Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment".[1]
Ashutosh Gowariker | |
|---|---|
Gowariker at the launch of T P Aggarwal's trade magazine Blockbuster | |
| Born | 15 February 1964 Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | Sunita Mukherjee |
His is particularly known for Lagaan (2001), Swades (2004), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Mohenjo Daro (2016).
His film Lagaan was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 74th Academy Awards, which makes him a voting member of the Academy Awards.[2][3] He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed comedy drama Ventilator (2016).
Early life
Gowariker was born in a Marathi family to Ashok and Kishori Gowariker.[4][5] His family hails from Kolhapur. He is married to Sunita (Deb Mukherjee's daughter from his first marriage)[6][7] and they have two sons, Konark and Vishwang.[8]
Career
This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014) |
Gowariker started his career as an actor, making his debut in 1984 in director Ketan Mehta's picture Holi. On the Holi sets, Gowariker met Aamir Khan with whom he go on to collaborate with years later. After that, he acted in several television serials, including Kacchi Dhoop (1987), Circus (1989), C.I.D. (1998) and several films, including Naam (1986), Goonj (1989), Chamatkar (1992), and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993).
In 1993, he made his directorial debut with Pehla Nasha. His second movie Baazi (1995), starred Aamir Khan.
In 2001, Gowariker wrote and directed the period epic movie Lagaan, produced by and starring Aamir Khan. Lagaan was the story of a cricket match between British officers and Indian villagers in the late 19th century.[9] It ranked third among 2001's Indian movies in terms of gross revenue.[10]
Aamir had rejected the film within 5 minutes of narration and told Gowariker that it was a bizarre thought."When I heard Lagaan, in five minutes of its narration, I rejected it. I was like it is a story of people who are not able to pay lagaan as there are no rains and they play cricket with British people! I was like, ‘What a bizarre thought is this!’ I told Ashutosh, ‘This is a strange story.’ I told him to get me a different story," Aamir had told Pinkvilla in his 2018 interview.
After three months, Gowariker approached Aamir again, but this time with a complete script. Aamir was irritated that Gowariker kept working on it and rejected the film the second time. "But when I heard the story, I was into it. I loved the final script of Lagaan and found it unbelievable. I told him, ‘It is a fantastic script and it does break the record of mainstream cinema. But I am scared to say yes. I can't do it’,” he had said.
Later, when Gowariker narrated the story to Aamir's parents, they were moved to tears and told the actor to do the film.
Lagaan is set in 1893, during the late Victorian period of India's colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village in Central India, whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, accept a challenge to play a cricket match against a team of British officers. It they win the match, their taxes would be excused, but failing to win would mean having to pay triple taxes.[11]
In 2004, Gowariker directed Swades, starring Shahrukh Khan.[12]
Jodhaa Akbar (2008), another historical epic romance set in the 16th century, starred Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.
Gowariker's romantic comedy What's Your Raashee? (2009), starred Priyanka Chopra in 12 roles and Harman Baweja.[13]
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010), about the Chittagong Uprising set in undivided Bengal of 1930, starred Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
In 2016, Gowariker directed the film Mohenjo Daro, starring Hrithik Roshan.[14][15] He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed comedy drama Ventilator (2016), which was produced by Priyanka Chopra.[16][17] Allegedly, he took about 6 months to agree to do the film.
Filmography
Director
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pehla Nasha | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1995 | Baazi | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2001 | Lagaan | Yes | Yes | No | Nominated – Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film |
| 2004 | Swades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Film |
| 2008 | Jodhaa Akbar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Filmfare Award for Best Film |
| 2009 | What's Your Raashee? | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Zee Cine Awards for Best Story |
| 2014 | Everest | No | Yes | Yes | TV series |
| 2016 | Mohenjo Daro | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2019 | Panipat | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Toolsidas Junior | No | Yes | Yes | Winner - 68th National Film Awards, National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi |
| 2024 | Untitled Project with Aamir Khan | Yes | Yes | No |
Actor
| Year | Films and television series | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ventilator | Marathi |
| 1998–1999 | C.I.D. | Hindi |
| 1998 | Woh | Hindi |
| 1998 | Sarkarnama | Marathi |
| 1995–2015 | Aahat | Hindi |
| 1994 | Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa | Hindi |
| 1994 | Vazir | Marathi |
| 1992 | Jaanam | Hindi |
| 1992 | Chamatkar | Hindi |
| 1991 | Indrajeet | Hindi |
| 1989 | Circus | Hindi |
| 1989 | Gawaahi | Hindi |
| 1989 | Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro | Hindi |
| 1989 | Kamla Ki Maut | Hindi |
| 1989 | Indradhanush | Hindi |
| 1989 | Ek Ratra Mantarleli | Marathi |
| 1989 | Goonj | Hindi |
| 1988 | Jaat | Haryanvi |
| 1988 | Bharat Ek Khoj (TV series), episode 10: "Gautama Buddha" | Hindi |
| 1987 | Kachchi Dhoop | Hindi |
| 1987 | West Is West | English |
| 1986 | Naam | Hindi |
| 1984 | Holi | Hindi |
Awards
References
- ^ "Holding Locarno Film Festival Award".
