Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment". His is particularly known for Lagaan (2001), Swades (2004), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Mohenjo Daro (2016). His film Lagaan was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 74th Academy Awards, which makes him a voting member of the Academy Awards. He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed comedy drama Ventilator (2016). Early life Gowariker was born into a Marathi-speaking family to Ashok and Kishori Gowariker, in Kohlapur. He is married to Sunita, Deb Mukherjee's daughter from his first marriage. They have two sons, Konark and Vishwang. Career Acting Career Gowariker started his career as an actor, making his debut in 1984 in director Ketan Mehta's picture Holi. On the Holi sets, Gowariker met Aamir Khan with whom he go on to collaborate with years later. After that, he acted in several television serials, including Kacchi Dhoop (1987), Circus (1989), C.I.D. (1998) and several films, including Naam (1986), Goonj (1989), Chamatkar (1992), and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993). He returned to acting by playing the lead role in the critically acclaimed Marathi comedy drama Ventilator (2016), which was produced by Priyanka Chopra. Allegedly, he took about 6 months to agree to do the film. As a Director In 1993, he made his directorial debut with Pehla Nasha. Upon release, film received negative reviews and failed at the box office. His second movie Baazi (1995), starred Aamir Khan and Mamta Kulkarni. Success 2000's decade was dream decade for Ashutosh with highly critical and commercial success he received. In 2001, Gowariker wrote and directed the period epic movie Lagaan, produced by and starring Aamir Khan. Lagaan was the story of a cricket match between British officers and Indian villagers in the late 19th century. It ranked third among 2001's Indian movies in terms of gross revenue. In 2004, Gowariker directed Swades, starring Shahrukh Khan. Swades was theatrically released on 17 December 2004, and it opened to rave reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Khan, Joshi and Ballal, and the story, screenplay, and soundtrack. However, it emerged as a commercial failure at the box office. Eventually over the years film gets cult status. Jodhaa Akbar (2008),