MUMBAI :Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, who has directed films such as Swades, Jodhaa Akbar and Lagaan, has shared that Mohenjo Daro is his 'favourite film'. Speaking with news agency PTI, Ashutosh also said that he is flattered by the clever usage of references to his film Swades, starring Shah Rukh Khan, in Brahmastra and Jawan.

Also read - Director Ashutosh Gowariker to Create Epic Film, SHANKAR based on Adi Shankaracharya, in Collaboration with Nyas

When asked if he believes moviegoers are more drawn to big-scale films today, he said the story is still more crucial than the production of a movie. Citing the example of his 2016 film Mohenjo Daro, the filmmaker said the movie had a "great canvas" and Hrithik Roshan's performance was superb and yet the film didn't work.

"It sent me into an analysis (mode) about why it didn't work. I realised that the story didn't connect. My screenplay went wrong in creating the right emotional response that the audience should feel what the character is going through. So, no amount of great scale is going to help that. But still, Mohenjo Daro is my favourite film, just putting it on record. I haven't abandoned the film yet," he said.

Talking about references to his film Swades, Ashutosh said, "It is very flattering (to see Swades references). The use is very clever. It was smartly done. When you are doffing your hat to a film that you have seen or has left an impression on you, the placement and position of that has to be done carefully. In both cases, they have done a slightly tongue-in-cheek kind of thing."

In Jawan, Riddhi Dogra stars as Shah Rukh's adoptive mother, Kaveri Amma. In Swades, late actor Kishori Ballal played the character of Kaveri Amma, the mother figure to scientist Mohan Bhargav, played by Shah Rukh. Ayan Mukerji, who served as an assistant director to Ashutosh on Swades, paid homage to the movie in his 2022 film Brahmastra: Part One Shiva through Shah Rukh's cameo of a scientist, named Mohan Bhargav.

Mohenjo Daro is a 2016 period action-adventure film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film starred Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde.

Also read - Director Ashutosh Gowariker to Create Epic Film, SHANKAR based on Adi Shankaracharya, in Collaboration with Nyas

Ashutosh currently stars in the Netflix series Kaala Paani, directed by Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani. The survival drama also stars Mona Singh, Amey Wagh, Sukant Goel, Vikas Kumar, and Arushi Sharma.

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Credits - Hindustan Times