Ashutosh Gowariker

Ashutosh has come a long way since his early modeling assignments like Govind Nihalani's Lifebuoy commercial. He entered the world of Hindi cinema with Ketan Mehta's 'Holi' (1984), where he played Ranjeet, one of the main protagonists. His acting career continued with films like Mahesh Bhatt's 'Naam', Jalal Agha's 'Goonj', Anant Balani's 'Gawaahi', David Rathod's 'West is West', Saeed Mirza's 'Saleem Langde Pe Mat Ro' and Kundan Shah's 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa'. Alongside these Hindi features, TV serials like Amol Palekar's 'Kachchi Dhoop' and 'Saeed Mirza-Aziz' Mirza-Kundan Shah's 'Circus', award-winning Marathi films like 'Ujwal Thengde', Sanjay Rawal's 'Vazir' and Shraboni Deodhar's 'Sarkarnama' also happened, bringing him in touch with the finest creative minds in contemporary cinema. Other notable television serials like Shyam Benegal's 'Discovery of India', Ravi Baswani's 'Kisse Miya Biwi Ke', Manjul Sinha's 'Hum Panchchi Ek Daal Ke', Anand Mahendroo's 'Indradhanush' and Manik Trivedi's 'Jantar Mantar' and the more recent, Glen Baretto-Ankush Mohla's 'WOH' and Pradeep Uppoor-B.P. Singh's 'CID', also found Ashutosh in front of the camera. This diverse exposure whetted his appetite to helm a project, and he made his directorial debut with 'Pehla Nasha' (First Love), a murder mystery, in 1993. Though the film didn't do well at the box office, it helped Ashutosh find firm ground as a director. He followed this up with 'Baazi' (The Game), a thriller, in 1995, which enjoyed average success, but led Ashutosh on a journey in search of a better script. First born in Ashutosh's mind in 1996, 'Lagaan' was nurtured into a final seventh shooting draft over a period of four years. With 'Lagaan' (2001), Ashutosh veered away from most norms used in the making of a mainstream commercial Hindi film - It's a period drama, set in rural India; Its language is a dialect; Most of its characters are dressed in loincloths; It includes a British cast; It is a musical, and above all, it's a sports film! 'Lagaan' was nominated at the Academy Awards in the Best Film in a Foreign Language category for 2001 and earned plaudits worldwide for its meticulous execution and evocative performances. As a director, Ashutosh's first ever series of five commercials for Coca-Cola have proved an instant success, sweeping Campaign of the Year honours and winning accolades at advertising awards functions across India this year.