MUMBAI: Last year, when Barbie and Oppenheimer collided in theaters, Indians were reminded of the time when Lagaan and Gadar were released on the same day in 2001, and both films, while being opposed, became tremendous hits. Gadar was for those who enjoyed chanting 'Hindustan zindabad' with Sunny Deol, but Lagaan was a complete surprise.

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Most people had no idea what the title meant, and the film's promotional material simply stated that it was an Aamir Khan film, therefore it was probably worth our money. Anil Sharma, who directed Gadar, just had a great comeback with Gadar 2, while Ashutosh Gowariker, who was regarded as the more competent filmmaker at the time, has seemingly vanished from the filmmaking world.

The film Lagaan by Ashutosh Gowariker was an important turning point for Indians. It was perhaps the first time Indians rose at an ungodly hour to watch the Oscar telecast because there was an Indian film, and a well-loved one at that, on the verge of creating history on the world's biggest stage. However, even before it reached the Oscars, Lagaan was a cinematic experience that brought the audience together. It was similar to watching a live cricket match in a movie when you knew the good people would eventually win and everything appeared virtually flawless.

As time passed, we all heard and read stories about how no one, except Aamir Khan, had faith in Ashutosh when he was putting the picture together. The film's production was hard, and the documentary 'Madness in the Desert' provided insight into how it was nothing short of a war against nature. After all was said and done, Ashutosh had created a film that was genuinely timeless.

His following film, Swades was one of the most anticipated films of the year, and while it did not receive the same level of attention as Lagaan, it is today regarded as one of the best patriotic films of all time, and probably one of Shah Rukh Khan's best performances.

His second film, Jodhaa Akbar, was a period drama that viewers enjoyed for its larger-than-life canvas and heartfelt love narrative. By this point, Ashutosh had established himself as the man who made pictures that were longer than three hours but were always successful. His Midas touch was no longer considered a fluke, as three massive hits in eight years was no minor accomplishment.

Thanks to Karan Johar and the age of Koffee with Karan, movie directors were more than simply the men and women behind the camera; they owned their films and were extremely loud in promoting them. The success of a film was not only credited to its lead performers, but also to the director, and in Ashutosh's case, the credit belonged to him because all three of his enormous hits included diverse casts; this was his time.

Every corner of the Hindi cinema business was rooting for Ashutosh for his achievement, but shortly after Jodhaa Akbar, he had his somewhat infamous argument with Sajid Khan at an award event. In terms of staged reality and made-up controversies, no one could have imagined this moment. This occurred after his film, Jodhaa Akbar, won the Best Film award that evening, and losing his cool was part of his acceptance speech.

The director was unable to replicate the success of his trilogy of pictures with his subsequent works. Ashutosh released another dreadfully long film starring Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja called What's Your Raashee, and the audience who loved his previous films didn't warm up to this one. The film's concept was undoubtedly unusual, but its execution was tedious.

Even Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, which debuted in 2010, failed to connect with audiences. Mohenjo Daro (2016), which was released at a time when Hrithik Roshan was experiencing a deluge of hatred on social media, went unnoticed. Even in hindsight, the picture failed to gain a following since it was simply not memorable. His most recent directorial effort, Panipat, was a complete failure. Panipat was criticized for its casting and character design as soon as the trailers were released, and the film failed to win over any admirers following its premiere.

The majority of these films appeared to be in a genre that Ashutosh has previously worked with. Panipat was a visual reminder of Jodha Akbar. Mohenjo Daro and Khalein Hum Jee Jaan Sey attempted to instill the same kind of mentality seen in Lagaan. Perhaps it was the familiarity of his films that didn't appeal. His former films did not clone any existing format, but when he attempted to recreate his previous success, it failed to click.

Since 2019, Ashutosh has not made a new movie. He produced the National Award-winning film Toolsidas Junior, although he has yet to disclose the direction of his next project. Since beginning his career as an actor, he returned to his roots when he appeared in the Netflix series Kaala Paani, but that presence served as a stark reminder of the time when Ashutosh was regarded as one of India's cinematic pioneers.

It is frequently claimed that Hindi film is a cruel arena where people are assessed based on their most recent movie, and after a succession of disappointments, some may have lost faith in the director. Despite his recent works, Ashutosh will always be remembered as the man who brought India to the Oscar stage and created not one, but two immortal classics: Lagaan and Swades.

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Credit – The Indian Express