Exclusive | Film planning is tedious than, execution: Ashutosh Gowariker

He started his filmy career with film Holi and made his directorial debut in Bollywood with film Pehla Nasha. He has also done TV shows like Circus, CID, Chamatkar, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and others. The name Ashutosh Gowariker shot to fame and gained recognition post his history-based magnum opus Lagaan starting Aamir Khan.

Gowariker is returning back to television, though as a producer, with the soon to be aired show Everest on Star Plus. In an exclusive interaction with Ashutosh Gowariker, Adgully learns about his upcoming show, his next film and more…

Telling us about his upcoming show he said, “Everest is a story where drama gets combined with adventure. Everest is a fictional story so the characters are also fictional but dreams and ambitions are identifiable. The story is about challenges, difficulties and situations an individual go through as he or she climbs up to that height.”

While for Everest he sits on the Producer's chair and not the director's. Sharing the rationale behind it, he said, "When we started working on Everest three years ago, I was simultaneously working on Mohenjo Daro so I felt I’ll be not able to dedicate much of my time. When I wrote the script, I wanted to produce it. So I am re-entering in TV space as producer, TV production has its own challenges as compared to films and is a different space. But I am not worried much about it as I have great directors like Glenn Baretto and Ankush Mohla who are co-directing the show".

Gowariker refrained from revealing the names of the actors for the show, he however mentioned that it was tough to get the right cast for the show. "Selection of the cast and crew was done keeping the age of the actors and their physical fitness in mind. All of them had to go through an altitude test. Because physically you might be fit but mentally you may not be that strong at that higher altitude", he explained.

The show is been shot in Nepal, Uttarakhand, Pokhran, Mumbai, Jodhpur along with other places.

Sharing the reason for having a female lead, he said, “I always wanted to do a story on adventure sports and I feel Everest is one of them. By getting a girl in lead I feel I’ll be able to explore girl child issues, equal rights and how determination helps an individual and other such themes. We take it for granted that a male will conquer Everest, but even a woman can, it wouldn’t have been possible with male lead. Along with her character, other characters will join in who have different ambitions but for all the common goal is Everest".

Observers state that most of Gowariker's films offer a different viewing experience as it’s not only about story or the actor, but the rich heritage and culture. “I call myself as explorer, as I love to explore new destinations. My films like Lagaan and Jodha Akbar were exploration for me as for me it’s like going to another world and creating a different world along with the culture", he stated.

Shedding light on the most anticipated film from his stable - Mohenjo Daro, he said, “Everest and Mohenjo Daro both the ideas came to my mind three years back. Yes I am working and focusing on Mohenjo Daro. Right now, the crew is set, casting is been done and locations are getting finalised. The film shoot will mostly start in November".

Responding to the most frequently asked question as to why do his films take long to hit the screen, Gowariker said, "My films take time in planning because once planning is done then execution is not a difficult task. Jodha Akbar took me four years, Swades took me two years, Lagaan took me three years. So each film has taken loads of time and I am happy that I took enough time and gave justice to the films".

Gowariker believes that there is no gap in terms of TV & films; it’s just that both industries follow different formats to keep their audience captivated. [By Ranjana Gupta | Twitter: @RGrightsreserve]

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