This story is from November 19, 2019

After 'Panipat', Ashutosh Gowariker would like to make a film on Prince Siddhartha's journey to becoming Buddha

I love history, and within that, the theme is important, be it religious tolerance ('Jodhaa Akbar') or the concept of unity ('Lagaan').
After 'Panipat', Ashutosh Gowariker would like to make a film on Prince Siddhartha's journey to becoming Buddha
(This story originally appeared in on Nov 19, 2019)
Just three weeks before he unveils his next period extravaganza, 'Panipat' , Ashutosh Gowariker looks amazingly calm and not battle weary as you’d imagine. The voice is soft as he takes you into the war zone. Excerpts:
You choose subjects that challenge you as a filmmaker, from 'Lagaan' and 'Jodhaa Akbar' to 'Mohenjo Daro' and now 'Panipat'. What makes you want to create big screen spectacles?
I love history, and within that, the theme is important, be it religious tolerance ('Jodhaa Akbar') or the concept of unity ('Lagaan').
I also love to create different worlds and learn what were the smallest sparks that fired these big events.
And just how difficult is it creating these worlds?
It’s very difficult and is all in the prep, which is why I make one film in three years. The research doesn’t end with the script, but blossoms through different departments from art to action, from costumes to hair and make-up. And since every department needs time, the key is patience and singular focus. In this, I’m not alone. Along with my crew of like-minded people, I need committed actors who’ll shave their head and stay in that look for six-eight months. Building that commitment is like building an army in itself.

