[arr] Re: Did UTV pay Taran well?
If it is then UTV must have paid to others - which I don't think so The movie is so good that it blowed Taran Adarsh too --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Chord [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am always skeptical of both good and bad reviews of music and movies on that site since I smell corruption everywhere there. Got a feeling that UYV must have kissed Taran's behind pretty hard or paid him well for a good review. Taran must have enjoyed the film too, but if he was not paid or kissed up to, I am sure the review would have been less favorable. Regardless, I am happy that he wrote a favorable review for JA's promotion of both movie and music. Can't wait to see the movie! Don't all media sites to write a good review since alliances and enemies are a big part of the trade-media business. Let's just hope the Aam Junta likes the movie and wants to watch it again.
Re: [arr] Re: Ar Rahman is not only Isai Puyal
I personally do not prefer the tag 'Mozart of Asia' or 'Mozart of Anything' . For me, Rahman is more than Mozart. Rahman is a Global musician. On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 8:15 PM, Dinesh [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: yup thineshan, its true, and u know, around the year 2002, they started using ISAI PUYAL for Bharadwaj also, i rmember listening to this during a musical show, they honoured him by calling him that, not sure was it a show or an award function... but they def called him Isai Puyal Bharadwaj. I think ARR should be called as Mozart of Asia than Mozart of Madras. wut u guys think?!
[arr] Semi ARR - Rs 125 Croe Robot starts rolling
Shankar's next science fiction project 'Robot' started rolling amidst much fanfare yesterday. The film's team started shooting the scenes in an air-conditioned room in AVM studio. Director Shankar captured the superstar for the first scene of the film. Many fans of the superstar were very eager to know the start of shooting of 'Robot' and within minutes of the news reaching them many fans of Rajinikanth thronged at AVM Studio to get a glimpse of the superstar. But since the rules of AVM studio restricts the entry for the public the fans had to leave the scene disappointed. This big-budget film sees superstar Rajinikanth and the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan coming together for the first time ever. The film is directed by one of the most flamboyant directors of the country, Shankar, and the music of A.R. Rahman will grace the film. Let us also inform you that Rajinikanth will soon be shooting for P. Vasu directed 'Kuselan' the tamil version of Malayalam super hit 'Katha Parayumbhol'. http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/36607.html -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
[arr] Re: [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
Hi Pravin, Nice Points dude! it really gave me goosebumps! Wish I was there in India to watch this magnificient Experience with our own people. Hmm.. I have to wait until the DVD release here in Kuwait. :) And it's nice to see all reviews are positive for JA. Also Rahman got praised by all for his songs and BGMs. Now that's wonderful to see that film will be a sure super hit! Thanks Ashutosh and Rahman for creating magnificient film ever made on Indian cinema! Regards! Avinash --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] New York Times reviews Jodhaa Akbar
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/movies/16akba.html?ref=movies ...and the film bounces along to a memorable score by A. R. Rahman. (I'm still humming the songs.) Karthik
[arr] Ashu, Ash Hrithik on ARR
telecast on MTV Ash and Hrithik talk abt ARR @ ~5:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iWmmP7e7ss Ashu starts talking abt the music @ ~5:15 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h96CI8ArAMw cheers Krish
[arr] Pleaseee VOTE to ARR -Still arr is 2nd Place
Please Vote To ar rahman indiatimes *Best Music Director* http://movies. indiatimes. com/showpoll/ 2767631.cms *Best Playback Singer (Male)* http://movies. indiatimes. com/showpoll/ 2767638.cms *Best Lyricst* http://movies. indiatimes. com/showpoll/ 2767635.cms *Best Playback Singer (Female)* http://movies. indiatimes. com/showpoll/ 2767685.cms 5, 50, 500, 5000 - Store N number of mails in your inbox. Go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html
Re: [arr] [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
Ahh . Finally someone along with me feels ashu-arr combo is actually as strong if not better than mani-arr !! On Feb 16, 2008 8:52 AM, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] Re: [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
this is just awesome. usually arr fans (including me) are never satisfied since we feel that somehow the movie never surpassed or matched up to music. but here i think we have an equilibrium, with both movie and music justifying each other. great to hear. cant wait to watch it on the big screen. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] Re: Jodha Akbar - a Musical Treat
Hi Guys, One thing that i most liked about BGM was the fact that ARR did not use the drums too much, i know he is at his best when it comes to using the drums but it may get repetitive feel some times. Its also good he hardly used Azeemoshan Shehnshah drums anywhere else. The sequence where ARR uses Jashn-e-bahara vocals without any instrumets is heart warming. Did u also notice the Arabic beats when the camera wonders around inside the Fort? Pravinder --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, rakesharr [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The Movie is a Musical extravaganza. U can very well put it into the Genre Musical Romance. The grandness of the movie is just unexplainable.. Every scene has been shot to perfection.. Ashutosh has to be credited for the movie's grandeur. Azeem o shaan will create a Niche in Indian Film History for its picturisation. The sequences were just mind blowing.. Should i say anything Bout our Rahman sir's work in the re recording n songs? This movie has one of some really awesoem BGMs ever.. The music just lingers around the whole time.. So soothing n pleasing.. Rahman sir has done many orchestral BGMs.. They just describe his greatness.. Hrithik n Ash have given their best.. their chemistry is really intense n real.. Hats off to Ashutosh n Rahman sir for such a great work. Hail the Mozart of Asia n the Beethoven of the East
[arr] [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - 10 reasons to watch it
Hi All, I am really sorry for writing movie's name wrongly at a few places. Such a perfect movie needs to be given proper respect in any manner. Thanks Pravinder --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] Re: Taal Background scores ( Voiceless ) TO VITHUR !
