For someone like me who saw the first episode of the serial Akbar The Great and vowed never to watch it again for its slow pace and poor choice of actors I had dismissed Akbar Khan’s dream movie as a dud the day I heard about it.No
wonder I was skeptical if the film would ever get a release.However after watching the film I must say that the film is not that great but definitealy not at all as bad as I had presumed.Infact without going over-the-top I would say that the film deserves a watch.
The film starts with 2 Mughal princes Dara Shikoh(Waqar Sheikh) and Aurangzeb(Arbaaz Khan) raging a war against each other for throne.While Aurangzeb was aided by his younger brother Dara was with his son.It is a known historical fact that Shahjahan wanted Dara to be the king and even the common people wanted the elder prince to be the monarch.However, Aurangzeb thought on different lines.According to him Dara was a weak hearted man and was a loser in earlier battles and so he thought of him as unworthy of being a ruler.Due to his bravery and deceit Aurangzeb is able to defeat Dara.The news rocks the old king Shahjahan(Kabir Bedi) who knows that now his days of moving freely were numbered.His elder daughter Jahanara(Manisha Koirala)is his pillar of support in this phase.Aurangzeb after being crowned the king orders house arrest of the aging King and his elder sister.The plunderer orders the murder of even a sufi saint and does not spare his own brothers Dara in particular.Shahjahan is heart-broken and his only way of passing time is gazing through the window to the tomb of his wife-Mumtaz Mahal.The tomb being nothing else but the legendary Taj Mahal.When Jahanara asks her dad about his love the old king tells about his love life and the film goes in a flash back.
The young prince Khurram(Zulfi Syed) meets his dream girl Anjamund(Sonya Jahan) while hunting.Love strikes both of them at first meeting.Khurram was the eldest son of Jahangir(Arbaaz Ali ).Jahangir’s favourite queen Noorjahan(Pooja Batra)
besides being the queen was a very scheming lady.She had married Jahangir after the death of her first husband Sher Afghan.He had a daughter from Afghan named Laadli Begum(Kim Sharma).Noorjahan also had an affair with the minister of Jahangir Mahabat
Khan(Milind Gunanji).She wanted Khurram to get married to Laadli Begum.Marrying step-siblings and cousins was common in Muslims(Infact even today many Muslims marriage takes place among cousins) so Noorjahan did not see any trouble in making her daughter the future queen of India.However, Noorjahan was not aware that Khurram was in love with her niece Anjamund.On knowing this she creates trouble and plans to pitch Khurram opposite his father Jahangir by proving Khurram a rebel.Jahangir on the other hand had already decided that Khurram would marry the grand-daughter of the Shah of Iran and so he will get Kandahar in his empire.After much drama Khurram is caught by the royal army and declared a rebel.To save Khurram from being dethroned Anjamund asks Khurram to marry the grand daughter of Shah(Negar Khan).Khurram accepts but after few years his first wife dies and he marries Anjamund and gives her the title of Mumtaz Mahal.They live happily for few years after giving birth to beautiful children.Khurram is pained and he makes Taj mahal in Mumtaz’s memory.In the process Khurram becomes Shahjahan.
After telling his story the old Shahjahan hopes that his son Aurangzeb would allow him to go and pray at the Taj mahal on the occassion of Mumtaz’s 40th death anniversary.Jahanara requests her brother to atleast allow the old father this.Aurangzeb by this time had given up the lavish life-style.He was the ruler still he starts living a simple life but the barbarian in him was very much there.He allows his father to go to Taj amidst tight security.However before Jahanara could take Shahjahan to Taj the old king dies.
On the whole Akbar Khan’s film is nowhere a landmark film but due to many aspects it is still a decent fare with its share of weaknesses and strengths.It has not set the cash registers ringing but slowly is gaining mild acclaim.Infact Prime Minister Manmohan Singh supposedly loved the film and has even decided to send the DVDs of the film to Pakistani President Musharraf as he thinks even he will admire the film.Isnt that a reason for Akbar Khan to make a better historical next time!!!!
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