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]
Gowariker was born into a Marathi-speaking family to Ashok and Kishori Gowariker, in Kolhapur.[4][5] He is married to Sunita, Deb Mukherjee's daughter from his first marriage.[6][7] They have two sons, Konark and Vishwang.[8]
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 later went on to collaborate on different film projects . 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). He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed Marathi comedy drama Ventilator (2016), which was produced by Priyanka Chopra. Allegedly, he took about 6 months to agree to do the film.
Director
Debut
Gowariker made his directorial debut with the thriller Pehla Nasha (1993), followed by another thriller Baazi (1995), both of which received negative reviews upon release and emerged as commercial disasters at the box-office.[9][10]
Widespread success
The 2000's proved to be the golden period of Gowariker's career, during which he produced and directed three of his most popular films to critical and commercial success.
Ashutosh Gowariker, his wife Sunita and actor Shahrukh Khan pose for a photo with the Vehicle Assembly Building, Kennedy Space Center in the background during filming for the movie Swades
He next screenwrote and directed the social drama Swades (2004) starring Shahrukh Khan and debutante Gayatri Joshi in lead roles. The story of the film revolves around an NRI project manager at NASA, who returns to India to discover the challenges faced by a rural village, and dedicates himself to their development, addressing issues of education, healthcare, and infrastructure. The film received rave reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, story, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast. However, despite pre-release hype and good critical reception, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box office.[13]Swades earned Gowariker his second nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Film and Best Director. However, over the years, the film has achieved cult status.[14]
Gowariker's next screenwriting and directorial venture was the epic historical romantic drama Jodhaa Akbar (2008) starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles. Set in the 16th century, the film depicted the life and romance between the Muslim Emperor Akbar of Mughal Empire and the Rajput Princess Jodhaa Bai of Amber, who married him on a political marriage. It opened to widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise for its direction, soundtrack, cinematography, costume design, choreography and performances of the cast. The film emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹115 crore (US$14million) worldwide, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[15]Jodhaa Akbar earned Gowariker his second Filmfare Award for Best Film and Best Director. The film was cited as "10 Great Bollywood Films of the 21st Century" by British Film Institute.[16]
Gowariker's next venture was the romantic comedy What's Your Raashee? (2009) starring Priyanka Chopra (in 12 roles) alongside Harman Baweja.[17] Based on the Gujarati novel Kimball Ravenswood by the playwright and novelist Madhu Rye, the film told the story of a Gujarati NRI who meets twelve potential brides, one from each zodiac sign, one of whom he must marry in ten days to save his brother from harm. It had its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its soundtrack and Chopra's performance, but criticism for its screenplay, runtime and pacing. It emerged as a below-average grosser at the box-office.[18]
After a 6-year hiatus, Gowariker made his comeback with the period action-adventure Mohenjo Daro (2016) starring Roshan (in their second collaboration) alongside debutante Pooja Hegde in lead roles.[20][21] Set in 2016 BC at the height of Indus Valley Civilisation, the film follows the story of a farmer who travels to the city of Mohenjo Daro, challenges the city's elite and fights against overwhelming odds to save the civilization. It received negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as Gowariker's second consecutive commercial disaster at the box-office.[22]
His next venture was the epic war drama Panipat (2019) starring Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Kriti Sanon in lead roles. The film depicts the events that took place during the Third Battle of Panipat. It received negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as Gowariker's third consecutive commercial disaster at the box-office.[23]
Mohenjo Daro is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language period action-adventure film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It was produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur for UTV Motion Pictures and The Walt Disney Company India and Sunita Gowariker for Ashutosh Gowariker Productions (AGPPL), and stars Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde. It is based on the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and is set in the city of Mohenjo-daro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This film marked Pooja Hegde's debut in Hindi cinema.
Zeenat Khan, better known as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and model. She first received recognition after winning the Femina Miss India pageant and the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970. She began acting that same year, appearing in the films The Evil Within (1970) and Hulchul (1971). Her breakthrough came with Dev Anand's drama film Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971), which won her the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Gracy Singh is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films. She is best known for her role in the films Lagaan and Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Singh is also a trained Bharatnatyam and Odissi dancer.
