Mita Vashisht

Mita Vasisht
Mita Vasisht
	Vashisht at the screening of Criminal Justice in 2019
Born	2 November 1967 (age 57); Pune, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Meeta Vasisht
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Awards	Screen Awards, BFWA

Mita Vashisht (born 2 November 1967)^[1] is an Indian actress. Known for her work on screen, stage and television, she has played a wide range of roles. Her most prominent appearances includes; sci-fi television series Space City Sigma (1989-1991), Pachpan Khambe Laal Deewarein, Swabhimaan, Devyani in Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi,Alaan (Kirdaar) to Trishna in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Jethi Maa in Kaala Teeka to film roles with a wide spectrum of directors with different cinema styles.^[2]

Early life

Mita Vashisht was born on 2 November 1967^[1] in Pune, Maharashtra, India to Captain Rajeshwar Dutt Vashisht, who retired as a colonel from the Indian Army and Meenakshi Mehta (née) Vashisht, a teacher and a singer (Indian Classical).

She graduated from the National School of Drama (Delhi) in 1987 and did her post-graduation in literature from Punjab University, Chandigarh.^[3] Vashisht was for several years (1990–2010) also visiting faculty to some of the design, film and theatre institutes of India – the NIFT (Delhi), FTII (Pune), NSD (Delhi) and the NID (Ahmedabad). She has also conducted theatre workshops in the UK (London, Birmingham, Leicester) and in Damascus. She teaches students of fashion design, film direction and acting, using theatre techniques.^[4] She is married to filmmaker Anup Singh.

Career

Vashisht has played the lead roles in the avant-garde cinemas (notably Kumar Shahani and Mani Kaul films), the middle of the road cinemas (Notably Govind Nihalani's films) as well as in successful big budget Bollywood films. She has worked in theatre as actress and director too. She researches and writes her scripts as well. Since 2004, she has performed her solo play in English and Hindi, titled, Lal Ded, based on life of medieval Kashmiri mystic Lal Ded, all over India.^[5]^[6]

Vashisht has written and produced three short films, as well as a serial for television. She was the executive producer of the film The Name of a River, a BFI (London) - NFDC (India) - Bangladesh film co-production.

In June 2001, Vashisht established Mandala, which is a space for arts collaborations research and education. Its aim was to spearhead a new movement in the arts, to centre stage and individuate the performing arts in society and to aid artistic collaborations. Her first project under Mandala however took an unusual twist. A chance theatre workshop that she conducted with trafficked minors in a remand home in Mumbai led to four years of her full-time involvement with the cause of self- empowerment and rehabilitation of trafficked minors. (trafficked minors i.e. minor girls rescued from prostitution from the city brothels).^{[citation needed]}

As artistic director of Mandala she created Mandala TAM (theatre arts module), which is a methodology and a training process based on the performing arts that proved to be highly successful in helping the trafficked minors to heal and transform mentally, physically, emotionally and intellectually.^{[citation needed]}

In 2023, she was appointed by the state of Haryana as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of Haryana Film and Entertainment.^[7]^[8]

Theatre

She has performed in the 75 minute solo theatre performance Lal Ded, based on the life and poetry of the iconic woman mystic and poet of Kashmir Lal Ded.^[9] Lal Ded performances have been invited to and featured in the following National/International theatre festivals in India and abroad.

2004: World Human Rights Day for the NGO 'Akshara', Mumbai.
2005: The Hungry Heart Int. Theatre Festival, India Habitat Centre, Delhi.
2006: The Hungry Heart International theatre festival, Delhi.
2006: World theatre day, Pune. (Alliance Francaise)
2007: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai
2008: Baharangam (the Int. theatre festival, NSD Delhi) commemorating NSD's golden jubilee year.
2008: International Sufi Festival of Performing Arts, Srinagar, Kashmir.
2008: National Theatre Festival, Dehradun
2008: World Performing Arts Festival, Lahore, Pakistan.
2009: North Zone Cultural Centre Festival, Chandigarh.^{[citation needed]}

Film and television

Vashisht has produced and directed television programs and documentaries. In 2012 she directed the documentary film She, of the Four Names, commissioned by Public Services Broadcasting Trust, India. (PSBT) based on Lal Ded.

In recent years Vashisht played a key role in Ekta Kapoor's Kahani Ghar Ghar ki. She played the role of the principal on the show Suvreen Guggal on Channel V India and Akbar's evil stepmother in the serial, Jodha Akbar on Zee TV.^[10] She was appreciated by the audience for her negative portrayal of Jethi Maa from TV Series Kaala Teeka.