Vithur, It is great to see your super-charged active participation in the BGM arena. Keep up the good work ! Can I suggest you following if you can do it ? 1. Insted of file names as BGM1 / 2 or like that, can you give a brief name of the scene / episode where the BGM is inserted in the movie ? This will give us the visual connectivity with the BGM score. 2. In some of the earlier BGMs posted by you, I found some files in which just a vehicle horn or train sound is coming through. I think this may not be the actual BGM score of RAHMAN but just filler sounds put in by sound engineer during re-dubbing. Is there any way to ascertain on the exact number of BGMs actually recorded by ARR. Since you are acquainted with Rahman, I think you can find this info. 3. If you have checked the previous BGM scores put up on this group by WASSIM ( Kaissom ) and JOSHI ( AJ ). I do not know how they did it, but these two guys had posted ABSOLUTE VOICELESS BGMs. Since you are so much active and knowledgeable in BGM extraction, you can check up with these two gentlemen on their particular way of removing voice if you feel it interesting enough to check. I have close to 30 movie BGMs by Wassim and AJ. They started from Anbe Aaiyuire and stopped after RDB ( for some known / unknown reason ). I have preserved all of them in a safe deposit vault ! They are that valuable !!! Best regards Dinesh Vaidya Pune --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Vithur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rahmaniacs, No words to describe the glory of the BGMs of TAAL. All praises to GOD alone Enjoy LInk 1 - http://www.mediafire.com/?bglmpjxzn6l Link 2 - http://www.mediafire.com/?d1xjwxcbi13 Link 3 - http://www.mediafire.com/?82nrmqwnw1c -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
[arr] how can i buy LOTR Al Risalah online
LOTR audio has been released is it available online because i think it not yet released in UAE? and How can I buy Al Risalah audio (if released) online. Thanks in avdance Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
[arr] Jodha Akbar - A Musical Treat
Jodha Akbar is a epic wonderfully told by Ashuthosh. The narration, hrithik aishwariya's action, picturization, background score, songs, choreography all excels. Khawaja song is divine, Azeem Oh Shaan shahenshah is a master piece in terms of song aptness, composition, picturization, choreography and screen presence, truly amazing. Ashutosh has best used A R Rahman's background music and songs, which is one of the best to date, to say the least. Overall Jodha akbar is a true delight to watch and nourish in the big screen...
[arr] Does Jodha Akbar live up to the hype ?
http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2008/02/16/4893071.aspx First things first. This is more fiction than history. So don't blame yourself if you've never heard about most of the key characters in this drama. Don't blame yourself if the history books you read never told you about a Ms Maha Manga (Ila Arun) who was ostensibly Akbar's governess and ran the imperial household like a thoroughbred evil `saas' (stepmom-in-law) straight out of Ekta Kapoor's stables. Nor did they throw light on some badmash called Sharif-uddin (Akbar's brother-in-law) who plotted relentless intrigue against the Emperor and even sent a terrorist to kill him in the streets of Agra. This one being the Godfather-like twist, where Mikey Corleone had to fight his own brother-in-law-turned traitor for the sake of the family honour. And then, there's no mention too of the final man-to-man Brad Pitt-Eric Bana style encounter (remember Troy?) that Akbar had to engage in to safeguard the Mughal Empire No, we aren't going to quibble with history here because Jodhaa-Akbar is a plain and simple love story between a man named Akbar and a girl named Jodhaa who tried to come close together despite the sundry barriers of religion and culture. And instead of the car chases and the roller-blade rides that pepper modern-day romances, you have mad elephant tamings and sword-and-sandal battle sequences to rev up the dram. If you are willing to shed off all the trappings of history, only then will Jodhaa Akbar work for you. Because, despite the millions spent to create period and pomp, the film only works when Hrithik and Aishwarya try to find romance in an archetypal arranged marriage that was solemnised for everything but love. It is only when an iridescent Jodhaa shows nakhra on her wedding night, declaring `no sex please, until I know you', or Akbar stares at her longingly, passionately, on the distant parapet, while his governess instils state craft into his inattentive head, that the film really works. Then again, when Jodhaa stares out lustily -- from behind the curtains -- at her bare-bodied, abs-o-lutely oomphy husband practising the sword on the terrace, or does some more nakhre-baazi when Akbar dozes off unspent on her bed, that sparks fly and chemistry crackles. Yes, Jodhaa Akbar works only because its heart is in the right place. The film talks about a love that transcends all barriers -- gender, religion, culture -- and dreams of an India where secularism and tolerance are the twin towers that should never ever crumble. And Akbar and Jodhaa are the alluring exponents of this dream. Beyond that, the film has nothing much to boast of, except a few interesting song and dance set pieces where dervishes whirl, drums roll and doves fly. The battle sequences are unimaginative, often tacky, the length inordinate, the political intrigue comic,the editing extremely loose and the narrative does test your patience. What carries the film through is the performances and bits of the music (AR Rahman). Both Aishwarya and Hrithik complement each other once again after ending up as one of the most sizzling couples of contemporary cinema in Dhoom 2. There is elegance and a fine restraint in their falling-in-love act, even as some of the fringe players -- Sonu Sood, Ila Arun, Yuvi -- add character and form. Be very patient, sidetrack history, don't look for the artistry of Lagaan, and you might just like this `Shahenshahji' (that's what Jodhaa calls Akbar) and his missus who doubles up as a crouching tiger to the hidden dragon. -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
Re: [arr] Must Read...
