I am sure you would be wondering why I am reviewing a movie which was released more than 1 1/2 years ago...truth be told, I was not much inclined to watch this mega-budget, megastar portrayal of the legendary love story of Emperor Akbar & Jodha...the reason behind this is that neither Hrithik Roshan, nor Aishwarya Rai feature on my list of watchable actors...I attribute their success more to their good looks, shrewd career moves and a healthy dose of sheer good luck...
I did not have much of a choice when my brother-in-law bought a CD of this movie home & my wife insisted that we should view it as a family...I have been hearing rave reviews till now & so was just a little bit intrigued...however after sitting through the entire movie, I am wondering what the hype was all about...without doubt, this is an above-average film and has been made with a lot of care & effort....however does it deserve all the accolades heaped on it...can I, for once, cry out "The Emperor has no clothes"?
Let’s take a look at the various reasons why I am panning this movie -
1) Hrithik, with his chocolate boy good looks & razor-sharp features is Bollywood star material...however he does not fit in the stereotype of a powerful Mughal Emperor...when you think about Akbar, a powerfully built, swarthy & regal figure springs to mind and Hrithik is anything but...with his soft, melting eyes he looks more like the poster boy of movies such as Dhoom 2 & Krish...
Instead an unknown actor with a commanding presence would have better suited this role...I think Hrithik would be more suited to play the part of Jehangir, in a historic movie, as Jehangir was known to be a typical ladies man...
2) Aishwarya Rai as a Rajput princess is a joke...same as Hrithik, she lacks the stature to play such a part...she is pure eye candy...her voice is weak & she sounds absurd delivering her lines...my choice to play this part would have been Sushmita Sen...
At times the movie abandons all pretence that it was made for any reason other than to bring together Bollywood’s two most beautiful people (and a lot of shiny jewellery).
3) The plot of this movie is 2/3rds pure fantasy...Akbar did not have a wife by the name of Jodha...he married a Rajput princess called Hira Kunwar, who promptly converted to Islam and was called Mariam-ul-zamani...she was one of Akbar’s many wives and bore him his heir apparent Jehangir...
4) It is not evident whether the director meant for this film to be a love saga or a political drama...too many sub-plots spring out throughout the length of the movie, but get resolved quickly & conveniently...it seems the director wanted to pack in as much masala as possible, culminating in an unnecessary fight scene...
5) Akbar’s birth name was Badruddin Mohammed Akbar, after his grandfather Shaikh Ali Akbar and "Akbar" was not a title conferred on him...
5) Akbar was better known as a master strategian & shrewd administrator, not for his chiseled physique...he was also not monogamous as is depicted in the movie, but like other emperors of his time had innumerable wives & concubines...though he has been painted as being broad-minded & liberal as compared to other Mughals, Akbar was far from the benign & forgiving monarch portrayed here...he was responsible for slaughtering thousands of men, women & children, destroying hundreds of temples & ransacking scores of towns & villages...finally no Indian emperor would be fool hardy enough to challenge his adversary to single combat & stake his entire kingdom on the outcome of the fight...
6) The battle scenes are evidently inspired by (read - copied from) Hollywood movies such as Troy & Alexander...however after watching the realistic, gruesome wars depicted in the latter, these appear as tame, watered down versions...the climatic confrontation in this movie reminds too much of the awe-inspiring stand off between Hector & Achilles in Troy...
I admired Ashutosh Gowarikar for his original & entertaining Lagaan and also for his thought-provoking, soul stirring Swades...Aamir & Shahrukh Khan managed to get in the skin of the characters they were playing to such an extent that after watching these movies, you do not remember the stars, you only remember Bhuvan & Mohan Bhargav...here, you are only watching Hrithik who has played romantic lead in several other movies...seems like Ashutosh has succumbed to the practice of making politically correct, commercially successful movies...
This film is really at its most authentic when it abandons all pretence that it was made for any reason other than to bring together Bollywood’s two most beautiful people (and a lot of shiny jewellery). Take the magnificently show-offish moment where a shirtless Akbar displays his swordsmanship while Jodha watches in womanly awe. The scene exists completely independent of context – it’s about Hrithik as the ultimate alpha-male preening like a peacock (an inordinately muscular peacock) for Aishwarya; it’s about sending vicarious thrills through star-struck moviegoers of both sexes. With just a minor alteration in setting and costume, it could easily have come out of Dhoom 2, a film that was a fine showcase for this same couple.
However, to give the devil his due & end on a positive note, several events in the movie are portrayed accurately...the look of the movie is grand...Mughal & Rajput cultures are depicted in royal splendour...dialogues are well written...some of the characters seem to have walked out of a history text book page...weapons & jewellery used have a very realistic look...