Mistry first received acclaim for his work in film
Amrapali (1945), directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal. He was a stalwart of
Navketan Films, after the critical acclaim of
Guide (1967) directed by
Vijay Anand, which also won him a Filmfare Award, Mistry worked in a number of films directed by his elder brother
Dev Anand, including
Prem Pujari (1970),
Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971),
Heera Panna (1973),
Ishq Ishq Ishq (1974),
Des Pardes (1978). He directed three feature films, including,
Jan Pahchan (1950),
Armaan (1953) and
Sazaa (1951) starring
Dev Anand, The film also noted for its music by
SD Burman in songs
Tum Na Jaaney Kis Jehan Mein Kho Gaye sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Along with his younger brother, Jal Mistry (1923-2000), the Mistry brothers made a name for themselves in Bollywood. Their work exemplified influences of Hollywood and European cinema. In time, he became known for his glamorous lighting, with
diffusers and
low-key lighting in night sequences. His work in
Vyjayanthimala and
Pradeep Kumar starrer,
Nagin (1954) is especially noted for use of diffusers, and high-contrast lighting to create graphic art like effect and composition. He became an influential cinematographer and inspired other technicians, noted cinematographer
V.K. Murthy who made name in
Guru Dutt classic,
Pyaasa,
Kaagaz Ke Phool and
Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam, worked as his assistant, and in an interview mentioned
Amrapali (1945) as
the most inspiring cinematographic work ..during those days.. He died in 1979 at the age of 60. ==Personal life==