Ashutosh Gowariker has a cheeky reply when told he isn’t ‘visible’ after Lagaan, that Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is his film | Bollywood
Updated on: Aug 02, 2025 07:53 am IST
After announcing the 71st National Film Awards for Feature Films, Ashutosh Gowariker spoke to the press and had this to say.
Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowarikar was one of the jury members at the 71st National Film Awards, which celebrated films, actors, and technicians for their work in 2023. After announcing the Best Feature Film Awards, the director spoke to the press, where he was mistaken for Sanjay Leela Bhansali and asked where he had disappeared to after Lagaan. (Also Read: 71st National Film Awards full list of winners: Shah Rukh Khan wins first-ever Best Actor, Rani Mukerji is Best Actress)
Ashutosh Gowarikar reacts to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam being called his film
A media personnel told Ashutosh that they often watch their film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The filmmaker corrected them quickly and said, “That’s Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film.” When he received an apology, he said, “That’s okay,” with a smile. At the awards announcement,
Ashutosh was also told that he was not ‘visible’ and ‘went silent’ after Lagaan. The filmmaker cheekily replied, “So, I think you stopped going to the theatre after Lagaan.” When asked about The Kerala Story being controversial, yet receiving two awards, he said there were ‘deliberations’ in the jury about it, but that they announced the awards only after a unanimous decision was made.
Ashutosh debuted in Bollywood with the 1993 film Pehla Nasha, gaining fame after the 2001 Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan. In 2001, he made Swades with Shah Rukh Khan and Jodhaa Akbar with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in 2008. His most recent film was the 2019 Arjun Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt-starrer Panipat, which failed to make a mark.
The 71st National Film Awards
Bollywood won big at the 71st National Film Awards, which were announced on Friday evening. 12th Fail was conferred the Best Film Award while Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey and Rani Mukerji won the Best Actor Awards. The Best Film in the AVGC category went to the Telugu film HanuMan. Sudipto Sen won the Best Director award for The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma.
