Sujata Mehta (born 11 March 1959)[1] is an Indian actress of Gujarati origin who has acted in plays and Bollywood films, most known for her lead role in Pratighaat (1987) and supporting roles in Yateem (1988) and Gunaah (1993).[2] [3] She also played the lead role in the critically acclaimed and National Award winning Malayalam movie Purushartham (1987).
Sujata was born on 11 March 1959 in Navsari in Shrimali family to Rekha and Prahladrai, an Indian independence activist. She was a graduate in Psychology.
Her uncle Hasu Mehta and aunt Devyani Mehta were theatre actors in Bombay (now Mumbai). Under their influence, she was attracted to the theatre. She started her career as a child actor at the age of 13 as a lead actress in a role of blind girl in English play Wait Until Dark. She acted in children's play and Hindi video film Siyahi produced by INT.
She learned from her experience and became a leading actress despite not having any formal training in the theatre.[4] She played a young lady with cancer in Kanti Madia's play Ame Barafna Pankhi. She had a leading role in Paralysis opposite Upendra Trivedi. She acted in several TV plays broadcast by Doordarshan. She also acted in Pravin Joshi's Thank You Mister Glad. Her acclaimed performance as a woman suffering from mental illness in the Gujarati play Chitkar had over 600 shows across the world.
Her first big break came in N. Chandra's social film Pratighaat (1987) with Nana Patekar, where she played a college teacher who is stripped naked in public by gangsters. The role was originally played by Vijayashanti in the Telugu film Pratighatna (1986). Sujata was noticed and appreciated for her stellar performance in the film.
In her next film Yateem (1988), directed by J. P. Dutta, she played a lustful step-mother who gets enticed to her step-son (played by Sunny Deol) and desperately attempts to seduce him; On getting rebuffed by him, she falsely accuses him of trying to rape her. Her performance in Yateem won her accolades and critical acclaim and also a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. She also played a prominent role in Mahesh Bhatt’s movie Gunaah opposite Sunny Deol. She did not confine herself to a certain image. She played all kinds of roles, irrespective of being positive or negative.
She was also seen in some other films like Kanwarlal (1988), as a police inspector in Gunahon Ka Devta (1990), as a village girl in Gunehgar Kaun (1991) and Pratigyabadh (1991), Tyaagi (1992), Gunaah (1993), Aaaj ki Aurat (1993), Dhartiputra (1993), Hulchul (1995), Judge Mujrim (1997) and others. She also acted in Meri Mohabbat Mera Nasiba (1995) and Jung (1996).
Mehta played the role of proud lady in Khandaan (1985) and the emotional role of Raj Lakshi in Shrikant (1987); both broadcast on Doordarshan. She play a college girl in Yes Sir (1987). She played Draupadi in Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj (1988). She also acted Andaz (1995) and played Gunsundari in Saraswatichandra (2013). She has returned to Indian TV soap operas, playing the roles of mothers on shows like Ye Meri Life Hai (2004) and Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa (2006).
She also modeled in many commercials.
| Year | Title | Language | Role | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pratighaat | Hindi | |||
| 1987 | Rajlakshmi | Hindi | Rajlakshmi | ||
| 1988 | Yateem | Hindi | |||
| 1988 | Kanwarlal | Hindi | |||
| 1990 | Gunahon Ka Devta | Hindi | |||
| 1991 | Gunehgar Kaun | Hindi | |||
| 1991 | Pratigyabadh | Hindi | |||
| 1992 | Tyagi | Hindi | |||
| 1992 | Rishta To Ho Aisa | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Sadhna | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Anmol | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Aaj Kie Aurat | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Gunaah | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Dhartiputra | Hindi | |||
| 1993 | Krishan Avtaar | Hindi | |||
| 1994 | Udhaar Ki Zindagi | Hindi | |||
| 1994 | Maha Shaktishaali | Hindi | |||
| 1995 | Hum Sab Chor Hain | Hindi | |||
| 1995 | Hulchul | Hindi | |||
| 1995 | Meri Mohabbat Mera Naseeba | Hindi | |||
| 1996 | Jung | Hindi | Sita | ||
| 1997 | Judge Mujrim | Hindi | |||
| 2000 | Aaj Ka Nanha Farishta | Hindi | |||
| 2018 | Dhaad | Gujarati, Hindi | |||
| 2018 | Chitkar | Gujarati | |||
| 2019 | Dhara 370 | Hindi |
| Year | Serial | Role | Channel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Khandaan | DD National | ||
| 1987 | Shrikant | Raj Lakshmi | DD National | |
| 1988 | Yes Sir | DD National | ||
| 1988 | Bharat Ek Khoj | Draupadi | DD National | |
| 1995 | Andaz | |||
| 2004 | Ye Meri Life Hai | Ronit's mother | Sony TV | |
| 2006 | Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa | STAR One | ||
| 2013 | Saraswatichandra | Gunsundari |