Mumbai, May 28 (IANS): Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker says some short-term courses in hotel management and travel and tourism earlier in his life come in handy to him in the process of filmmaking.

Gowariker shared the information while he interacted with young and aspiring filmmakers here, giving them tips to work on their craft.

"I did many short term courses like hotel management, typing classes and travel and tourism course without knowing what I wanted to do in life. But all those learning have come handy while working on my films.

"The food spread in 'Jodhaa Akbar' came from the hotel management course and my travel tourism course helped me a lot while making 'Swades'," he said.

He also spoke about the research that goes into making a film, especially if it is about historical characters. 

"I always do the research myself. I read all the books on the subject that I am going to adapt and understand the era myself. While making 'Lagaan', I read all the books on British Raj, cricket and Indian villages in Gujarat," said Gowariker, whose next film is "Mohenjo Daro".

Gowariker's talk was hosted as part of a masterclass session organised by Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) on Friday at ISKCON, Juhu here.

IFTDA hosts a monthly programme called “Meet The Director” to create a platform for young and aspiring filmmakers to interact with established film directors and in process, learn and hone their craft of filmmaking, said a statement.

In the past, IFTDA had organised masterclasses with names like Mani Ratnam, Aanand L. Rai, Tigmanshu Dhulia, David Dhawan and Madhur Bhandarkar.