Ashutosh Gowariker | |
|---|---|
 Gowariker at the launch of T P Aggarwal's trade magazineBlockbuster | |
| Born | (1964-02-15)15 February 1964 (age 61) Kolhapur,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | |
Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works inIndian Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a hugecanvas while boasting of an opulent treatment".[1]
He is best known for helming the epic musical sports dramaLagaan (2001), the social dramaSwades (2004) and the epic historical romantic dramaJodhaa Akbar (2008), winning theFilmfare Award for Best Film andBest Director forLagaan andJodhaa Akbar.
Lagaan was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film at the74th Academy Awards, which makes him a voting member of theAcademy Awards.[2][3] He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimedcomedy dramaVentilator (2016).
Gowariker was born into a Marathi-speaking family to Ashok and Kishori Gowariker, inKolhapur.[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]
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Actor
Gowariker started his career as an actor, making his debut in 1984 in directorKetan Mehta's pictureHoli. On the Holi sets, Gowariker metAamir 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, includingNaam (1986),Goonj (1989),Chamatkar (1992), andKabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993). He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed Marathi comedy dramaVentilator (2016), which was produced byPriyanka Chopra. Allegedly, he took about 6 months to agree to do the film.
Director
Debut
Gowariker made his directorial debut with the thrillerPehla Nasha (1993), followed by another thrillerBaazi (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.
His first film of the new millennium was the epic musical sports dramaLagaan, produced by and starringAamir Khan alongside debutanteGracy Singh. The film revolved around the people of a small village in Victorian India who stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers. It received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, soundtrack, performances of the cast, and itsanti-imperialist stance. The film emerged as a commercial success, grossing₹65.97 crore (US$7.8 million) worldwide, ranking as thethird highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[11][12]Lagaan earned Gowariker his firstFilmfare Award for Best Director and theFilmfare Award for Best Story, in addition to theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and theFilmfare Award for Best Film.Lagaan was also nominated for theAcademy Award for Best International Feature Film, being the third, and as of 2023 the last, Indian film afterMother India (1957) andSalaam Bombay! (1988) to be nominated for the award.
He next screenwrote and directed the social dramaSwades (2004) starringShahrukh Khan and debutanteGayatri Joshi in lead roles. The story of the film revolves around an NRI project manager atNASA, 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 acommercial 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 achievedcult status.[14]
Gowariker's next screenwriting and directorial venture was the epic historical romantic dramaJodhaa Akbar (2008) starringHrithik Roshan andAishwarya Rai in lead roles. Set in the 16th century, the film depicted the life and romance between theMuslim EmperorAkbar ofMughal Empire and theHindu PrincessJodhaa Bai ofAmber, who married him on apolitical 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$14 million) worldwide, ranking as thefourth 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" byBritish Film Institute.[16]
Gowariker's next venture was the romantic comedyWhat's Your Raashee? (2009) starringPriyanka Chopra (in 12 roles) alongsideHarman Baweja.[17] Based on theGujarati novelKimball Ravenswood by the playwright and novelistMadhu Rye, the film told the story of a GujaratiNRI who meets twelve potential brides, one from eachzodiac sign, one of whom he must marry in ten days to save his brother from harm. It had its world premiere at the2009 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]
His next venture was thehistoricalaction-adventureKhelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) starringAbhishek Bachchan andDeepika Padukone in lead roles. The film was based on Manini Chatterjee'sDo And Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34, an account of the 1930Chittagong armoury raid. It opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.[19]
After a 6-year hiatus, Gowariker made his comeback with the period action-adventureMohenjo Daro (2016) starring Roshan (in their second collaboration) alongside debutantePooja Hegde in lead roles.[20][21] Set in 2016 BC at the height ofIndus Valley Civilisation, the film follows the story of a farmer who travels to the city ofMohenjo 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 dramaPanipat (2019) starringArjun Kapoor,Sanjay Dutt andKriti Sanon in lead roles. The film depicts the events that took place during theThird 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]
In 2024 Gowariker served as chairperson of the international jury at the55th International Film Festival of India held from 20 November to 28 November.[24]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Pehla Nasha | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1995 | Baazi | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2001 | Lagaan | Yes | Yes | No | Nominated –Academy Award for Best International Feature Film[25] Filmfare Award for Best Film Filmfare Award for Best Director Filmfare Award for Best Story |
| 2004 | Swades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Film Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director |
| 2008 | Jodhaa Akbar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Filmfare Award for Best Film Filmfare Award for Best Director |
| 2009 | What's Your Raashee? | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated –Zee Cine Award 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 | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi |
| Year | Films and television series | Language | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ata Thambaycha Naay! | Marathi | Udaykumar Shirurkar |
| 2024 | Manvat Murders | Marathi | Ramakant Kulkarni[26] |
| 2023 | Kaala Paani | Hindi | Lt. Governor Zibran Qadri |
| 2016 | Ventilator | Marathi | Raja Kamerkar |
| 1998–1999 | C.I.D. | Hindi | Inspector Virendra |
| 1998 | Woh | Hindi | Ashutosh Dhar |
| 1998 | Sarkarnama | Marathi | |
| 1995–2015 | Aahat | Hindi | |
| 1994 | Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa | Hindi | Imran Bilal |
| 1994 | Vazir | Marathi | |
| 1992 | Jaanam | Hindi | Arun S. Rao |
| 1992 | Chamatkar | Hindi | Monty |
| 1991 | Indrajeet | Hindi | |
| Jeeva Sakha | Marathi | Nagojirao "Nagya" Patil | |
| 1989 | Circus | Hindi | Vicky |
| Gawaahi | Hindi | Sayed Akhtar Rampuri | |
| Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro | Hindi | Abdul | |
| Kamla Ki Maut | Hindi | Deepak | |
| Indradhanush | Hindi | Mr. Appuswamy | |
| Ek Ratra Mantarleli | Marathi | Shekhar | |
| Goonj | Hindi | Sammy | |
| 1988 | Jaat | Haryanvi | |
| Bharat Ek Khoj (TV series), episode 10: "Gautama Buddha" | Hindi | Prince Siddhartha / Buddha | |
| 1987 | Kachchi Dhoop | Hindi | |
| West Is West | English | ||
| 1986 | Naam | Hindi | Jai Singh Kalewar |
| 1984 | Holi | Hindi | Ranjeet Prakash |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Best Director forLagaan 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Best Story forLagaan 2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Best Director forJodhaa Akbar 2009 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
