Hansal Mehta is an Indian director, producer and writer. He won the National Film Award for directing the biographical drama Shahid in 2012.
Wiki/Biography
Hansal Mehta was born on Monday, April 29, 1968 (age 53 years; in 2021) in Mumbai. He went to school at Rose Manor International School, Mumbai, and then went on to study for a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics at the Dr. Institute of Technology. DY Patil in Pune.
Childhood photos of Hansal Mehta
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 8″
Hair Color: Salt & Pepper
Eye Color: Black
Family & Caste
Hansal Mehta was born in a middle class Gujarati family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Deepak Subodh Mehta, and his mother’s name is Kishori Mehta. His mother died in January 2013. Hansal has one brother, Parad D Mehta, and his sister’s name is Sheetal Mehta Vyas.
Father Hansal Mehta
Hansal Mehta’s mother
Hansal Mehta with his brother
Hansal Mehta’s sister
Relationships, Wife & Children
Hansal married Sunita, his first wife, in 1989 when he was 21, but the couple separated after 11 years of marriage. Sunita died of cancer on 25 July 2015. He had two sons, Jai and Pallava, with his first wife. Jai is a filmmaker, and he has assisted his father in projects like City Lights (2014), Shahid (2012), Aligarh (2015), and Scam 1992 (2020). Pallava is a special child with Down syndrome.
Hansal Mehta’s first wife, Sunita
Hansal Mehta with his son Pallava
Hansal Mehta with his son Jai
Hansal met Safeena Husain, a well-known social worker, in 2005. The couple have two daughters, Kimaya and Rihanna. Both girls were born out of wedlock. In an interview, when asked why the couple didn’t get married, he said,
After having children, I believe it is silly to get married now. Marriage as an institution is redundant. Sabse oonchi prem sagai. We are together because of love and not a certificate.”
Hansal Mehta with Safeena Husain
Hansal Mehta with his daughters (Rihanna in the middle and Kimaya on the right)
On May 25, 2022, Hansal married his life partner of seventeen years, Safeena Husain at Taj Campton Place, San Francisco, California. She took to Instagram to share the news with her fans. He wrote,
So after 17 years, two children, watching our son grow up and chasing each other’s dreams, we decided to tie the knot. As usual in life this is also unplanned and unplanned. Our vows however are true and but for this little ceremony they would never have been spoken. In the end love conquers all. And it has…”
Career
In 1993, Hansal debuted as a director with Zee TV’s popular food show “Khana Khazana.” The producers of the show gave Hansal the task of finding a good-looking female host for the show. Talking about her journey to find the right host for the show, she said,
I went in search of a beautiful cook and landed at Hotel Centaur, where I found not a beautiful girl but a tall chef named Sanjeev Kapoor. I decided to shoot with it without telling the channel. When they saw the episode, they were horrified and found it very boring without the pretty girl, with this guy in a chef’s uniform. But they ran four episodes and kept extending it every four weeks, until he made a dish called Shaam Savera which became such a huge success that he became a household name.
With famous director Hansal Mehta for dinner at home. Good food, good company ? pic.twitter.com/4KBcz1iNz4
— Sanjeev Kapoor (@SanjeevKapoor) August 3, 2017
The show turned out to be a hit, becoming one of the most popular shows in the country and making chef Sanjeev Kapoor a household name. In an interview, while talking about some of the mistakes he and Sanjeev made while performing, Hansal said,
You stick the bread to the wall in the pressure cooker and it works. We showed it and it was quite successful but the pressure cooker company sent us a legal notice. They feel pressure cookers are not made for this and they can explode. Once we make soft without an ice cream maker. I remember trying it and telling Sanjeev that it didn’t work. He gave it to my limited understanding and I allowed it to be posted. All was revealed after the episode aired. Women started writing that their in-laws had stopped talking to them. Some people say her husband is angry.”
Apart from Khana Khazana, he also directed other television series such as Highway (1995), Yaadein (1995), Lakshya (1998), and Neeti (1998). He reused the plot of his episodic show Highway in the Bollywood film Dus Kahaaniyan (2007). Hansal debuted as a film director with the 1997 Bollywood film ‘Jayate,’ which was inspired by the 1984 Bollywood film ‘Saaransh’, but Jayate was never released in theatres. The film was screened as part of Panorama India during the film festival in Hyderabad (1999).
