Hardik Mehta

Biography:

Hardik Mehta is an Indian writer and director known for his work in both fiction and non-fiction formats. He has gained recognition for his storytelling across films and web series, with notable projects such as Amdavad Ma Famous, Trapped, Kaamyaab, Paatal Lok, Roohi, and Decoupled.

Mehta graduated with a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. Early in his career, he worked as an assistant director and script-continuity supervisor with renowned filmmakers like Dev Benegal, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Vikas Bahl, gaining valuable industry experience.

In 2015, he directed Amdavad Ma Famous, a documentary set against the backdrop of Gujarat’s kite-flying festival. The film won several international awards and earned him the Swarna Kamal at the National Film Awards in 2016 for Best Non-Feature Film.

Mehta continued exploring different storytelling formats with The Affair (2017), a short film presented by Drishyam Films. He then co-wrote the script for Trapped (2017), a survival thriller directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, which was critically acclaimed for its unique narrative and gripping execution.

His debut feature film Kaamyaab premiered at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival and was later picked up by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment for distribution. The film, which celebrated the lives of veteran character actors in Bollywood, was released theatrically on March 6, 2020, to rave reviews and is now available on Netflix worldwide.

Mehta also co-wrote the widely acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series Paatal Lok, further establishing his reputation as a skilled storyteller. In 2021, he directed the horror-comedy Roohi, starring Rajkummar Rao, Varun Sharma, and Janhvi Kapoor. That same year, he served as the director and showrunner for the Netflix series Decoupled, featuring R. Madhavan and Surveen Chawla.

In 2024, Mehta directed An UnSuitable Girl, the first film in the anthology Love Storiyaan, produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment and Amazon Prime Video. Inspired by the Instagram page India Love Project, the docu-drama series received critical acclaim and performed exceptionally well on Prime Video.

Hardik Mehta continues to be an influential figure in Indian cinema, bringing fresh narratives to both the big screen and digital platforms. He is married to writer-producer Akanksha Tewari.

Apart from winning the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film, Amdavad Ma Famous has received numerous prestigious accolades across international film festivals. It won the Best Short Documentary Award at the 2015 Budapest International Documentary Festival and the Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary at the 2015 Al Jazeera International Documentary Festival in Qatar. In July 2017, it secured the Golden Conch for Best Documentary (Up to 60 minutes) and Best Editor in the National Competition at the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival.

At the 63rd Belgrade Film Festival, the documentary was honored with the Golden Plaque in the International Competition for Best Documentary Short. It also received the Best Foreign Documentary award at the 2016 River Film Festival in Italy and the 2016 All Sports Film Festival in Los Angeles. Additionally, it earned the Special Mention Jury Award at the 2016 International Documentary and Shorts Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) and the 2016 Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY) in New Delhi.

The film was an official selection at several major festivals, including the 2016 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the 2016 Palm Springs International Festival of Shorts, the 2016 Mumbai International Film Festival (MAMI), and the 2016 Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Amdavad Ma Famous was also chosen by the Académie des César (The French Academy of Cinema) for the PANORAMA DES NUITS EN OR, where Hardik Mehta had the opportunity to represent India alongside 30 other top films from different countries. As part of this recognition, the documentary was screened across nine European capital cities.

The film is currently available for viewing on YouTube.