Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti (2006), for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. He is the writer and director of the films Aks (2001) and Delhi-6 (2009); and director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013).

In 2013, Mehra directed the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Akhtar as Milkha Singh, the legendary Indian sprinter. The film was a major commercial and critical success. It was screened in Ladakh Film Festival, 2013.

Director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra of Bhag Milka Bhag says he can relate with Ladakhi and given the chance, he would love to make a Ladakhi film.

He is planning to make an adventure thriller with Imran Khan. The movie is said to be inspired from the popular Hollywood movie series Indiana Jones and revolves around the discovery of the lost city Dwarka, the kingdom of Lord Krishna. While the movie is still in its initial stages, it is set to release in 2014.

Director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra of Bhag Milka Bhag fame feels at home in Ladakh. And that’s why he makes sure to visit the place at least once a year. This year is no exception, as he attends the second edition of the Ladakh International Film Festival held in Leh from the 13 to 15 September.

Mention Bhag Milka Bhag and Mehra smile. He is overwhelmed and says that it is difficult for him to express in words how he feels about the reception of his film by the audience. “Whenever your work reaches out to the people and they accept it for what it is, and they own it, as an artist, you feel fulfilled. It means that you have managed to say what you wanted to. People have accepted the film ticket by ticket and made it their own, especially with a story like this,” begins Mehra, whose film was screened to a packed auditorium during the Ladakh International Film Festival.

However, if he looks back and has to be a critique of his own film, there are a hundred things which he would have done differently. “It is very difficult to attain perfection. But nonetheless, it feels wholesome to me. I don’t feel that I have missed out on anything. However, some felt that it was a bit longish, but, that was the requirement of the film. It was not a plot-oriented film. You are dealing with someone’s life and it had to be given justice.”

Hailing from a middle-class family in Delhi, opting for a career in filmmaking was never on the cards for Mehra. It was just a jump in the water. “For us, it was more like do your studies, find a job and give back to the family. The idea of making choices was there, but, they happened along the way. First, one had to firefight the situation at hand, whatever it was. And since I don’t come from a film or an art and culture background, it took its own time for me to find myself in the movies,” shares Mehra, who firmly believes that there is nothing easy or difficult and that if you only look at yourself, you will have all the excuses. “I feel that an average Indian homemaker has a more challenging work at hand than I do,” he smiles.

Talk Bollywood and Mehra feels that the industry is going through a metamorphosis. “That’s because the society is going through one and cinema will reflect that. But, we still have miles to go.”

However, he feels that it began very well... “Cinema of Independent India was very good. We had just gained independence and were on the high of being free. Every heart had a dream and wanted to build a nation. But somewhere down the line, we could not. We couldn’t find leadership. There were wars and natural calamities. As a result, the cinema became the escape. Hero and heroines started to dance and there were vamps. But now that we are living in more peaceful times, more real issues will come into the cinema. And moreover, the job which earlier cinema was doing has been taken over by television. We now have more breathing space to express ourselves in more ways,” says Mehra, who is inspired by life around him the most. “The inspiration is your personal journey in life so far and how you can make it relevant in today’s context. I always try and fish everything out of life,” he says.

A fan of world cinema, Mehra insists that he sees cinema sans boundaries of language. Quiz him if he would consider exploring the international platform too and he is quick to respond. “No, I don’t feel the need. For me, I have to identify with the story. Only then can I make it my own and tell it. I can’t tell other people’s stories… I have been offered scripts. In the last two years, I have been offered three mainstream Hollywood productions, but they haven’t worked for me yet. The point is that if I feel I can do justice to the story, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Chinese, Japanese or English. Understanding just as an outsider doesn’t work for me. Then you will be just a mere tourist,” he smiles.

But given the chance, would he consider making a Ladakhi film, we quiz. “Yes, I would love to make one. Get me a nice story and I am all game,” says Mehra, who points that for the Ladakhi filmmakers to emerge, they must strive for the international platform. “See, in India, nothing can ever sell as Bollywood does. And therefore, it’s only relevant for Ladakhi filmmakers to keep the international audience in mind and make films. This audience is open to stories from all parts of the world.”

Next, Mehra is working on a romantic-musical-folklore, Mirza, the love story of Mirza Sahiba placed in today’s time. “I interplay with how love echoes over eras and doesn’t have a timeline. It has always intrigued me why do we fall in love, and there is never an answer. Love is illogical. It’s not a calculated risk you take in life. It just strikes you and you really don’t know why,” smiles Mehra, who doesn’t see trying out new genres as a risk but as a new discovery with which he grows. “Every time you try a different genre and every time you have fulfilled yourself, how do you grow as a person? Not by repeating yourself. That’s when you stagnate and that’s time for your art to die,” points Mehra, insisting that cinema for him is a personal journey and reflecting within is a vital part of making a film.

The film casts newcomer Harshvardhan Kapoor as Mirza. Casual Kamasutra, based on the economic empowerment of India and Raja and the Legend of the Flute, a mythical adventure, set in British India, follow.