Selected filmography

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1987	Var Var Vari	Nayika	FTII (Diploma for Nandini Bedi, Editing)
1989	Chandni	Chandni's friend
	Siddheshwari	Siddheshwari
	Jazeere	Asta
1990	Khayal Gatha	Rani Roopmati
	Drishti	Prabha
	Kasba	Tejo
1991	Idiot	Nastassya
1994	Tarpan	Lachmi
	English August	Nri
	Drohkaal	Sumitra	Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998	Dil Se..	Terrorist
	Zindagi Zindabad	Botanist
	Ghulam	Fatima
1999	Taal	Prabha
2000	Snegithiye	SP Prema Narayanan	Tamil film
2001	Maya	Maya's Aunt
2001	Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi	Main villain
2002	Pitaah	Thakuraien
2002	Bokshu – The Myth
2003	Patalghar	Begum	Bengali film
2004	Oops!	Sharon/Sakshi
2004	Phir Milenge	Advocate Kalyani
2006	Shevri	Maya	Marathi film
2007	Raakilipattu	SP Prema Narayanan	Malayalam film
2009	Anubhav	Dr. Kamla
	Aladin	Karate Instructor
	Antaheen	Mrs. Mehra	Bengali film
2011	Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge	Ma'am
2011	Trishna	Trishna's mother
2013	Gangoobai	Daksha
2014	Youngistaan	Suhasini Singh Deo
2014	Rahasya	Brinda Chhabria
2021	Kaagaz	Ashrafi Devi	Released on Zee5
2021	Chhorii	Bhanno Devi	Released on Amazon Prime Video
2022	Good Luck Jerry	Sharbati, Jerry's mother	Released on Disney+ Hotstar^[11]
2023	Chhorii 2	Bhanno Devi

Music videos and Singing

2000: Featured in the main lead in Mann ke Manjeeré.
2007: Sung the vocals with Shubha Mudgal for the theme song Laaga Chunari Mein Daag for Yash Raj Films.

Television

Year	Serial	Role	Notes
1989	Space City Sigma
	Bharat Ek Khoj	Suhasini	[episode 11,12]
	Mr Yogi
1993	Pachpan Khambe Lal Deewarein
1994	Swabhimaan	Devika
1994	Kirdaar	Various Roles
1997	Ghum		Rain Movies
1998	Saalgiraah		Rain Movies
1999	Vijay Jyoti		ZEE TV NETWORK
1999	Hip Hip Hurray
1999–2000	Star Bestsellers
2001	Kaaun		Balaji Television
2001	Khauff
2005	Bombay Lawyers
2005–08	Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki	Trishna Agarwal		Balaji Television
2012–13	Suvreen Guggal – Topper of The Year
2015	Sense8		NETFLIX
	Kaala Teeka		DJs a Creative Venture
	Jodhaa Akbar		Zee TV Network
2017	Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai		Sphere Origins Production House
2019	Criminal Justice		Hotstar
2020	Your Honor		Sony LIV
2020	Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors		Disney+ Hotstar
2023	Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke	Mahira Rizvi	ZEE5
2023	Kaala	Chief Minister Jyoti Sen	Disney+Hotstar

Film Jury member

2005: OSIAN'S CINEFAN International Film Festival, Delhi. Jury member for Indian Feature Films.
2008: Tenth MAMI International Film Festival, Mumbai. Jury Member for Dimensions India (Documentary films).
2008: Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) Jury member for Short films.

Awards

1996: Won, Star Screen Award, for Best Supporting Actress Drohkaal^{[citation needed]}
1990: Won, BFJA Awards Bengal Film Journalist Award, Best supporting Actress Drishti^{[citation needed]}
2019 :Won, Moonwhite Films International Film Fest (MWFIFF) Best Actress Supporting Role Mita Vasisht (Gulabi) Kasaai (The Devil)
2022 : Filmfare OTT Awards
Best Supporting Actress in a Web original film - Chhorii.

References

^ ^a ^b Kolwankar, Gayatri (26 April 2016). "TV actors and their birthday bash pictures". The Times of India. p. 15. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
^ "Mita Vashisht: My new show Kaala Teeka launches on my birthday 2nd November - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
^ Ferral, Glacxy (25 November 2008). "Mita reveals it all". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
^ "For the love of the stage". The Hindu. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
^ C.S. Lakshmi (1 May 2005). "Songs of a mystic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
^ Gahlot, Deepa (5 December 2019). "Mita Vashisht on her solo performance with 'Lal Ded'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
^ "Haryana appoints Mita Vashisht as Chairperson of Governing Council of Haryana Film and Entertainment policy". The Indian Express. 12 September 2023.
^ "Haryana: Mita Vashisht is the new chairperson of film policy governing council". Hindustan Times. 13 September 2023.
^ Meenakshi Shedde (14 November 2001). "How theatre can empower the meek". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
^ "Mita Vashisht to play Akbar's evil stepmom in Jodha Akbar". The Times of India. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
^ "First look of Good Luck Jerry starring Janhvi Kapoor unveiled, film goes on floors today in Punjab". Bollywood Hungama. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.

External links

[bday-1] Kolwankar, Gayatri (26 April 2016). "TV actors and their birthday bash pictures". The Times of India. p. 15. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

[2] "Mita Vashisht: My new show Kaala Teeka launches on my birthday 2nd November - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2017.

[3] Ferral, Glacxy (25 November 2008). "Mita reveals it all". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

[4] "For the love of the stage". The Hindu. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.

[5] C.S. Lakshmi (1 May 2005). "Songs of a mystic". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.

[6] Gahlot, Deepa (5 December 2019). "Mita Vashisht on her solo performance with 'Lal Ded'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

[7] "Haryana appoints Mita Vashisht as Chairperson of Governing Council of Haryana Film and Entertainment policy". The Indian Express. 12 September 2023.

[8] "Haryana: Mita Vashisht is the new chairperson of film policy governing council". Hindustan Times. 13 September 2023.

[9] Meenakshi Shedde (14 November 2001). "How theatre can empower the meek". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.

[10] "Mita Vashisht to play Akbar's evil stepmom in Jodha Akbar". The Times of India. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

[11] "First look of Good Luck Jerry starring Janhvi Kapoor unveiled, film goes on floors today in Punjab". Bollywood Hungama. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.

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