Anil Mehta is an Indian cinematographer, writer, producer and director, known for his cinematography in Bollywood films such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Kal Ho Na Ho, Lagaan, Veer Zaara, Rockstar, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Ae Dil Hai Are. difficult. He is one of the founding members of the Indian Society of Cinematographers, established in 1995.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Anil Mehta was born on 9 February. Their zodiac sign is Capricorn. He was born in an extremely middle-class background. He has lived in different cities i.e. Calcutta, Hyderabad, Gwalior and Delhi. According to Anil Mehta, the American film The Sound of Music (1965) had a great influence on him after which he decided to pursue a career in the film industry. Anil attended the Film and Television Institute of India and graduated from there in 1986. After this he came to Bombay and worked in advertisements. Later, he worked as a cinematographer for many popular Bollywood films and became one of the most renowned cinematographers in India.
livelihood
cinematographer
When he moved to Bombay, he worked under Chandita Mukherjee and found his early years quite challenging. He struggled for 5-6 years and in 1994 he was offered a short film The Cloud Door by Mani Kaul. In 1996, he got his first big break when he got a call from Sanjay Leela Bhansali to work in the film Khamoshi: The Musical starring Salman Khan. In an interview he said about this film,
“When Sanjay approached me for silence, I was already comfortable. He left the script with me and said that he had found a financier and was going to make this film. He told me, ‘If you want to do this, look at it.’ The very next day I called him and decided to do it.
After that, he worked in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgan and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, which won him praise from both critics and audiences, and he also won several awards for it. the film. In 2001, he worked in the superhit film Lagaan starring Aamir Khan and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. He said about this film in an interview,
“I met Ashutosh [Gowariker] and aamir [Khan] long before we heart was issued. I think we were still in post-production when Aamir asked me to read the script and talk to Ashu. I understood from Aamir how he wanted to shoot the film. It was clear that it would be completely different from the films being made at that time. Also, with Aamir as a producer, I can feel the commitment towards the film. At that time, things were not as professional as they are now, but Aamir knew what he was talking about and that gives you confidence.
Anil Mehta (left) during the shooting of Lagaan.
In 2003, she worked in Kal Ho Na Ho, and in 2004, she worked in the film Veer-Zaara, directed by legendary director Yash Chopra and written by Yash’s son Aditya Chopra. Shahrukh Khan was in the lead role in both the films and while talking about Veer-Zaara in an interview he said,
“The incredible thing about working on Veer-Zaara was how Adi and Yash-ji worked together. The fact is that Adi wrote the script and Adi once told me in a conversation that when he was writing, he was trying to think in the mind of Yash Chopra.
In 2009, he worked in the film Wake Up Sid starring Ranbir Kapoor. In 2011, he worked in the film Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor.
A collage of Anil Mehta and his team while working on the film Rockstar
In 2012, he worked in the film Jab Tak Hai Jaan starring Shah Rukh Khan. In 2014, he worked in the film Highway starring Alia Bhatt and directed by Imtiaz Ali. Defining his vision for the film Highway, he said,
“I hit the highway with an ‘indie’ spirit. Minimal gear, shoot from the hip, keep it simple…”
In 2015, he worked in the film Badlapur starring Varun Dhawan. In 2016, she starred in the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Ranbir Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Sharma, directed by Karan Johar.
Anil Mehta (right) with Karan Johar during the shooting of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
In 2017, he worked in the film Secret Superstar starring Aamir Khan. In 2019, she worked in the film Angrezi Medium starring late actor Irrfan Khan.
Anil Mehta (far left) during the shooting of Angrezi Medium.
In 2021, he worked in the film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.
Anil Mehta (right) during the shooting of the film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.
In 2022, he worked in the film Jersey starring Shahid Kapoor and the film Darlings starring Alia Bhatt.
Anil Mehta (right) during the shooting of the film Darlings.
Writer and Director
In 2002, he wrote the film Agni Varsha starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff. In 2007, he directed the film Aaja Nachle, which was also the comeback film of popular actress Madhuri Dixit Nene. Talking about film direction he said,
“It has been very tiring. We are in the final stages. It has been very tiring. The first print just arrived. The whole schedule was very busy. It was not that I was aiming to become a director. It was Adi’s (Aditya Chopra) idea. He has written the story. It all started as a casual conversation during the shooting of Veer Zaara. The script attracted me. After this I may or may not direct again.
controversies
In 2015, he was among the signatories who wrote to the President of India to remove Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Chairman Gajendra Chauhan from its Governing Council; They demanded the removal of the Chairman with immediate effect, and they also wanted that FTII should be declared a Center of Excellence and an autonomous institute.
award
- For the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography and the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Award for Best Cinematography in 2000.
- For the film Lagaan, he won the Screen Award for Best Cinematography in 2002.
- For the film Kal Ho Na Ho, he won the Guild Award for Best Cinematography and the Bollywood Movie Award – Best Cinematography in 2004.
Facts/General Knowledge
- He studied the work of Indian cinematographer Subrata Mitra, who had worked with VK Murthy and Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, when Mehta was studying cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India. In an interview, he had said that although the working styles of Satyajit Ray and VK Murthy were almost opposite to each other, he took inspiration from both.
- Noted cinematographer Piyush Putti cites Anil’s film Lagaan as one of his inspirations for the technical aspects of filmmaking. Piyush also worked with Anil as part of the crew of the film Wake Up Sid.
- In an interview, Anil Mehta talked about the qualities of a good cinematographer and said that patience and active listening skills are important. He said,
To be able to hear before you can see. In the sense of being able to absorb what is being said, done or done. You have to assimilate all this before you can translate it. I would say the quality is being patient, listening, and trying to translate that into some kind of visual design.
- In 1995, he founded The Indian Society of Cinematographers along with several other eminent cinematographers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Since he is a member of the Society, his name appears in the movie credits with the suffix ISC.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn