‘Mohenjo Daro’ Has Been Inspired, But It’s Not What You Think

The court has dismissed the plagiarism case against ‘Mohenjo Daro’ but we tell you exactly what has inspired it.

Ashutosh Gowariker, Pooja Hegde and Hrithik Roshan at a promotional event for Mohenjo Daro. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

Ever since the release of its trailer, Mohenjo Daro has been in the throes of controversies. While some claimed that it was not historically authentic, others like filmmaker Akashaditya Lama moved court to accuse director Ashutosh Gowariker of plagiarising his idea.

Pooja Hegde and Hrithik Roshan in a still from Mohenjo Daro.

Is It Plagiarised?

Akashaditya Lama, who has directed films like Cigarette Ki Tarah, He claimed to have narrated the idea of Mohenjo Daro to Jaswinder Ballu Saluja, who edited Gowariker’s films like Swades and Lagaan. He also apparently mailed to Gowarikar about it but having received no response, had taken the matter to court.

But the Bombay High Court recently dismissed the plea and asked Lama to cough up Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation for harassing the film’s makers. The money would be donated to Naam Foundation founded by Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure, which helps farmers in Maharashtra’s drought-prone areas.  

The film also got a clean chit from the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) and is all set to release on 12th August.

Brothers Ashutosh and Avinash Gowariker promote Mohenjo Daro. (Photo:Yogen Shah)

Is It A Fairy Tale?

Meanwhile, Hrithik Roshan has taken care to steer well away from the plagiarism controversy and been busy promoting the film. And according to him, Mohenjo Daro is nothing short of a fairy tale.

Hrithik Roshan’s has been toeing the diplomatic line and promoting his film hard. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

In full promotional mode, isn’t he?

Moviegoers will have a completely different cinematic experience watching this movie. Not to put too fine a point on it, they have not seen anything like this in a long time.

Hrithik Roshan, Actor (Source: Times Of India)

No, It’s A Case Of Ashutosh Inspiring Ashutosh!

That is the crux of the matter in a nutshell. While we have no doubt Mohenjo Daro would be a fairy tale (sigh!), it seems the only person who can accuse director Ashutosh Gowarikar of plagiarising is himself.

From Hrithik’s clothes to some of the action scenes, Mohenjo Daro seems to have borrowed heavily from Gowarikar’s earlier films Lagaan and Jodha Akbar.

While Aamir Khan’s clothes from Lagaan seem to have been passed on to Hrithik, the latter’s action scene with the croc in Mohenjo Daro is strikingly reminiscent of a similar scene in Jodha Akbar, though with a different animal. 

Aamir Khan in a still from Lagaan.

Hrithik Roshan’s Akbar has ring a Krishh moment in Jodha Akhbar. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/@UTV Motion Pictures)

Hrithik ducking a crocodile in Mohenjo Daro. (Photo courtesy: YouTube /@UTV Motion Pictures)