Ashutosh Gowariker to make Mohenjo-Daro with Hrithik Roshan!

He may have not made a movie in a while, but Ashutosh Gowariker is one director who never ceases to stir inquisitiveness about his next project. His repertoire of movies like Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar commands a certain respect.

Ashutosh is in the news nowadays regarding the casting of his next epic, Mohenjo-Daro. “As the name says, the film is set in those ancient times,” Ashutosh disclosed when we caught up with him at the launch of the movie Unforgettable, which is directed by his school friend Arshad Yusuf Pathan. “I have been working on Mohenjo-Daro for over two years now.” The director is known for his painstaking attention to detail and he adds: “There are still a lot of things that I still need to work on before we go on floors, but it’s an interesting story and I am looking forward to shooting it. We should start shooting in next four to five months.”

The director admitted that he has already finalized the casting of the lead actor in his movie. “We have Hrithik Roshan on board as the lead. Hrithik and I have worked together in Jodhaa Akbar and he is a superb actor to work with,” he revealed. Buzz is that Ashutosh is in talks with Priyanka and Kareena to play the lead actress but the filmmaker begged off from confirming that. “We are in discussion with someone but I cannot reveal the name yet. I should be able to reveal the name in the next 10 days.”

Given the star names involved and the period setting, this movie could well be Ashutosh’s grandest film in terms of scale. Ashutosh chuckled, “I am not saying that, you are. But yes, the film will be large in scale because this is a story that demands the scale.”

Besides this cinematic magnum opus, Ashutosh also has on his plate a TV show on Mt Everest. “It is not ready yet but I delighted at the way the show is turning out,” Ashutosh said. Like every project connected to the filmmaker, this TV project too promises to be grand. Ashutosh concurred, “It is a very big show. You can imagine the canvas considering we are talking about Mr Everest. We have been shooting in lot of places including Uttaranchal and Nepal and we have three directors — Glenn, Ankush and Raj Kaushal – shooting this show.”

The usually spotlight shy Ashutosh had made a public appearance after a long time because of his friend, Arshad. He concluded emotionally, “We have grown up together and have studied in the same class. I am really glad that he has finally made his film. And from what I see, Unforgettable is one of the most well textured films I have watched in some time.”