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Ashutosh Gowarikar faints on Akbar-Jodha sets
Directing a multi-starrer period film is definitely not for the faint-hearted. And we know that director Ashutosh Gowarikar is definitely not unused to either; period film (Lagaan) or big stars (Aamir Khan). So we were a bit shocked when we heard that the acclaimed director actually fainted on the sets of his forthcoming period film Akbar Jodha, being shot a few kilometres away from Jaipur.
Sources tell us that it was frustration that led to the incident. No it was not his stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai who gave him grief but bystanders. Gowarikar, who is always very keen on perfection, was getting constantly hassled by intruders wearing modern clothes coming into the frame whenever he started taking a long shot and of course, the film, which is set in the Moghul period, cannot have people loitering around in jeans, can it?
So every time he had to stop filming a shot midway due to a loitering local, the director would yell into his megaphone. This went on for quite some time till Gowarikar's voice gave out completely and he collapsed. He, however, was up on his feet and back wielding the megaphone after a little rest.
Akbar Jodha, his most ambitious project till date has been in the news since the day he started shooting it. First some Rajput organisations accused him of hurting their sentiments by misrepresenting historical facts. Later a semi-government organisation filed a petition against the maker for the over-use of animals in his film. Gowarikar is using 80 elephants, 160 horses and 65 camels in the film.
On-set mishaps are nothing new for Ashutosh though. While shooting Lagaan he had a slip-disc and was advised complete bed-rest. He, however, continued directing the film for a month from a bed kept for him on the sets.
One just hopes one of India's most talented directors doesn't face any more problems during the making of his latest film. After all what are a few jeans in a period film? Remember the red car in the chariot race scene in Ben Hur? That went on to be hit didn't it?
-- Abhijit Mhamunkar
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