The movie, starring Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha, is a story about a poor farmer from Rajasthan, who comes to Mumbai in search of livelihood with his family but faces adverse conditions upon arrival in the megacity.
Mehta, who attended the screening at the festival, said he was surprised to see that the 2014 film still moves the audiences.
"Lovely screening of Citylights at #NYIFF15. Enjoyed the QandA with @benegal thoroughly. Nice to see this film still moving audiences," Mehta posted on twitter.