Anil Mehta is an Indian cinematographer, film director and writer who predominantly works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the founding members of Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).[1][2]

Anil Mehta
Born
NationalityIndian
Alma materFTII
Occupation(s)Cinematographer, Director, Writer
Known forHum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Lagaan (2001)
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
Veer-Zaara (2004)
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

Early life and education

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Anil studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1986.[3]

Career

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Anil initially worked with Ketan Mehta on Holi (1984) and Mirch Masala (1987) while he was a student and went on to assist Barun Mukherjee on television commercials.[4]

He debuted as a cinematographer on a short Indo-German drama film, The Cloud Door (1984). His first full-length film was Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), which was also Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial debut.[4]

In 1999, he won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and later worked in Lagaan (2001), which was one of the most expensive Indian films at that time.[5]

Early 2000s and present

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He also worked on Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), Wake Up Sid (2009), Rockstar (2011), Cocktail (2012), Highway (2014) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).[3]

Mehta's first feature film, Aaja Nachle, was produced by Yash Raj Films which released on 30 November 2007.[6] the film stars Madhuri Dixit (her comeback film), Konkona Sen Sharma, Akshaye Khanna and Kunal Kapoor.[7]

Filmography

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Year Film Language Notes
1994 The Cloud Door Hindi Short film
1996 Khamoshi: The Musical
1999 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2001 Lagaan
2002 Agni Varsha
Saathiya
2003 Kal Ho Naa Ho
2004 Veer-Zaara [8]
2006 Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
2007 Marigold
2009 Wake Up Sid
2011 Rockstar
2012 Cocktail
Jab Tak Hai Jaan
2014 Highway
Finding Fanny Hindi
English
2015 Badlapur Hindi
Shaandaar
2016 Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
2017 Secret Superstar
2018 Beyond the Clouds
Sui Dhaaga [9]
2020 Angrezi Medium
2021 Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar
2022 Jersey
Darlings
2023 Thank You for Coming

Writer

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Director

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References

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  1. ^ "Cinematography is a skill, but is still underrated: Anil Mehta". The Hindu. 31 January 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Hindi cinema cinematographer, through the lens". The Hindu. 1 February 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Ramnath, Nandini. "Anil Mehta on lensing 'Beyond the Clouds': 'Bombay still throws up surprises, one never tires of it'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b Pandya, Sonal. "The team behind Khamoshi recalls how Sanjay Bhansali's first film got made". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Hot 100 -2018, Cinematographers, Anil Mehta". Digital Studio. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  6. ^ "yashrajfilms.com". Yash Raj's stellar line-up. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
  7. ^ "entertainment.oneindia.in". Madhuri Dixit on Aaja Nachle. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
  8. ^ "16 Years Of Veer-Zaara: Cinematographer Anil Mehta Calls The Film A 'Fantastic Tribute From A Son To A Father'". Desimartini. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Decoding a scene | Anil Mehta's take on the crucial 'stitch' in 'Sui Dhaaga'". OnManorama. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
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