ABSTRACT
Admired by critics, scholars, and audiences the world over, screenwriter/director Deepa Mehta is an outspoken, taboo-breaking filmmaker whose works have stirred up considerable controversy in India. Right-wing Hindu fundamentalists have taken issue with her representation of women and their roles within society, while others have raised questions about her status as an Indian living in Canada, calling her an “outsider.” Though she is best known for her Elements trilogy—Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005)—Mehta’s body of work includes a gangster film, a Bollywood parody, and even an Indiana Jones TV series. This chapter explores Mehta’s resolve to continue making films even under the most trying circumstances and her preoccupation with the topics that intrigue her. This chapter includes a biography of Mehta, an interview with Mehta from the March 2006 issue of The Independent Film & Video Monthly, and a conversation with Mehta compiled from several interviews with her in 2018.