Swades: We, the People (transl.Homeland) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language drama film co-written, directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi and Kishori Ballal while Daya Shankar Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, Lekh Tandon appear in supporting roles.
Jodhaa Akbar is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language epic historical romantic drama musical fiction film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the titular roles. Set in the 16th century, the film shows the fictional life and love between the Muslim Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Empire and a Hindu Princess Jodhaa Bai of Amber, and their political marriage. A. R. Rahman composed the musical score which proved to be critically and commercially successful. The film marks the second collaboration between Roshan and Rai Bachchan after Dhoom 2 (2006).
The Mukherjee-Samarth family is a Hindu Bengali-Marathi family that has been involved in the Hindi film industry since the 1930s, Shobhana Samarth having first acted in a film in 1935. The Mukherjee family was connected to the Samarth family by Tanuja's marriage to Shomu Mukherjee in 1973.
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six Filmfare Awards, of which four were for Best Actor. Starting from 2012, he has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 several times based on his income and popularity.
Raza Murad is an Indian actor who appears primarily in Hindi films.
Abhishek Kapoor is an Indian film director, former actor, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for his work in the musical drama Rock On!! (2008), the buddy sports drama Kai Po Che! (2013), the musical romantic drama Fitoor (2016), the romantic disaster film Kedarnath (2018) and the social romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), earning nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Rock On!! and Kai Po Che!.
The 54th Idea Filmfare Awards ceremony, presented by The Times Group and Idea Cellular, was one of India's most prestigious awards ceremony, honoring the best Bollywood films of 2008. It took place on 28 February 2009 at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. Actors Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan hosted the show for the first part, while actresses Konkona Sen Sharma and Deepika Padukone hosted the show in the latter part. It was the first time that any of these actors hosted the awards ceremony. The ceremony was televised in India eight days later, on 8 March 2009.
Ayan Mukerji is an Indian filmmaker who works in Hindi films. A member of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, he is known for his collaborations with actor Ranbir Kapoor under Karan Johar's production banner Dharma Productions.
Bela Shende is an Indian playback singer. She performed several songs in Bollywood and other film Indian industries. "Mann Mohana" from the film Jodhaa Akbar, "Su Che" from the film What's Your Raashee?, "Wajle Ki Baara" and "Apsara Aali" from Natarang are some of her famous songs. In 2014 she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Khurkhura" from the Marathi film Tuhya Dharma Koncha.
Pooja Hegde is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. She was the second runner-up at the 2010 Miss Universe India pageant. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Mugamoodi (2012). She had her first Telugu release in Oka Laila Kosam (2014) and established herself as one of the leading actresses in Telugu cinema. Hegde is a recipient of four SIIMA Awards.
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. As a child, he made uncredited appearances in three films directed by his maternal grandfather, J. Om Prakash, the first of which was in Aasha (1980). In 1986, Roshan played the adopted son of Rajinikanth's character in Prakash's crime drama Bhagwaan Dada. Roshan subsequently worked as an assistant director on four films, including Khudgarz (1987) and Karan Arjun (1995), all of which were directed by his father, Rakesh.
Sunita Gowariker is a film producer in the Indian Film Industry (Bollywood).
Shaji Choudhary is an Indian actor who plays supporting roles in Indian films and TV serials. Born in Dodwari, Tonk,Rajasthan, Shaji is known for his roles in Main Hoon Na, Jodhaa Akbar, Shaurya Aur Suhani, PK and Mirzapur.
Mohenjo Daro is the soundtrack album to the 2016 Indian Hindi-language period action-adventure film of the same name, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles. The film was produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures and The Walt Disney Company India and Sunita Gowariker under Ashutosh Gowariker Productions (AGPPL). The soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman in his fourth collaboration with Gowariker, after Lagaan (2001), Swades (2004), and Jodhaa Akbar (2008).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
