Mohenjo-Daro Updates-Thread closed - Page 10

Jun 07 2014 : Mirror (Mumbai)

Shuddhi made way for Mohenjo Daro

Hrithik Roshan's exit from the Karan Johar flick has put Ashutosh Gowariker's ambitious love story set in the Indus Valley Civilisation in motion

It's one of the most ancient-urban civilizations but it's been limited to only a paragraph in history text books. Who were these people and how did they live their lives? What is their story?" These are the questions bothering and inspiring Ashutosh Gowariker, who after Lagaan and Jodha Akbar, is prepping up to helm another period love story, this time travelling back to the 26th century BC.

But setting the stage for the historical romance has not been easy for Gowariker. He gave the first narration to Hrithik Roshan back in 2011 and the actor was instantly convinced about the project. "He fell in love with the story."

However, Hrithik had various previous commitments, which he needed to complete before he could dedicate himself to a mammoth project like Mohenjo Daro.
"He had a major chunk of dates allotted to Karan Johar's Shuddhi. However, since he decided to opt out of it, we decided to begin work on my film," Gowariker says.

But how does he plan to tell a tale that is both, ambitious and ambiguous in nature? "While the plot will follow the discovery of Mohenjo-daro and the culture and the vibe of the ancient civilisation, it will largely centre on a love story," the director says, adding, "I've met as many as seven archaeologists who have been closely involved in documenting the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation. I have also visited the archaeological site of Dhola Veera in Kutch (Gujarat) for a recce.
I'm soon going to visit Mohenjo-daro as well. But since the film is set in a certain period, we will have to recreate the whole site in a film studio. We are presently working on the logistics."

So far, Gowariker is the solo producer of the film but negotiations are underway with a major studio. Did the debacle of the Abhishek Bachchan-DeepikaPadukone starrer, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, affect his box-office stand ing? "No. Some films you makewith a lot of passion and integrity, but they fail. What can you do about it? I'm very proud ofKhelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey andgiven a chance, I wouldn'thave made it differ ently. As far as taking risks is concerned, MohenjoDaro will probably be my most risky film till date. If you let the boxoffice numberscloud your cinematic vision,then you willnever be able to make thefilm you truly want to make," said thefilmmaker.