Hi, One of my friends from Tamil Nadu said that the intro of 'Jashne Bahara' has been taken from the BG of a Tamil film. If you fans have any info please do say. Toms
[arr] Doli Saja Ke Rakhna BGMs
Vithur, you are doing awesome jobs by giving BGMs, are u able to provide the BGMs for Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, I hope mostly members want too. Looking forward for your reply. Vithur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Rahmaniac Members I observe that many members are having difficulty in listening to the BGMs that I am sending... Pls note that all the BGM links are stored as Rar, which is similar to winzip. Pls download winrar and extract all these files, and Mp3s are stored inside these rar folders. WINRAR is similar to Winzip... Pls use it If in case any problem persists, pls do mail me .. enjoy the BGMs and do give me some feedback -- regards, Vithur A.R.RAHMAN - MY BREATH LIFE FORCE - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
[arr] Rahman's policy earning him detractors?
Hi, Rahman recently opted out of OSO on the issue of rights and royalty. As a result he had to walk out on an SRK production (which went on to become a big thing). Both these acts seem to have given ARR's image a different tinge that is reflecting in the music section of the reviews of JA. I am yet to come across someone (apart from Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN) who has wholeheartedly praised the music of JA during his/ her review of the movie. Being an ARR fan I just adore the music. I think it fits the grandeur and scale that Ashutosh Gowariker has envisioned. It cannot be possible that the movie is rated as a 4 on 5 and the music is just 'passable'. How can that be? That means either the reviewer has not paid attention to the music while watching the movie or it must be the 'tinge' that I am talking about working its effect. As a Rahman fan I am disappointed by the movie reviewers giving a lukewarm response to the music. And am sure as my fellow fans you are too, hence this mail. Having said that I must also reiterate my support for Rahman in his policy of having a share in the rights of the music. As the creator of the music he certainly deserves a share of the money that these buggers make out of selling it. Of course he might not get the major part, but some part he certainly deserves. So he is asking for it and we stand by him. My question after this long mail is: Do you think that this policy of his is earning him detractors? Or do you believe that people are seriously not moved by the music of JA as is indicated by most reviews? Just throwing open something for discussion. Feel free to let me know if I have gone wrong somewhere. Love, Adi. -- You are what your deepest desire is; As you desire, so is your intention; As your intention, so is your will; As is your will so is your deed; As is your deed, so is your destiny -The Upanishads
[arr] Re: Blog review of JA movie 1
Hi Gopal, I just want your attention towards the Vulgar Language written in this blog review towards the end. You might have missed it because of flood of articles. Thanks Pravinder. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Jodhaa Akbar - Ashutosh Gowarikerâs Magnum Opus February 15th, 2008 | My Movie recommendations and reviews Just returned from Akbarâs Court, Agra this morning. Saw Jodhaa Akbar- a short biography of Akbar and Iâm impressed. Amazing movie! I loved the every 202 minutes I spend this morning. Would you believe that the movie received standing ovation at the end and taliyan here and there! Such Grandeur and Sumptuous Saga of RomanceAzeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah is hands down the best songto be shot visually so well. Such grandeur, such emotions, such regaltouch, such melody⦠Iâve not seen anything like that order than at theRepublic Day Parade. The song was so well shot, I was âcryingâ andpeople were clapping even before the song ended! The romance between Jalauddin Akbar and Jodha Bhai is so subtle, rich and fresh. The scene where Akbar visits when Jodha when she was praying was so good - not a word uttered but wonderfully portrayed the emotions. They were married before they knew each other and the their tale is told in this magnum opus with each other background. Perfect movie to watch with your BF/GF. No JA movie review would be complete without a word or two about the Cinematography, sets, locations and costumes. Iâve no words to describe them, you might have seen the goodness in trailers. It should win awards in these categories with ease. It might not blow you offâ¦I donât think many would love this movie. If youâre in a haste, itwould be painfully slow. I loved Swades, but it didnât run well in Box Office. Same might happen with this movie. I generally tend to like serious shit in the Genres of Drama,Romance, War and likes. Iâve received quite a flank when I say I didnâtlike movies like Om Shanti Om, Welcome, Dhoom, Priyadarshan movies ofall kind, etc. Donât expect that it blow you off like RDB or TZPdid, the movie will not entertain you much. Itâs upto to you to enjoythe art, fights, songs, subtle romance, costumes, cinematography andthe regal touch. Ashutosh Gowariker is brilliant, as usual. I love the way he makes movies. With this movie, he does a Hat Trick with Lagaan Swades. A R Rahman doesnât need my referral. I hope they both make more movies together. Historians and people who say the movie historically incorrect - shut the fuck up. I donât really care about historical accuracy in movies and people who care about it should locked up in room with a TV running History Channel 24Ã7. Damn you Jodha Akbar, Iâve ran out of Adjectives. 8/10 http://ashwinr.com/2008/02/15/jodhaa-akbar-movie-review-magnum-opus/
[arr] Re: [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
Hi Avinash, I am not as lucky as you think i am, I am also far away from our India, i am in Sydney, Australia. But fortunately there are enough Indians here and they play Indian movies in cinemas here. Also i am fortunate enough to have one more Rahmaniac with me. As you are far away from our country i know how you must have felt after watching SWADES, i felt the same way and became a fan of Ashutosh Gowarikar as well. Thanks, Pravinder. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, : Avinash : [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Pravin, Nice Points dude! it really gave me goosebumps! Wish I was there in India to watch this magnificient Experience with our own people. Hmm.. I have to wait until the DVD release here in Kuwait. :) And it's nice to see all reviews are positive for JA. Also Rahman got praised by all for his songs and BGMs. Now that's wonderful to see that film will be a sure super hit! Thanks Ashutosh and Rahman for creating magnificient film ever made on Indian cinema! Regards! Avinash --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Pravinder Sheoran pravindersheoran@ wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
Re: [arr] Rahman's policy earning him detractors?
