Journalist, author and filmmaker, she is the daughter of Biju Patnaik former Chief Minister of Odisha and sister of Naveen Patnaik who is now Chief Minister of Odisha.
Graduated from the University of Cambridge.
As a journalist and documentary filmmaker she focused on covering war and conflict including covering the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971.
As an author she published five books which were translated into over 21 languages. Her works focused on India and were intended to interpret the country for a largely western audience.
In 2019, Mehta was named as a recipient of India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, which she declined, stating "the timing of the award might be misconstrued" referring to the then upcoming general elections.