Hrithik, Ash & history
by: Archana
- hindustantimes.com
At a city art gathering crowded with heavily made-up P3P and reclusive painters, Ashutosh Gowariker in chikan kurta pyjama makes a different sight. We caught the filmmaker, who took India to the Oscars with Lagaan, at the Visual Arts Gallery in the company of designer Amita Gupta. He was soaking in the paintings of friend and painter Satish Gupta.
Gowariker regretted having lost out at buying a set of five oils on canvas, forming Gupta’s series, The Five Elements. “I wanted to buy the whole series, but two were already sold. I don’t want to buy just three of the five elements,” he lamented.
The man definitely believes in total perfection — so obvious in Lagaan. If compliments over the film, released in 2001, is still pouring in, he takes it with aplomb: “Lagaan had something that few films worldwide have: It’s the right mix of all genres — drama, romance, human touch, songs, even sports. It’d be impossible even for me to replicate the film.”
So, what’s the most important aspect of a good film? “The script,” comes the prompt reply. “It’s above all other aspects of filmmaking.” That apart, he believes in signing his stars according to the roles, and not the other way around. So, he chose Shah Rukh Khan over Lagaan star Aamir Khan for last year’s Swades, and has now opted for Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai for his next — the historical Jodha-Akbar.
“The two seemed best suited to play the roles of emperor Akbar and his wife Jodha Bai respectively,” he says. “The film explores the relationship between the two, as to how a marriage of political alliance transforms into lifelong love,” Gowariker points out.
Sounds exciting, and ‘different’ too.
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