Most reviews have praised Rahman's music quite generously. One went as far as
describing it as the real hero of the film.
- Original Message
From: Aditya Nataraja [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Rahman A R arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2008 4:29:16 PM
Subject: [arr] Rahman's policy earning him detractors?
!--
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Hi,
Rahman recently opted out of OSO on the issue of rights and royalty. As a
result he had to walk out on an SRK production (which went on to become a big
thing). Both these acts seem to have given ARR's image a different tinge that
is reflecting in the music section of the reviews of JA. I am yet to come
across someone (apart from Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN) who has wholeheartedly
praised the music of JA during his/ her review of the movie. Being an ARR fan I
just adore the music. I think it fits the grandeur and scale that Ashutosh
Gowariker has envisioned. It cannot be possible that the movie is rated as a 4
on 5 and the music is just 'passable'. How can that be? That means either the
reviewer has not paid attention to the music while watching the movie or it
must be the 'tinge' that I am talking about working its effect. As a Rahman fan
I am disappointed by the movie reviewers giving a lukewarm response to the
music. And am sure as my fellow fans you are
too, hence this mail.
Having said that I must also reiterate my support for Rahman in his policy of
having a share in the rights of the music. As the creator of the music he
certainly deserves a share of the money that these buggers make out of selling
it. Of course he might not get the major part, but some part he certainly
deserves. So he is asking for it and we stand by him. My question after this
long mail is: Do you think that this policy of his is earning him detractors?
Or do you believe that people are seriously not moved by the music of JA as is
indicated by most reviews?
Just throwing open something for discussion. Feel free to let me know if I have
gone wrong somewhere.
Love,
Adi.
--
You are what your deepest desire is;
As you desire, so is your intention;
As your intention, so is your will;
As is your will so is your deed;
As is your deed, so is your destiny
-The Upanishads
[arr] A R Rahman plans big
Its high time for ARR..Why??? Music composer AR Rahman, making a self-confessed U-turn after his success with the Lord of the Rings musical on London's West End, is now planning to bring a mega Broadway-style musical to India. (Its gonna really big) . . The staging will hinge on plans by Indian events management and entertainment company Wizcraft to develop an entire town near Delhi, patterned after Las Vegas, Rahman told IANS in an interview. . . Although Rahman is keeping his plans tightly wrapped, it is aimed at linking Indian tourism with a modern musical stage, just as London's West End attracts millions of international tourists. Aroused??? Read the full news by NDTV Music in my blog: http://arrtheboss.blogspot.com/2008/02/r-rahman-plans-big.html -- Regards Anantha Narayanan.T.L --- Check out my website at http://tlananthu.googlepages.com Check out my oracle related blogs at http://askanantha.blogspot.com --- * Every 3000 papers you use requires a tree to be cut. Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. ---
Re: [arr] [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
dude.. some insight on BGMs plz... though moview reviews from websites say 1-2 lines abt ARRs BG score, a description from a rahmaniac is always special.. On Feb 15, 2008 7:22 PM, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] So far, disappointed by the converging criticisms of JA
There are positive reviews, but the criticisms all point to the same problemsfilm is too long, too patchy, too filmy, drags a lot many areas, lack of suspense, inconsistent, loose... There are lots of 4/5s, but also lots of 3/5s and some 2/5s. Today's flim goers don't do well with movies that drag and bore. I'm very worried about the BO results. Although I haven't seen the film yet, I know I'm going to like it simply for the music, historical opulance, visuals, acting, dramatic sequences, and action scenes. I'm pretty tolerant to slow paced movies. I'm hopeful that despite the shortcomings in terms of lack of tightness and drawn out, sluggish and non gripping parts, the visuals, the chemistry between Ash and Hrithik, the music, the drama will be enough to please the average person. If, however, most people think the movie is too drawn out, long, non gripping, and cannot grasp the movie as a whole, then the movie is in trouble. I really want to see the film badly and I know it will be appreciated by many. Kudos to Ashu and his team for attempting such an epic film with so much investment and work. I just hope their hard work pays off. IT takes guts to make such a film in today's world. I think some of the criticisms are a bit too crticial, but, the real test will be the numbers in terms of BO. I just wish Ashu could have learned his lesson from Swades to make the plot a bit more tight and concise based on what I am hearing from others. I really want the film to succeed and become a blockbuster for everyone's sake involved in the film, but esp. for Rahman. I want people beyond his fans to recognize and love the brilliance of this soundtrack.