We’ve read about the battle of 'Panipat' in history books but in modern times, how do you plan to whip up interest and bring people to the theatres?
Yes, we have read about the battle but how many know that there were three battles of 'Panipat', and the third, which we are bringing to the screen, was the most inspiring? For the first time in history, anywhere in the world, an army travelled 1,000 kilometres to stop an invader. Since film is an audio-visual medium, it’ll take you beyond textbooks. And while I like to be authentic in my depiction, I also like to tell a story in an entertaining way. I can’t think of making a film without songs; elements like music keep the audience engaged.
You’ve always cast against type but what made you opt for Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon who had never done a historical film before 'Panipat'?
According to descriptions, Sadashiv Rao Bhau was a large man, a warrior with brute strength. Arjun fitted the bill. Also, he was free then to give me the commitment I wanted. And having seen his 'Ishaqzaade', '2 States' and 'Finding Fanny', I knew him as a natural, understated performer. Kriti is beautiful, and having played the girl-next-door in all films, I thought it would be nice to see her in regality as Parvati Bai.
Sanjay and I go back a long way, having been co-actors on Naam. When I asked him why he’d never done a historical before, he said simply that no one had asked him. So, I did. He’s my Afghan invader, Ahmad Shah Abdali. All three were my first choices. Along with them, I have an interesting ensemble cast in Mohnish Bahl (Nana Saheb Peshwa), Padmini Kolhapure (Gopika Bai) and Zeenat Aman ji (Sakina Begum).
In India we’re quick to compare, pass judgements. So, as soon as your trailer came out, similarities between Arjun’s Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Ranveer’s Bajirao and Sanjay’s Abdali and Ranveer’s Khilji from 'Padmaavat' were noted.
That’s understandable because the last film that comes out, stays in our recent memory. So, 'Jodhaa Akbar' was immediately compared to 'Mughal-E-Azam', 'Bajirao Mastani' to 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Padmaavat' to 'Bahubali'. That’s nothing to be worried about.
Also, we are still in the era of the Peshwas in 'Panipat', which revolves around Bajirao’s next generation his son, Nana Saheb Peshwa, his brother Chimaji Appa’s son Sadashiv Rao Bhau and his second son with Mastani, Shamsher Bahadur. So, the costumes and their palace, remain the same but the story is very different.
You give three years to a film like 'Mohenjo Daro', then, it’s torn apart. Where do you get the strength to enter another battlefield?
The norm of this business is that failure is singularly yours while success is to be shared. So, I never blame anyone. I analyse what went wrong, make mental notes and try not to repeat the mistakes in the next film.
What mistakes did you make with 'Mohenjo Daro'? Was it the special effects?
'Mohenjo Daro' was pre-history, there were no references, so we wrote a story and built a world around it, from scratch, hoping the audience would identify with it. They didn’t, despite all our Herculean efforts. I’ve noted that the audience forgives bad performances and VFX if the script connects with them. That did not happen in this case. Maybe I could have done it a little differently in terms of emotions.
During 'Mohenjo Daro' you were also dragged to court on plagiarism charges.
I’d never copy anyone’s script, in fact, I’d never take anything from anyone that doesn’t belong to me. I am very straight so when such court cases happen, I feel sad, but I have to still fight them.
Would you want to revisit 'Mohenjo Daro'?
Not at the moment, and even if I did, I’d want to go to Harappa this time, as it became a bigger trading centre after 'Mohenjo Daro'. A civilisation was named after it. But after 'Mohenjo Daro', 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Lagaan', I’m done with pre-history, medieval, Mughal India and the British era. I haven’t explored Ancient India yet. I’d want to make a film on Buddha, on how Prince Siddhartha became Buddha. What happened to bring the change, the answers he found…
Do you see any changes in you from when you were an actor?
As a person, my knowledge about our country and its neighbours since our histories are connected, has been enriched by my own films. But as a maker, I start on a zero when I start a new project. The challenges are so different each time that I’m scared on the first day of shoot, and for every day after that, worried if I’m doing the scene right.
'Lagaan' was the turning point for both Aamir Khan and you. What do you recall of the film?
When I moved to direction, the attempt was to do something new and different. That’s what led to 'Pehla Nasha' with Deepak Tijori, followed by 'Baazi', which was an attempt to change Aamir’s image from a chocolate hero to an action hero. 'Lagaan' was a step further, on a bigger scale.
Back then, no one believed a cricket film, revolving around villagers who spoke in Avadhi, set in British India, would work. But both of us were excited about entering this world. 'Lagaan' was a period drama and a sports film, it made a social statement, had songs and was a love story. Even I have not made a multi-genre film like this since. It went to the Oscars, the Olympics of cinema. We made it to the last five, after which it’s unfair to choose. But a choice had to be made, that doesn’t devalue the rest. We lost the cherry, but we ate the cake.
It was a brave step for Aamir too, not just to act in it but to also produce the film.
Oh yes, it was. But Aamir was always trying to do different things while remaining mainstream. Even when he had started, Raakh came on the heels of 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' and 'Lagaan' with 'Dil Chahta Hai'. But yes, 'Lagaan' gave us the confidence and the eyeballs to take more leaps. I went on to make the nationalistic Swades, followed by Jodhaa Akbar. And along with the audience, the trade was interested in my next.
After 'Mohenjo Daro', it couldn’t have been easy finding backers for 'Panipat'?
For a project to be greenlit, you need actors willing to work with you and funders who’ll back you. I was fortunate to get both. Also, I have a pillar in Sunita. She’d also come out of 'Mohenjo Daro' and had she told me not to make 'Panipat', I wouldn’t have. My wife has a natural business acumen, she understands numbers and finds solutions to problems which are huge. We also found a collaborative partner in Rohit Shelatkar, who has been harvesting this dream for a while.
'Panipat' will be followed by 'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior'. Our audience seems to be more amiable to this genre...
'Jodhaa Akbar' changed things.
So, would you say our audience has evolved?
I don’t think the audience has changed. I, too, grew up watching 'Amar Akbar Anthony' and 'Rajnigandha','Don', 'Gol Maal' with films of Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray, as also Hollywood flicks. What has changed is access. Earlier, Rajnigandha would play in three theatres, today, it would play in multiplexes, do Rs 100 crore business. What has evolved is the distribution and exhibition, which is the bridge between filmmakers and the audience.
We have digital platforms...
Yes, but web writing is difficult as you have to engage an audience and get them to binge through 10 episodes of an hour each. I don’t have that skill, I’ve to perfect cinema first.
Are you open to more acting roles after Ventilator?
Acting is a difficult job, but it was calming and liberating for me to stand in front of a camera and not have to worry about the colour of the curtains behind me. I’d love to do roles which interest me. But right now, I’m in the battlefield.
And yet you seem so calm…
Oh no, I’m very nervous. Soon I will have no nails left.
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