclusive older woman, playedRatna Pathak, received favourable reviews and was praised for its poignant writing and direction.[15][16]
In 2023, Mehra returned as a Director for the second season ofMade in Heaven.[17][18]
She created and directed the coming-of-age dramaBig Girls Don't Cry (2024) for Amazon Prime Video. The young-adult show following the lives of students at an all-girls boarding school, dealt with the themes of identity, class, and growing up.[19]
| Year | Movie | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Namesake | Assistant Director |
| Don | ||
| 2008 | The Other End of the Line | |
| Little Zizou | ||
| 2012 | Life of Pi | |
| The Reluctant Fundamentalist | ||
| 2016 | Baar Baar Dekho | Director |
| 2020 | Unpaused | Director (Chaand Mubarak) |
| Year | Television Show | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 24 | Season 1, Director (4 episodes) |
| 2019 | Made in Heaven | Season 1, Director (2 episodes), Showrunner, Executive Producer |
| 2023 | Season 2, Director (2 episodes) | |
| 2024 | Big Girls Don't Cry | Creator, Director, Executive Producer |
Nitya Mehra is married to Karan D. Kapadia and they have a son.[23]
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