[arr] Fooled by Randomness - Jodha Akbar
http://privateiq.blogspot.com/2008/02/movie-review-jodha-akbar.html After a hard days work, decided to catch the first day second show of the much delayed and super hyped Jodha Akbar…. If Cinema is about Entertainment and sometimes Edutainment, this surely does fail to pass the muster. Moreover since it is not entirely based on historical facts it cant even be considered as a Documentary on the *Life and Lovely Times of Ak(h)ba(a)r*. *It's a short story CUT LONG by the Dir / Editor…* Yet to figure out what's with our Bollywood directors difficulty in conveying a story within a well defined time slot. Yes, the promo indeed did promise an epic proportion, but I guess they were referring to the raw stock used in the making of this opus……Running time of 3 hrs plus… !! Phew !!! Okay, it may appear that I am running down the labour of love of Director Ashutosh G …when so many critics in the newspapers are currently raving about the movie, I don't know about them…but clearly it was not worth the price of the ticket to the multiplex for me. The movie begins with a *disclaimer* that it is not based entirely on historical facts (thank you so much…no one would have even blinked if it would have been an Hollywood movie, fictionalizing history, but we are Indians!!) and a *Claimer* that the birds and animals used in this movie were treated with love care in the attention of vets present on the set…*Hey how about saying some kind words for the audiences about to endure this 3 hr plus saga….??* Story on Marriage of Alliance…(and all this while I was under the impression that marriage is an alliance :-) ) plus few plots and sub plots maketh this Love Story. There are so many reference points in Hollywood, which avid movie lovers would have seen…*Gladiator, Troy, Kingdom Of Heaven, Braveheart, The Last of Mohican* to name a recent few…in which epic scale war sequences have been spectacularly picturized . Yes for a Hindi Cinema , the war sequences were well captured , may be a benchmark…(since competition is only Ramananad Sagar / BR Chopra's TV Serials!!) until some other epic comes in distant future…!! The few plusses… • Hrithik as Emperor Akbar, regally and royally breathing life in the character. • Ash as Princess Jodha, looking ethereally beautiful and very much a princess. • Dir – Ashutosh daring to be different. • The initial courtship scenes between the two… • Hrithik taming the elephant • Sword fight between Hrithik and Ash to sort out Marital Miscommunication (Glad in today's time couples don't have to resort to this to solve similar problems!!) • Battle scenes by Action Dir - Ravi Dewan • Dialogues by K P Saxena effortlessly switching between Chaste Urdu and Hindi, keeping the LCM audience in mind. • Camerawork by Kiran Deohans • Costume by Neeta Lulla for the lead protagonists • Grand and Lavish Sets by Nitin Chandrakant Desai (recreating Agra in Karjat) A R Rahman is not in his best elements with only two songs – Soulful Sufi Qawwali and the beautiful love song Jashn ne bahara (split in two parts) touching the chords. Background Score is again a let down. The movie did lack in sustaining my interest… *So now to the 40 crore question, is it worth visiting the theatres? Depends entirely on what are your options …Go Make your pick and let me know your take on the same!* -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
Re: [arr] Re: Taal Background scores ( Voiceless ) TO VITHUR !
Dear Dinesh Vaidya Thanks for your compliments . My replies to your queries as follows :- 1. I will try to post the actual scenes where the BGMs come.. I have also thought of it , but its very cumbersome to do that. Anyhow.. Will surely give it a try . 2. I am in no way acquainted with ARR. I really desire he knows me, and may be that fructify one day. The only thing, that I am eligible at present is to pass by his studio, and admire it, whenever I drive that way. 3. Before starting all these BGMs work, I had posted help asking for assistance from senior BGM extractors, but unfortunately couldnt get that much of support. and I tried it with my own effort . for some tracks, its really impossible to extract the voices by 100% Thanks for giving your feedback, and I am looking fwd to fine tuning it in my future BGM presentations . On 2/16/08, Dinesh Vaidya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Vithur, It is great to see your super-charged active participation in the BGM arena. Keep up the good work ! Can I suggest you following if you can do it ? 1. Insted of file names as BGM1 / 2 or like that, can you give a brief name of the scene / episode where the BGM is inserted in the movie ? This will give us the visual connectivity with the BGM score. 2. In some of the earlier BGMs posted by you, I found some files in which just a vehicle horn or train sound is coming through. I think this may not be the actual BGM score of RAHMAN but just filler sounds put in by sound engineer during re-dubbing. Is there any way to ascertain on the exact number of BGMs actually recorded by ARR. Since you are acquainted with Rahman, I think you can find this info. 3. If you have checked the previous BGM scores put up on this group by WASSIM ( Kaissom ) and JOSHI ( AJ ). I do not know how they did it, but these two guys had posted ABSOLUTE VOICELESS BGMs. Since you are so much active and knowledgeable in BGM extraction, you can check up with these two gentlemen on their particular way of removing voice if you feel it interesting enough to check. I have close to 30 movie BGMs by Wassim and AJ. They started from Anbe Aaiyuire and stopped after RDB ( for some known / unknown reason ). I have preserved all of them in a safe deposit vault ! They are that valuable !!! Best regards Dinesh Vaidya Pune --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com arrahmanfans%40yahoogroups.com, Vithur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rahmaniacs, No words to describe the glory of the BGMs of TAAL. All praises to GOD alone Enjoy LInk 1 - http://www.mediafire.com/?bglmpjxzn6l Link 2 - http://www.mediafire.com/?d1xjwxcbi13 Link 3 - http://www.mediafire.com/?82nrmqwnw1c -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
Re: [arr] Doli Saja Ke Rakhna BGMs
If some one can give me the DVD ... I am sure I will.. No issues at all. On 2/16/08, saba saghir khan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Vithur, you are doing awesome jobs by giving BGMs, are u able to provide the BGMs for Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, I hope mostly members want too. Looking forward for your reply. *Vithur [EMAIL PROTECTED]* wrote: Dear Rahmaniac Members I observe that many members are having difficulty in listening to the BGMs that I am sending... Pls note that all the BGM links are stored as Rar, which is similar to winzip. Pls download winrar and extract all these files, and Mp3s are stored inside these rar folders. WINRAR is similar to Winzip... Pls use it If in case any problem persists, pls do mail me .. enjoy the BGMs and do give me some feedback -- regards, Vithur A.R.RAHMAN - MY BREATH LIFE FORCE -- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
Re: [arr] Must Read...
