Jodha Akbar

Just after the release of this movie, the media seems to be all set to make this movie a complete flop. I read in the newspapers today that the general masses don’t like to see historical movies. So what do they like to see? A masala movie like Om Shanti Om… or a senseless comedy like Welcome! If this is what the choice of the Indian masses is, then I’m sorry but the choice of the Indian masses has turned really really bad!

Coming back to the movie, I believe that this movie is a very well-tailored movie. Excellent cinematography, excellent direction, and a well performed role by Hrithik. Overall it is a very good one time watch. And it has to be watched in the cinema hall to get the feel of the Mughal forts, the Rajput palaces, the battlefields, etc.

The movie was not exactly what I thought it would be. This movie emphasizes more on the relationship between Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar and Princess Jodha Bai and the historical events surrounding them. It portrayed Akbar as a king who loved his queen beyond all bounds and could break any custom, any tradition to please her and make her comfortable. But was this how the real Akbar the Great was? I doubt… I seriously doubt about it. But as they say, Indian films should contain that extra tadka of love to make it digestible to the masses.

Although a few of the facts were not shown accurately, it may have been purposely done so to bring out the love quotient in the movie. For example, Jodhabai was the third wife of Akbar. But the entire movie, the first two wives were never shown or mentioned about. Another problem I found was that when Akbar killed Adham Khan (his cousin brother who stabbed Atkah Khan – the person who was auditing the finances of the Mughal Empire), Akbar was 19 years old then. So this incident would have happened in the year 1561 and Akbar got married to Jodha in the year 1562. But in the movie, when he ordered his commanders to throw Adham Khan with his head facing downwards, Jodha was present at that time. I guess Ashutosh Gowarikar got it wrong here!

Overall a very nice movie and I enjoyed the movie. Maybe it was a movie of my type. I don’t think it was a movie of the masses anyway. For that case which Ashutosh Gowarikar movie was for the masses? Lagaan was different but people enjoyed it for cricket. Swades was different but people enjoyed it for projecting the rural India. And Jodha Akbar is again different. Irrespective of whether the masses like it or not, it is a wonderful movie.

Rating: 7.5/10