However, the official trailer of his latest venture, Mohenjo Daro released recently, and it has finally given people something new to talk about, regarding him. The initial response to the trailer was mostly unfavorable, with the social media full of trolls, regarding the fact that the director, Ashutosh Gowariker failed in history while he was in school.
Based on the Indus valley civilization that existed around 5000 years ago, the movie is a love story of a man, who falls for a girl, who happens to be a dancer, and a daughter of a person, belonging to a different clan. Newcomer Pooja Hegde is starring in the lead role opposite Roshan.
The movie has already invited a lot of trouble, though. An assistant director and T.V. show writer, Akashaditya Lama, had accused the makers of copying the script of his story, which he wrote back in 1995, and which was presented to Gowariker in 2002, but was turned down by him. A legal battle followed, and the final verdict is due on July 26. Apart from that, several historians had claimed that the name “Mohenjo Daro” which literally means ‘Mound of the dead’ is not the actual name of the place, where the story is set up, as the archaeologists have not been able to decipher the scriptures of this civilization till date. As a result, a lot of people criticized Gowariker for historical inaccuracy and lack of extensive research before picking up this subject for his movie.
In recent interviews and promotional events, however, the director clarified that the movie is based on his own vision of the times and that there have been certain reservations. The fact that most of the factual information for that era is unavailable, he has taken liberty to tell the story that interests the modern audience, without losing the essence of a period drama.
His efforts in this regard must be appreciated, as it takes a lot of courage to come up with a story like that and to present it before the audience. The movie is a medium that will take us through a journey, unraveling the mysteries of the past we are not very well aware of. Releasing on August 12th, the movie should be watched by, not with an intention of finding flaws in it, but with the thought that maybe it will tell us a story that we never even imagined.
Finally, with most of the movies today lacking a story line, Mohenjo Daro might just bring the change that is much needed.
Written by Avinash Srivastava
A Writer of Stories, Loves Novels and Movies