Historical epics may have fallen out of favour in the last fewdecades—who could outdo Mughal-e-Azam?-- but they used to be a stapleof our early cinema, so the genre has its own indigenous roots; whichis why there is no reason to compare Jodhaa Akbar with Hollywoodsword-and-sandal epics, but does it measure to the standards set by ourown cinema?
Yes,as far as grandeur and language is concerned, not so much when it cometo sheer drama and poetry that makes film buffs still admire the workof Sohrab Modi—the underrated king of the Costume Drama-- earlyShantaram and, of course, K Asif, whose excellence ironically soundedthe death knell for the historical. Ashutosh Gowariker’s film isa throw back to that era of costume spectacles, and he had the modernconveniences of colour and computer technology. It takes courage tomake a film like that at a time when attention spans are limited, andthe purity of the Urdu and Hindi have all but been abandoned for‘Hinglish’ and ‘Bambaiya’ dialogue and lyrics. It is not hard tosee why Gowariker is tempted by the idea of making an epic—what elsecould he do to surpass the magnitude of Lagaan, except costume drama orsci-fi? That’s why it is perhaps disappointing that Gowariker’s visiondoes not match his scale. It is his prerogative to meld anentirely fictional love story with a semi-historical account of Akbaras a young man, but it is an uneasy mix. While the love story betweenthe emperor (Hrithik Roshan) and the Rajput princess Jodhaa (AishwaryaRai) has moments of incandescence, the interludes of Akbar dealing withcourt intrigues and family conspiracies are tedious. The CGI-assistedbattle scenes are not just unimpressive but unnecessary. Youwish Gowariker had reined in his Demille-ian ambitions and made a filmabout people belonging to two different cultures coming to understandand love each other, overcoming the odds. Like in the recent film onMarie Antoinette, the Hindu Jodhaa would have faced hostility in aMughal household. Though it is highly unlikely that a Rajput girlbrought up in a system as feudal and oppressive as that of the Mughalswould have the courage to first put forth conditions before marryingAkbar and then refuse to let him touch her. The fact that Akbar wasmarried several time and to other Rajput women, and that Jodhaa findsno great mention in history except as the mother of Prince Salim (ofAnarkali fame), shows that Gowariker’s version of what happened betweenAkbar and her is at the level of fairy tale. Which by itself isnot at all bothersome, no matter what the bigots say— what is lackingin the film are real drama and a gripping narrative. All the scenesthat remain in memory are ‘items’—Akbar’s fight with a wild elephant, abare-bodied Akbar flexing his muscles and smirking at the wide-eyedJodhaa, the sword-fight between the two— there is not one memorabledramatic confrontation. For all his greatness, Akbar is seen asa bit clueless. He has no idea, for instance, that under his rule Hindupilgrims have to pay tax. When he abolishes it, the people break into asplendidly choreographed dance, when just a while earlier they werecomplaining of the high price of food and repression by “outsiders”.When Akbar’s wet nurse (Ila Arun) tries to create a misunderstandingbetween him and Jodhaa, it is his mother (Poonam Sinha) who quiteeasily ferrets out the facts. All this and a lot more comes in the wayof turning Jodhaa Akbar into a masterpiece, not to mention that theso-called romance and marriage had no lasting impact on posterity, itjust brokered a fragile peace between the Rajputs and the Mughals atthe time. So only a flawless film could have crossed all these hurdlesand interested today’s audience, that is not the least attracted to thepast. That said, Jodhaa Akbar is visually rich (a bit too much,actually), beautifully shot (Kiran Deohans), and you cannot imagine anyother actors except Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai playing theseparts. Hrithik wears his Dhoom 2 hair cut, but otherwise has the regalbearing of a king. She looks every inch a princess. The rest of thecast, unfortunately, look like they have strolled out of one of thosecostume dramas on TV, and act as if they were on stage. See the film by all means, just don’t go in expecting greatness. http://cinemaah.blogspot.com/2008/02/jodhaa-akbar.html
