Ashutosh Gowariker: Where’s the director who gave us Lagaan and Swades, took India to Oscar stage?

As time went on, we all heard and read stories about how no one, except for Aamir Khan, had any confidence in Ashutosh when he was putting the film together. The making of the film was an arduous process and the documentary ‘Madness in the Desert’ gave an insight into how making this film was no less than a battle against nature. But after all was said and done, Ashutosh had managed to make a film that was truly timeless.

Aamir Khan in a still from Lagaan.

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His next film, Swades, was one of the most anticipated films of that year, and while Swades did not generate the same kind of buzz as Lagaan, it is now seen as one of the best patriotic films of all time, and certainly as one of the best performances by Shah Rukh Khan. Jodhaa Akbar, his next film, was a period drama that was also appreciated by the audiences, for its larger-than-life canvas and the love story at its heart. By this time, Ashutosh came to be known as the man who made films that were over three hours long but he always made winners. His Midas touch wasn’t seen as a fluke anymore as giving three humongous hits in a span of eight years was no small feat.

Thanks to Karan Johar and this era of Koffee with Karan, movie directors were not just the men and women behind the screen, they owned their films and were quite vocal when promoting their films. The success of a film wasn’t just attributed to its lead stars but due credit was also given to the director and in Ashutosh’s case, the credit belonged to him as all three of his massive hits featured a different set of actors; this was his moment.

Every corner of the Hindi film industry was cheering for Ashutosh for all his success but it was soon after Jodhaa Akbar that he had his rather infamous spat with Sajid Khan during an award show. As far as scripted reality and made-up controversies go, this was a moment that no one could have constructed. This was after his film Jodhaa Akbar had won the Best Film award that evening and him losing his cool was a part of his acceptance speech.

The director was unable to recreate the success of his troika of films with his next films. Ashutosh made another excruciatingly long film with Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja titled What’s Your Raashee and the audience that was once going gaga over his films didn’t warm up to this one. The idea of the film was surely unique but the execution was tedious. Even Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, which released in 2010, failed to connect with people. 2016’s Mohenjo Daro, which released at a time when Hrithik Roshan was facing a barrage of hate on social media, sank without a trace. Even in hindsight, the film hasn’t managed to cultivate any following and that’s because it just wasn’t memorable enough. His last directorial, 2019’s Panipat, was dismissed right from the start. As soon as the promos were released, Panipat was criticised for its casting, the look of the characters and after the film released, it didn’t win over any fans.

Most of these films seemed like they belonged to a genre that Ashutosh had previously dealt with. Panipat was a visual reminder of Jodhaa Akbar. Mohenjo Daro and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey tried to inculcate the same kind of ethos that was seen in Lagaan. And perhaps, it was this familiarity in his movies that did not click. His earlier films did not clone any existing format but when he appeared to recrate the formula of his previous success, it failed to click.

Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Swades.

Since 2019, Ashutosh has not made any new movies. He was the producer of the National Award-winning film Toolsidas Junior but as far as direction is concerned, he is yet to announce his next film. Since he started his journey as an actor, he came back to his roots when he was seen in the Netflix series Kaala Paani but that appearance was a massive reminder of the time when Ashutosh was celebrated as one of the mavericks of Indian cinema.

It is often said that Hindi cinema is a brutal place where people are judged on the basis of their last release and after delivering a string of flops, perhaps there were some who lost confidence in the director. But despite his last few films, Ashutosh will always be known as the man who took India to the Oscar stage and made not just one, but two timeless classics – Lagaan and Swades.