There have been some rumours that the tune of Jashn e Bahaara is very similar to a tune from the Tamil Film veyil, music composed by none other than G.V.Prakash Kumar. But I feel there is no similiarity. May be GV got inspired by a tune which existed with ARR On 2/16/08, toms varghese [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, One of my friends from Tamil Nadu said that the intro of 'Jashne Bahara' has been taken from the BG of a Tamil film. If you fans have any info please do say. Toms -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
[arr] AV Max reviews the music of Jodhaa Akbar
Album Reviews Jodhaa Akbar A.R.Rahman 4/5 What's it about Ashutosh Gowariker, Javed Akhtar and A.R.Rahman have been an inseparable team since 'Lagaan'. After the contemporary 'Swades', the trio of filmmaker, lyricist and composer now have joined forces (talents) for an epic love story. Comparisons with 'Mughal-e-Azam' (despite being a mythical love story of Akbar's son) are inevitable. Impressively packaged with a lush green and gold tinted inlay that shimmers giving the 'Jodhaa Akbar' case that royal touch. Music 'Jodhaa Akbar' starts off grandly with 'Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah', a rousing track that makes you sit up and enjoy the energy. The tender 'Jashn-E-Bahaara' appeals to you because of its simplistic music. The scene stealer of 'Jodhaa Akbar' is the ballad 'Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein' - a song with flashes of composer Naushad's influence. 'Inn Lamhon..' is a crochet of delicate notes that are soothing but is deceptively intricate. 'Mann Mohanaa' a semi-classical devotional composition, is thankfully soothing as Rahman's idea of devotional is not a fervent and high-pitched call for god but delving into soulful and mellow notes. Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is a fine composition with subtle note-shifting technique. Lyrics Javed Akhtar's lyrical skills are optimized in 'Jodhaa Akbar'. The lyricist alternates between Urdu and Marwari vocabulary as can be heard in 'Azeem-O-Shaan', a song in praise of the emperor Akbar. 'Inn Lamhon' and Jashn-E-Bahaara' delve in the splendour of affection between Akbar and Jodhaa. Akhtar's leaning of elaborating a moment continues with 'Inn Lamhon' where the lyricist enthralls you. Moreover Akhtar's imagery is simplistic with rich poetry. 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is a Sufi poetry by Kashif. Vocals The chorus singing along with Mohammed Aslam and Bonny Chakravarthy for Azeem-O-Shaan' is pitch perfect. While the vocals of 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' will sound natural only if it's depicted that the Sufi singer (onscreen) has migrated Chennai to sing in the darbar. Though Rahman's vocal skills are unquestionable, his diction is. Perhaps a singer with a baritone voice quality would have done wonder to this beautiful composition. The very gifted Bela Shende is perfect to execute the angst of 'Mann Mohana' with restraint. Javed Ali is a talent with fresh voice, who has effortlessly sung 'Jashn'-E-Bahaara'. Sonu Nigam is unbelievable in 'Inn Lamhon' particularly whilst rendering the part 'Mere Khawabon Ke..' in the track. Orchestration For this soundtrack, Rahman has interpreted grandeur with western harmonies and conflux with very In.dian compositions such as Mann Mohanaa and Jashn-E-Bahaaraa Also do not miss the instrumentals Khwaja Mere Khwaja with a French Horn solo. The French horn is also effectively used in Azeem-O-Shaan' - do not miss the fantastic sword rhythms by Sivamani in the song. Recording 'Jodhaa Akbar' soundtrack is grand in its orchestration and also comprises simple melodies, hence the range it covers is a challenge to maintain the continuity of the album. The brass sections are impeccably mixed, the bass is punchy but what spoils the soundtrack are the vocal sounds of the score. The natural texture of the vocals is lacking and making it sound muffled. Sum Up As every Rahman score takes its own time to register, Jodhaa Akbar' is no exception to the norm. The composer has produced melodies that are easy on the ears, and the songs do not fit in the 'classic' mode per se. Also what works against the expectations is the quantity of songs for a magnum opus (5 songs only). Nevertheless it's a score that can be enjoyed if heard without preconceived notion of 'Jodhaa Akbar' being today's answer for 'Mughal-E-Azam'. Wish there were more songs to experience. Tracks to experience Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah Jashn-E-Bahaara Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Pe Album Ratings Overall 4/5 Music 4.5/5 Lyrics 3/5 Vocals 3.5/5 ORchestration 5/5 Recording 2.5/5 Swapnil Raje AV Max, February 2008
[arr] Chat about Jodha Akbar on MTV 70mm
Watch the five part series of interview with Hrithik Roshan, Aiswarya Rai and Ashutosh Gowraiker on MTV 70mm. http://arrtheboss.blogspot.com/2008/02/chat-about-jodha-akbar-on-mtv.html Regards, Anantha
[arr] TimesNOW reviews JA (3/5)
'A Historical Romance Relived' 2/16/2008 7:42:37 AM Film: JODHAA AKBAR Dir: Ashutosh Gowarikar Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Khulbhushan Kharbanda, Ila Arun, Suhasini Mulay, Raza Murad, Punam Sinha, Niketan Dheer Rating: GOOD Tomake a historical romance, even with saleable stars like Hrithik Roshanand Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in today’s day and age is a pretty tallorder. And the all important question is: does Jodhaa Akbar deliver? We’llcome to that…but first we have to give u a backgrounder: The filmtraces Akbar’s life from the tender age of 13 to the time he assumesthe all-encompassing command of India as Mughal emperor JalaluddinMohammed Akbar. Set in the 16th century when he was right in the middleof strengthening his rule, Akbar’s marriage to Rajput princess Jodhaais a political move. How it transforms into a gentle lovestory…between two very strong individuals thrown together bycircumstances is the crux on which Gowarikar’s plot hinges. Andthere in lies the dilemma. Jodhaa Akbar is