Hansal Mehta on the sets of Jayate
Successful directors have a rough start. His 2000 film “Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!” Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Tabu failed miserably at the box office which led to bankruptcy. He then did a series of flops like Chhal (2002), Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? (2002), and Woodstock Villa (2008). After Woodstock Villa’s low reception at the box office, Hansal took a three-year sabbatical from directing films. He quit his job at White Feather Films Ltd, a production company founded by renowned producer and filmmaker Sanjay Gupta. In an interview with The Times of India, he said,
I went to a small village Malavali between Lonavala and Pune with my partner Safeena Hussain. At 10,000 to 15000 per month we can survive. I want to free the knots in my head. I cook, I blog. Through the political thought blog I also got a voice. That drew me to the story of Shahid Azmi (the slain Human Rights lawyer).
After his sabbatical, Hansal directed the biographical drama film “Shahid” which earned him the National Film Award for best director. Shahid Azmi is a lawyer and human rights activist, known for fighting the cases of those falsely accused of terrorism. He was assassinated in 2010. The film was screened worldwide at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012. In an interview, after winning the national award, he said,
Shahid’s brothers watched the film. After the National Award celebration, his younger brother Khalid broke down. He said, ‘You made him a household name. Aapne Shahid ko dobara zinda kar diya’. It is understood that his mother did not observe him. He said, ‘I can’t see my son die again’.”
His 2015 film Aligarh was critically acclaimed and even received standing ovations at the 20th Busan Film Festival and the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Mr. Mehta’s commercial breakthrough as a director came with the 2020 web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. It was released on Sony’s OTT platform and became one of the highest rated Indian web series ever. The series depicts the life of famous stockbroker Harshad Mehta, who is accused of perpetrating India’s biggest financial fraud.
Hansal Mehta directed Scam 1992
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Winner (2014): First KA Abbas Award for Film with Outstanding Social Sensitivity in 2013 for Shahid (2012)
- Winner (2012): Silver Golden Gate of India for Shahid (2012)
- Winner (2014): Golden Lotus Award for Best Direction for Shahid (2012)
- Winner (2013): New York Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival Award for Best Director Shahid (2012)
- Winner (2014): Zee Anmol Shahid Award (2012)
- Winner (2013): National Film Award for Best Direction Shahid (2012)
Hansal Mehta won the National award for best director
Controversy
- In 2017, Hansal worked with Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in the film ‘Simran.’ The film tells the story of a girl who loses her savings due to gambling addiction. The film was a hit at the box office, resulting in a fight between Kangana and Hansal. It was rumored that Kangana humiliated him on the sets, and she even called him a spineless coward. In a media interaction, while talking about his experience making the film, he said,
“I’ll be honest with you, I enjoy Kangana’s company off the sets and I have fun with her. (But on set) It’s completely out of my control. That’s not a happy situation to be in. Apart from dealing with the fact that she (Kangana) completely controlled the sets and started directing other actors, I also lost a lot of money.”
- In January 2020, Indian filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri tweeted that the protests at Shaheen Bagh against the CAA had become a center of Islamic conversion. Hansal responded by calling Vivek a hatemonger and advised him to convert to Islam. Hansal’s reply was severely criticized by Twitterati.
Favorite Things
- Movie(s): AndhaDhun, Stree, Star Is Born
Car Collection
He bought a Mercedes-Benz E-Class in 2021.
Hansal Mehta bought his car
Facts/Trivia
- Hansal is a big foodie and also loves to cook food. Her website is filled with her own food recipe blog. When he was on leave from his directorial work, he focused on a food blog which, he says, helped him get his life back on track.
Hansal Mehta cooks food
- He was a smoker, but he quit smoking in 2018 due to his deteriorating health.
- He is a diligent student, but apparently, he is not good at studies. According to him, he suffers from examinophobia (phobia of exams). In an interview, talking about his fear of failure, he said,
Exams bring a lot of anxiety to me. I don’t like being judged in two hours. Rejection really scares me and always has.”
- After completing his BTech, Hansal went to Australia to work for a company called South Pacific Recordings. The company used to edit and sell pirated movies. While working at this company, Hansal learned to edit videos and work with cameras.
- According to Hansal, famous Indian film director Vishal Bhardwaj was rude to him when they started working together; however, after being impressed by Hansal’s work, Vishal apologizes to Hansal, and they become good friends.
Hansal Mehta’s instagram posts about his friends
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
