Mahesh Kaul was a director - actor who worked in the Hindi Film Industry.

He was born in 1911 in Lahore. He did his his education from Moni College, Nagpur and initially worked as a jourmalist and was even the branch manager of a bank. He entered films as a lyricist and a dialouge writer and made an early mark when he first acted in Naya Sansar(1941) made at Bombay Talkies starring Ashok Kumar and Renuka Devi. The following year he acted in Debaki Bose's Hindi/ Marathi bilingual Apna Ghar/Aple Ghar (1942)and made a major impact playing Dronacharya in PY Altekar's Hindi/Marathi bilingual Mahatma Vidur (1943), working on the Hindi dialogues and lyrics as well. His first film as a director was Angoori (1943). He followed this up with Paristan (1944), a fantasy starring Pahadi Sanyal.

As a director, his breakthrough film was Gopinath (1948), starring Raj Kapoor and well-known IPTA actress Tripti Mitra. The film is a  tragic tale of Gopi (Triptri Mitra) a village woman who is virtually abandoned in the house of Mohan (Raj Kapoor) and his mother. A lower caste woman, she starts loving Mohan. But Mohan loves filmstar Neela Devi (Latika). The film is known mainly for Tripti Mitra's extra-ordinary performance as the story vindicates tradition being stronger to the liberated but hollow world of the film star.

Followed a period where Kaul stuck only to directing. His next film after Gopinath was Naujawan (1951), perhaps his most well-known and popular film starring Nalini Jaywant, Premnath and Nawab. The film is still remmebered for the evergreen ditty Thandi Hawaen Lehrake Aayen composed by SD Burman and sung by Lata Mangeshkar.  Other films he directed include Jeevan Jyoti (1953), the first film Shammi Kapoor shot for even if Rail Ka dibba (1953) released first, Abhiman (1957), made at Filmistan, Aakhri Dao (1958) starring Nutan and Shekhar and Talaq (1958), an early Rajendra Kumar starrer.

Kaul returned to acting in Guru Dutt's Kaagaz ke Phool (1959) playing Guru Dutt's westernized father-in-law, Sir BB Verma, modelled clearly on Baburao Patel. Unfortunately his scenes were among the weakest in the film with Guru Dutt treating his wife's family as total cardboard caricatures. Kaul would thereafter act in just two more films, Palki (1967) and the Vijay Anand directed Tere Mere Sapne (1971).

He did return to directing though with Pyar ki Pyaas (1961) and perhaps his most critically acclaimed film outside of Gopinath, Sautela Bhai (1962). Quoting the Filmfare review of the film, based pn Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Baikunther Will, "When most of our producers are fumbling with formula films, Alok Bharati’s ‘Sautela Bhai’ Chandra comes like a breath of fresh air. A story of two step-brothers, the elder one a good hearted rustuc and the younger an educated weakling spoiled by his crooked friends, ‘Sautela Bhai’ presents pleasant vignettes of human values and cultural dignities…" The film is also known for Guru Dutt's best ever performance as an actor.

Diwana (19670 and Sapnon ka Saudagar (1968) made no impact even if the latter boasted of introducing 'dream girl' Hema Malini after Vyjayanthimala backed out of the film.

Kaul made Rakhi Rakhi (1969) for the Film Institute of India and his last film Agni Rekha starring Sanjeev Kumar and Sharada was released posthumously in 1973 as Kaul had passed awy in 1972.

Kaul's nephew Mani Kaul is also a filmmaker.