not a pure love story. It isas much the story of Akbar coming into his own, as it is a romance…andthe love story forms the back drop for the many plots, sub plots andintricacies of the Mughal court to unfold. When you watch JodhaaAkbar, you immediately digest why many directors, are not even capableof imagining a canvas this big. Considering director Ashutosh Gowarikarwent through mammoth problems to film his version of an epic romanceset in the Mughal era, a period recreated with painstaking detail andresearch -- this very task is commendable. You only wish therewas more to the Jodhaa Akbar love story than what the film is able tosqueeze in. There is also no scale of comparison to indicate Jodhaa’sstature in Akbar’s life with regards to his other wives concubines. Every chapter in Akbar’s early life is laid outimaginatively and in greater detail than Jodhaa’s and so it’s naturalthat Hrithik Roshan has the meatier part. And not for a moment does hedisappoint. Watch him come completely into his own…even in a role thathe is obviously far removed from. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as thereticent, yet defiant Jodhaa is pleasing and pitches in a decentperformance. A special mention for Kiran Deohans’ magnificentcinematography and A R Rehman’s compelling music score. At three hourstwenty minutes running time, Jodhaa Akbar is a little too long, butmakes up for the length with its sheer body and feel. Go watch it forHrithik’s paisa vasool performance. So the TIMES NOW VERDICT for this one is undoubtedly, three stars. http://timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=5981
[arr] Subhash K. Jha reviews JA (3.5/5)
Breathtaking tale of Love, War and Secularism Subhash K. Jha, IANS Film: “Jodhaa-Akbar”; Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Ila Arun, Niketan Dheer; Director: Ashutosh Gowariker; Rating: *** 1/2There is Hrithik Roshan as Akbar, in full regalia, watching a traditional sufi qawwalli when he suddenly goes into a spiritual trance and joins the qawwalls for a dance to divinity. This historic moment that takes us beyond the dynasties of Mughal history, couldn’t have been possible without Hrithik’s amazing capacity to infiltrate the portals of divinity through dance movements. As we traverse the simply stunning spectacle of Ashutosh Gowariker’s historical epic, often wonder-eyed and open-mouthed, we end up looking at Akbar as interpreted by Hrithik rather than as what the Mughal legend might have been. The body language of the sword-wielding poet-warrior reminds us of Mel Gibsonin “Braveheart” and Tom Cruise in “The Last Samurai” rather thanPrithviraj Kapoor who played Akbar in K. Asif’s undying classic“Mughal-e-Azam” with such imposing imperiousness. In terms of the creative and visual terrain covered in the three-hour, 20-minute journey, Gowariker’s vision subsumes a reined-in wealth of ideas and images into an opulent but aesthetic tale of love, romance, war, hatred and secularism. The director transports us into an era when brother battled brother in bitter rage. But love blossomed in the heart of a secular Muslim emperor who married a fiercely individualistic Rajput princess and allowed her space to be her own person. The narrative patterns Akbar’s chequered life of love and wars through the various characters who influence his mind and heart. To begin with, we see the young Akbar being moulded into a violent person, brimming with ideas of revenge and acquisition by his senapati-mentor Bairam Khan. In a frightening burst of vengeful brutality, we see Akbar ordering his soldiers to throw a stubborn adversary head-first to death. But all said and done, Gowariker’s Akbar is a man who’d rather live in peace than wallow in war. Alas, Akbar lived in violent battle-friendly times. Then there’s the complex relationship that Akbar shares with his foster mother, played by Ila Arun. But the friction between the foster mother and Akbar’s new bride could be straight out of Indra Kumar’s “Beta”! Gowariker also purposely brings in kitschy elements from commercial cinema to provide a kind of warm accessibility to his historic tale. The filming of the durbar song “Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah” is the last word in spectacle. Breathtaking is the word that often comes to mind in this tale of vibrant valour and vitality. Never before have we seen battle sequences so spectacular and energetic in Hindi cinema. Take the opening sequence where the battle lines close ranks in such passionate movements that the audience almost feels trampled in the middle. Kiran Deohans’ swift but sublime cinematography is of international calibre, at par with “Gladiator” or “Braveheart”. A.R. Rahman’s music is a bit of a letdown though. Veering between authenticity and listener-friendliness, it’s a bit of a mellow mishmash signifying none of those enchanting echoes of Jodha and Akbar’s ever-lasting romanticism. The love story occupies the pride of place in “Jodhaa-Akbar”. The sudden marital alliance between the benign king and the free-spirited Rajput princess, their post-marriage courtship, the misunderstanding that cuts through their growing fondness, and the final and irreversible reconciliation, are portrayed with exquisite fluidity. Not once does the director allow the inherent opulence of his theme to overpower the love that grows between them. Hrithik’s pleading, poetic eyes in a warrior’s face define the historic romance as much as Aishwarya’s swan-like grace and passionate individualism. After “Dhoom 2″, this pair surely whips up a Mughlai feast of passion and romance. Watch “Jodhaa-Akbar” as a splendidly spiced-up slice of history. Or just savour the chemistry between the warrior and the princess, with hundreds of junior artistes, elephants, rabbits and parrots accompanying the couple’s journey from secularism to eternity. 3.5./5
[arr] Baradwaj Rangan reviews JA
