Vijaya Mehta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vijaya Mehta
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Mehta in 2012
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| Born |
Vijaya Jaywant
4 November 1934 |
| Died | 30 June 2026 (aged 91) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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| Spouse(s) |
Harin Khote
(died 1964)Farrokh Mehta
(died 2023) |
| Children | Anahita Uberoi |
| Awards | 1975 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1985 Asia Pacific Film Festival, Best Actress: Party 1986 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress: Rao Saheb 1987 Padma Shri |
Vijaya Mehta (born November 4, 1934, and passed away on June 30, 2026) was a talented Indian director and actress. She worked in Marathi films and theatre, especially in a style called 'Parallel cinema'. She helped start a theatre group in Mumbai called Rangayan with other famous artists like playwright Vijay Tendulkar, Arvind Deshpande, and Shriram Lagoo. Many people remember her for her amazing acting in the film Party (1984). She also directed popular movies like Rao Saheb (1986) and Pestonjee (1988). Because she helped create Rangayan, she became a very important person in the new and exciting Marathi theatre scene during the 1960s.
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Early Life and Learning
Vijaya Mehta was born as Vijaya Jaywant in Baroda, which is now in Gujarat, India. Her birthday was on November 4, 1934. She finished her studies at Mumbai University. She learned about theatre from famous teachers like Ebrahim Alkazi in Delhi and Adi Marzban.
A Life in Theatre and Film
Vijaya Mehta became a very important person in the world of Marathi theatre during the 1960s. She loved trying new things in plays. She was one of the people who started the theatre group Rangayan. She worked alongside playwright Vijay Tendulkar, Arvind Deshpande, and Shriram Lagoo.
Her play, Ek Shoonya Bajirao, written by C. T. Khanolkar, was a huge success. It is still seen as a very important moment in Indian theatre. She also brought plays by famous international writers to Marathi audiences. For example, she adapted Bertold Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Ionesco's Chairs.
She even worked with German director Fritz Bennewitz on plays that mixed Indian and German styles. One special project was a traditional play called Mudrarakshasa by Bhasa, performed with German actors. Besides her film Pestonjee, many of her movies and TV shows were based on plays she had directed for the stage.
Awards and Recognitions
Vijaya Mehta received many honors for her work. She was given the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1975 for her excellent directing. In 1986, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her acting in the film Rao Saheb. She also received the Padma Shri award in 1987, which is a high honor from the Indian government.
- 1975: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- 1985: Asia Pacific Film Festival: Best Actress for Party
- 1986: National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Rao Saheb
- 2004: Zee Chitra Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2009: Tanveer Sanmaan
- 2012: Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna
Her Life Story
Vijaya Mehta was married to Harin Khote, who was the son of the famous actress Durga Khote. Later, she married Farrokh Mehta. She had a daughter named Anahita Uberoi. Vijaya Mehta passed away in Mumbai on June 30, 2026, when she was 91 years old.
Films and TV Shows
Vijaya Mehta worked as an actor, director, and screenwriter in many films and television shows.
- Kalyug (1981) – as an actor
- Smriti Chitre (1982, TV film) – as director and actor
- Shakuntalam (1986, TV film) – as director
- Party (1984) – as an actor
- Rao Saheb (1985) – as director, screenwriter, and actor
- Haveli Bulund Thi (1987, TV film) – as director
- Hamidabai Ki Kothi (1987, TV film) – as director
- Pestonjee (1988) – as director and screenwriter
- Lifeline (1991, TV Series) – as director
- Quest (2006) – as an actor
