Frames of Freedom

The Cinematic Journey of Ketan Mehta.

- By Santosh Mehta

Ketan Mehta is an internationally acclaimed film director who gave opportunities to now-famous actors like Aamir Khan when he was still a student. He also offered a role to Ashutosh Gowariker in one of his early films. Ketan has always been passionate about Bollywood cinema.

Ketan is the son of a Gandhian father who used to teach Gujarati at Delhi University. His father's primary academic focus was literature. A freedom fighter, he had also been imprisoned alongside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Ketan has two younger brothers—one is the Chairman of Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, and the other lives in Mumbai.

Ketan was born in Navsari, Gujarat, at his grandmother's house. He later moved to Mumbai at the age of 10, and then to Delhi, where he spent his formative years. However, he fondly remembers spending his holidays in Gujarat, enjoying his childhood amidst mango orchards.

Ketan recalls studying at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, where Dr. B.V. Karanth was his teacher before becoming a director at the National School of Drama (NSD), Mandi House. During Dr. Karanth's tenure, a new curriculum was introduced, and Ketan credits their interaction as a pivotal moment that ignited his passion for theatre. His close association with Dr. Karanth inspired him to enter the world of cinema, laying the foundation for his career in direction. He was also surrounded by remarkable contemporaries like Naseeruddin Shah, the late Om Puri, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and Saeed Mirza—all of whom shaped a vibrant creative atmosphere that made him fall in love with theatre and cinema. Though interested in academics, particularly economics, most of his classmates pursued different paths and even went on to study at Harvard and become IAS officers.