# Hansal Mehta (हंसल मेहता)
**Hansal Mehta** (हंसल मेहता) is an Indian film director, writer, and producer best known for the films *Shahid* (2013), *CityLights* (2014), *Aligarh* (2016), and *Omertà* (2018) and for the streaming series *Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story* (2020).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/) He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India; IMDb gives his date of birth as 1968, while a Humanities Institute biography lists his birth year as 1967.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://humanitiesinstitute.org/__static/2a46ffbe10476625e08ce01ae313d0d1/hansal-mehta-bio.pdf?dl=1) His work centers on films and series that depict social and political realities in polarized times, and he won the National Film Award for Best Direction for *Shahid*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/) • [4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India; IMDb lists 1968, a Humanities Institute bio lists 1967[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://humanitiesinstitute.org/__static/2a46ffbe10476625e08ce01ae313d0d1/hansal-mehta-bio.pdf?dl=1) |
| Signature works | *Shahid* (2013), *CityLights* (2014), *Aligarh* (2016), *Omertà* (2018), *Scam 1992* (2020)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/) |
| Major award | National Film Award for Best Direction for *Shahid*[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/) |
| Festival premieres | *Shahid* and *Omertà* premiered as official selections at different editions of the Toronto International Film Festival[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/) |
| Television start | Debut with the cookery show *Khana Khazana* (1993) with chef Sanjeev Kapoor, conceived by Mehta and running 495 episodes[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Production company | True Story Films, founded with producer Sahil Saigal, based in Bandra, Mumbai[5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery) |
| Recurring collaborator | Actor Rajkummar Rao, lead of *Shahid*, *CityLights*, *Aligarh* (supporting), and *Omertà*[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) |
## Early career and television
Mehta began in television. His debut directorial project was the cookery show *Khana Khazana*, which he tasted success with in 1993 alongside celebrity chef [Sanjeev Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjeev-kapoor); IMDb credits him as having conceived the series, which ran 495 episodes.[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) The Dharamshala International Film Festival's profile describes him as also having worked on television series considered too art-house for mainstream Indian television.[7](https://diff.co.in/hansal-mehta/)
His move into features was rocky. *Jayate* (released 1997 or 1999 depending on the source) was his first film, followed by *Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!* (2000), a small-town migration story starring [Manoj Bajpayee](https://www.edgepedia.org/manoj-bajpayee), Tabu, and [Saurabh Shukla](https://www.edgepedia.org/saurabh-shukla).[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) • [8](https://guides.justwatch.com/in/best-hansal-mehta-movies-shows-where-to-watch) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) groups *Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!*, *Chhal*, and *Woodstock Villa* (2008) among his box-office misses in the early 2000s.[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/) He contributed the segment "High on the Highway" to the 2007 anthology *Dus Kahaniyaan*.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/)
## Breakthrough: Shahid
The turning point came with *Shahid* (2013), a biopic of the human rights lawyer [Shahid Azmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/shahid-azmi), who was gunned down in Mumbai in 2010 while defending Fahim Ansari, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) Mehta has said the story of the slain lawyer revived his conscience as a filmmaker after his earlier setbacks.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/arthouse-cinema-is-dead-hansal-mehta/) The film premiered at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival) and won Mehta the National Film Award for Best Direction and [Rajkummar Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajkummar-rao) the National Film Award for Best Actor.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/) • [10](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/hansal-mehta-on-how-shahid-was-made-on-a-tight-budget-of-rs-35-lakh/articleshow/109398098.cms)