- ^ Thomas, Rebecca (22 February 2005). "Picking Oscar winners - a juror's tale". BBC News. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ The Spirit of Lagaan. Popular Prakashan. 2002. p. 18. ISBN 81-7991-003-2.
- ^ "Ashutosh Gowariker". Om Books International.
- ^ Dixit, Kanak Mani (2012). The Southasian Sensibility: A Himal Reader. SAGE Publications India. p. 165. ISBN 9788132116974.
- ^ Singh, Suhani (30 November 1999). "The Pulp Prodigy: Ayan Mukerji ready to enter the big league of Bollywood". India Today.
- ^ Once again, love in Bombay
- ^ The Spirit of Lagaan. Popular Prakashan. p. 14.
- ^ "Awards for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India". Internet Movie Database. from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 21 August 2007.
- ^ "Tuesday Trivia: Aamir had rejected Lagaan twice; told Gowariker, 'What a bizarre thought is this!'". Bollywood Life. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 29 August 2007.
- ^ . Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Ashutosh Gowariker: The tallest structure in Mohenjo Daro was two-storey high - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Ashutosh Gowariker: 'Mohenjo Daro' set in womb of time - Times of India". The Times of India.
- ^ "Movie Review: Ventilator". filmfare.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Ventilator Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ . 1 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ . Bergen International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2016. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
- ^ Dixit, Rekha; Misra, Anshika (16 February 2002). "Filmfare gives Lagaan a 7-star salute". The Times of India. from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ Kumar, S. R Ashok (7 April 2002). "It was 'Lagaan' all the way at the IIFA awards nite". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 October 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Talwaar, Pooja (5 June 2015). "IIFA Rewind: 13 Years Ago in Malaysia, There Was Aamir's Lagaan". NDTV. from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Indian film scoops top Leeds award". BBC. 16 October 2001. from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ Cunha, Uma Da (13 August 2001). "Lagaan wins Audience Award at Locarno". The Times of India. from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ . Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ "Lagaan sweeps national film awards". The Times of India. 27 July 2002. from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ Neiiendam, Jacob (17 April 2002). "Danish fest audience awards Lagaan distribution cash". Screen International. from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ . Northwest Film Center. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ "'Lagaan', 'DCH' sweep Screen awards". The Tribune. 19 January 2002. from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ^ "Screen Awards 2001". Star Screen Awards. 18 January 2002. Star Plus.
- ^ Dubey, Bharati (11 January 2002). "Lagaan sweeps the FairGlow Zee awards". Rediff.com. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ . Zee Cine Awards. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards Winners From 1953 to 2019". filmfare.com. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Pratiyogita Darpan (May 2005). Competition Science Vision. Pratiyogita Darpan. pp. 289–.
- ^ Zee Cine Awards (2005) at IMDb
- ^ . Sify. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "54th Idea Filmfare Awards". Filmfare Awards. 8 March 2009. SET.
- ^ "Nominations for the IIFA Awards 2009". Bollywood Hungama. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Winners of the IIFA Awards 2009". Bollywood Hungama. 13 June 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "4TH APSARA PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS NOMINEES". Apsara Awards. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "4TH APSARA PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS WINNERS". Apsara Awards. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Jodhaa Akbar, Hrithik win awards at Golden Minbar Film Festival in Russia". Bollywood Hungama. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Jodhaa Akbar wins 'Audience Award' at Sao Paulo International Film Festival". Bollywood Hungama. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "15th Star Screen Awards Nominations". Screen. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Jodhaa, A Wednesday sweep 'Star Screen awards'". The Indian Express. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ . Bollywoodhungama.com. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ^ "'Taare Zameen Par' wins V Shantaram award for Best Film". Outlook. 27 December 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ . Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Ashutosh Gowariker at IMDb