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Ashutosh Gowariker, in a CC BY 3.0 photograph from Wikimedia Commons
Photograph: Bollywood Hungama. Licence: CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Ashutosh Gowariker at the launch of T P Aggarwal's trade magazine 'Blockbuster' 15.jpg. Licence confirmed on the Commons file page on 22 October 2026. ShowBuzz resized the file and converted it to WebP for page speed, and did not otherwise alter it.

Celebrities / Director

Ashutosh Gowariker

Director, actor, screenwriter and producer

Ashutosh Gowariker is a director, actor, screenwriter and producer in Hindi cinema. He was born in Kolhapur into a Marathi-speaking family and went to St. Theresa's High School in Bandra. He started as an actor, with a debut in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984), where he met Aamir Khan, who later worked with him on several films.

As a director he is best known for three large films. Lagaan (2001) is a period sports drama about villagers who bet their taxes on a cricket match. Swades (2004) is a social drama about a NASA scientist who returns to an Indian village. Jodhaa Akbar (2008) is a historical romance. Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar each won him Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Director. Lagaan was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 74th Academy Awards, which made him a voting member of the Academy.

He returned to acting in the lead of the Marathi comedy-drama Ventilator (2016). On this guide he directed Lagaan and Swades.

His first two films as director, the thrillers Pehla Nasha (1993) and Baazi (1995), failed with critics and at the box office. Lagaan, produced by and starring Aamir Khan with the newcomer Gracy Singh, turned that around. It was praised for its direction, music, performances and anti-imperialist stance. As an actor he had also appeared in C.I.D. and films such as Naam, Goonj, Chamatkar and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. Ventilator was produced by Priyanka Chopra.

Credits in detail

Lagaan (2001, Hindi) was released 15 June 2001. Ashutosh Gowariker directed it. The cast also includes Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh.

Swades (2004, Hindi) was released 17 December 2004. Ashutosh Gowariker directed it. The cast also includes Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi.

Known for

Lagaan · Swades · Jodhaa Akbar

Work on ShowBuzz

  • Lagaan

    Film · 2001 · Director. A village in 1893 takes on the British at cricket, with the year’s tax as the stake. Ashutosh Gowariker directs. It was nominated for the Oscar for best international film.

  • Swades

    Film · 2004 · Director. A NASA scientist comes home to find the woman who raised him, and stays long enough to see what the village actually needs. Ashutosh Gowariker directs. It was not the biggest earner of its year. It is the Shah Rukh Khan performance people now put beside DDLJ.

Sources