**Production was improvised and cheap.** Mehta recounted that the film was made on a budget of Rs 3.5 million (Rs 35 lakh) with a crew of only about 10 people, including his son Jai, cinematographer Anuj Rakesh Dhawan, and Rao himself helping as a focus puller; the unit even lacked proper lighting equipment and managed costumes themselves.[10](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/hansal-mehta-on-how-shahid-was-made-on-a-tight-budget-of-rs-35-lakh/articleshow/109398098.cms) Producers initially resisted casting Rao in the lead, and Mehta persuaded them.[11](https://www.abplive.com/entertainment/film-director-hansal-mehta-revelation-on-rajkummar-rao-casted-film-shahid-producer-deny-to-take-him-ent-2429315) In 2022 Mehta publicly expressed disappointment that *Shahid* was not available on streaming platforms.[12](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/metro/mumbai/other-news/hansal-mehta-expresses-disappointment-over-shahid-not-being-available-on-ott-platform/articleshow/89476236.cms/)
## Social-realist films
Mehta followed *Shahid* with a run of films drawn from real events. *CityLights* (2014), starring Rajkummar Rao and [Patralekha](https://www.edgepedia.org/patralekha), deals with urban poverty through a farmer's family that comes to Mumbai seeking a livelihood; it is an official adaptation of the British-Filipino film *Metro Manila*, which had been Britain's entry to the Oscars.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) *Aligarh* (2016), written by Apurva Asrani and starring Manoj Bajpayee, tells the true story of Ramchandra Siras, a Marathi professor and head of the Classical Modern Indian Languages Faculty at [Aligarh Muslim University](https://www.edgepedia.org/aligarh-muslim-university) who was suspended because of his sexual orientation.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) • [13](https://www.ottplay.com/features/best-hansal-mehta-web-shows-and-films-on-ott-that-narrate-intriguing-tales/09f689a62195) *Omertà* (2018), again with Rao, is based on the terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh, responsible for the 1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in Delhi and the 2002 kidnapping and murder of journalist [Daniel Pearl](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-pearl).[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/) He also directed *Simran* (2017) with Kangana Ranaut, which the Indian Express's streaming guide assessed as average, and the short *The Last Letter*, about the Dalit PhD student Rohith Vemula.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/)
In interviews Mehta has described his method as character-driven and research-dependent, crediting writers such as Apurva Asrani and Sameer Gautam Singh with screenplays steeped in research, and saying he approaches real-life stories as he would fiction.[14](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/interview-hansal-mehta.html) He has said he sees himself as "a chronicler of the times we live in" through the stories of people who are forgotten or on the fringes.[15](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20230619-hansal-mehta-director-in-demand-2390971-2023-06-09)
## The streaming era
*Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story* (2020), the SonyLIV series about the stockbroker [Harshad Mehta](https://www.edgepedia.org/harshad-mehta), made Mehta one of the most sought-after directors for Indian streaming shows; India Today names *Shahid* and *Scam 1992* as the two pivotal moments of his career.[15](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20230619-hansal-mehta-director-in-demand-2390971-2023-06-09) IMDb credits him as executive producer and showrunner of the 10-episode series, which holds a 9.2 rating on the site.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) He followed it with *Scam 2003: The Telgi Story* and *Scoop* (2023), a Netflix series inspired by journalist Jigna Vora's book *Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison*, about a crime reporter fighting to clear her name; Mehta created *Scoop* and directed its six episodes, with [Karishma Tanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/karishma-tanna) in the lead.[15](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20230619-hansal-mehta-director-in-demand-2390971-2023-06-09) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true) His other streaming credits include creating the [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) series *Lootere* (2024), directed by his son Jai Mehta, and directing *The Buckingham Murders* (2023) with Kareena Kapoor, a film he later said deserved more development time.[15](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20230619-hansal-mehta-director-in-demand-2390971-2023-06-09) • [5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery)
His most ambitious streaming project is *Gandhi*, a multi-season series on the life of [Mahatma Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahatma-gandhi) that reunites him with [Pratik Gandhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/pratik-gandhi) in the title role. The first season, covering 1888 to 1915 in London and South Africa, is based on Ramachandra Guha's book *Gandhi Before India*, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is produced by Applause Entertainment, with music by A. R. Rahman.[5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery) • [4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/)
## True Story Films and current slate
Mehta founded the production company True Story Films with producer Sahil Saigal, operating from a bungalow office in Ranwar Village in Bandra, Mumbai; he has described its philosophy as wanting to "be the producer I never had," investing roughly 50 percent of its capital in screenplay development and paying writers and filmmakers upfront.[5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery) The slate spans genres: *Dilkashi*, a musical romance directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery in his Hindi debut; the slasher horror *Mehfooz*; the post-apocalyptic action thriller *Pralay*, headlined by Ranveer Singh and directed by Mehta's son Jai Mehta, which Mehta has clarified is an original story and not an adaptation; the Gujarat-set smuggling drama *Porbandar*; and an adaptation of Nilanjana S. Roy's political mystery novel *Black River* with Saif Ali Khan attached to star and co-produce.[5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery) • [16](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/hansal-mehta/) He is also shooting a third season of the *Scam* franchise, *Scam 2010: The Subrata Roy Saga*, co-directed with writer Sumit Purohit, and has returned to food programming with *Khana Dil Se*, an AI-assisted cooking series built from his own recipe website.[5](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery) • [16](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/hansal-mehta/)
Mehta maintains a personal blog at hansalmehta.com, where he writes film criticism and essays alongside recipes, and he has described his working method as increasingly improvisational, aiming for a democratic set in which the whole team collaborates on the story.[17](https://hansalmehta.com/) • [4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/)
## References
1. [Hansal Mehta, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/)
2. [Hansal Mehta - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0576554/?showAllCredits=true)
3. [Hansal Mehta biography, Humanities Institute](https://humanitiesinstitute.org/__static/2a46ffbe10476625e08ce01ae313d0d1/hansal-mehta-bio.pdf?dl=1)
4. [Hansal Mehta: Creatively, I am in my most active phase of my career, The Indian Express (2022)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hansal-mehta-creatively-i-am-in-my-most-active-phase-of-my-career-8191745/lite/)
5. [Interview: Hansal Mehta on AI, Gandhi and The Buckingham Murders, The Hollywood Reporter India (2026)](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/features/interviews/hansal-mehta-on-ai-gandhi-and-why-he-feels-the-buckingham-murders-deserved-more-development-time-when-you-force-fit-a-murder-mystery)
6. [Streaming Guide: Hansal Mehta movies, The Indian Express (2020)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-hansal-mehta-movies-6345397/lite/)
7. [Hansal Mehta, Dharamshala International Film Festival](https://diff.co.in/hansal-mehta/)
8. [15 Best Hansal Mehta Movies & TV Shows, JustWatch](https://guides.justwatch.com/in/best-hansal-mehta-movies-shows-where-to-watch)
9. ["Arthouse Cinema is Dead" – Hansal Mehta, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/arthouse-cinema-is-dead-hansal-mehta/)
10. [Hansal Mehta on how Shahid was made on a tight budget of Rs 35 lakh, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/hansal-mehta-on-how-shahid-was-made-on-a-tight-budget-of-rs-35-lakh/articleshow/109398098.cms)
11. [Hansal Mehta revelation on Rajkummar Rao casting in Shahid, ABP Live](https://www.abplive.com/entertainment/film-director-hansal-mehta-revelation-on-rajkummar-rao-casted-film-shahid-producer-deny-to-take-him-ent-2429315)
12. [Hansal Mehta expresses disappointment over Shahid not being on OTT, Navbharat Times](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/metro/mumbai/other-news/hansal-mehta-expresses-disappointment-over-shahid-not-being-available-on-ott-platform/articleshow/89476236.cms/)
13. [Best Hansal Mehta web shows and films on OTT, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/features/best-hansal-mehta-web-shows-and-films-on-ott-that-narrate-intriguing-tales/09f689a62195)
14. [I am attracted to extraordinary stories of ordinary people, The Week](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/interview-hansal-mehta.html)
15. [Hansal Mehta: Director in demand, India Today (2023)](https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20230619-hansal-mehta-director-in-demand-2390971-2023-06-09)
16. [Hansal Mehta celebrity page and filmography news, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/hansal-mehta/)
17. [Hansal Mehta – Official Website](https://hansalmehta.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of South Asia*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license