COURT MARITAL Hrithik and Aishwarya shine as married royals… when not smothered under the bloat of Ashutosh Gowariker’s historical romance. Plus, the year’s film-to-beat. FEB 17, 2008 - I HAVEN’T LAID EYES ON PICTORIAL REPRESENTATIONS of Jahangir as an infant, but going by Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar,he was doubtless the handsomest baby in all of Mughaldom. And how couldhe not be, with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for parents –those flesh-and-blood advertisements for eugenics, with thosecheekbones and that jawline and that hair and those eyes? Hrithikoccupies screen space with such silent poise and regal bearing, it’shard to believe this is the same actor with the loosest limbs inBollywood. And while Aishwarya’s beauty is no breaking news – in fact,that’s the only explanation for the longevity of her career – she’s soluminous from certain angles, it’s as if the cinematographer lit herfrom within. When I first saw these two together, my concernsabout the film – based on rumours that it’s too long, too this, toothat! – simply melted away. There are films that you go to because theychange your life, your perspective, your reason for existence. Thenthere are those that function primarily as tourist brochures oncelluloid, showing you beautiful people and beautiful places, all fromthe comfort of your well-upholstered seat in an air-conditionedtheatre. If Jodhaa Akbar had been merely the latter, ifGowariker had done nothing more than train his camera on his leads –after positioning them in and around the period architecture that’salmost as good-looking – I’d have considered my four-something hours(including commercials and intermission) extremely well spent. Unfortunately, Gowariker isn’t content with the story of a Mughalemperor named Akbar and a Rajput princess named Jodhaa getting married,overcoming their differences and living happily ever after. (And thisalone would have made for a wonderful addition to our canon ofromances, because with the exception of Mani Ratnam, almost no othermainstream filmmaker appears interested in exploring aspects of love aftermarriage.) Gowariker wants to contextualise this love story within thepolitical turmoil of the period – and while this is no doubt necessarywhen you consider that we need to know the kind of man Akbar was and the kind of woman Jodhaa is before they become Jodhaa Akbar(what a nice touch that her name comes before his in the title, forit’s her influence that tempers him to greatness), Gowariker simplyisn’t equipped with the skills to tell that story, the wholestory. To make an epic entertainment out of all these disparateelements is perhaps impossible without a dash of go-for-broke madness,and Gowariker is too sane a director, too methodical, too… nice. What he’s very good at is in filling in the emotional landscapes of people – think of the moment in Swadeswhen Shah Rukh Khan finally comes home, by drinking water that isn’tbottled – and when he moves beyond people and into politics, he’splainly out of his league. I was left wondering why this filmmaker withsuch love for old-fashioned filmmaking – he foreshadows the evil that’sto come with a shot of a dark cloud enveloping a full moon – didn’ttake a leaf or two out of Mughal-e-Azam, which blissfully abandoned all pretence of addressing history and therefore functioned marvellously as just a love story. Jodhaa Akbar takes a long, long time to take off, and evenwhen it does, it doesn’t soar so much as stay airborne for smalldurations between bumpy landings. You get a glimpse of what’s in storewhen, early on, Gowariker unleashes the battle of Panipat. There’s noenergy in this sequence, and it’s so laughably staged, it’s as if theextras leapt into position a half-second after the director yelled,“Action!” A later sequence that has Akbar taming a wild elephant isworse, with Hrithik dodging this way and that, trying his darnedest toconvince us that the beast is a mortal danger – while the poorpachyderm just lumbers along, shaking its head as if puzzled by thisman’s inexplicably enthusiastic exertions. But even with the non-actionsequences – say, the ones involving discussions on taxes or religion –the staging is so flat, you feel title cards could have done a betterjob. This happened, we’re told in a plodding fashion, and then thathappened, and then this happened, and then that happened… After luringus into theatres with the promise of a love story, Gowariker gives usanything but that for long, dull stretches. A crucial subplot involvinga threat to the throne is downright ridiculous, considering thevillains behind these machinations have barely been developed ascharacters, and we’re meant to take them seriously. And when a largish chunk of a film is filled with things you don’tmuch care about, it’s a huge problem. Gowariker wants to do justice toevery single detail (the end credits feature a “food dresser for theRajasthani meal”) and
[arr] Re: [Jodhaa Akbar - After watching first time] - Ten reasons why to watch it.
Hi Thulsi, I have not written anything about BGM because i do not want to write a half hearted review about BGM. I am gonna dedicate one special viewing of movie just to the music. Only thing i can say for now is that the BGM is so naturally embedded with the movie that you hardly notice it, which further shows how mature ARR is becoming movie after movie. I had expected heavy drums and all that but BGM is very elegant and divine. I sometimes could feel in cinema that i was sitting in a holy place and Rahman's BGM was coming as a sound from unknown distant place. Nothing existed for a second and then some event in movie would bring me back. I had no idea if to hate it or love it. Pravinder. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Thulasi Ram [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: dude.. some insight on BGMs plz... though moview reviews from websites say 1-2 lines abt ARRs BG score, a description from a rahmaniac is always special.. On Feb 15, 2008 7:22 PM, Pravinder Sheoran [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: First things first, i give you 10 reasons why you should go right now and watch the movie: 1. Only to see Azim-o-shan shehanshah song picturization. Its probably the best thing Ashutosh Gowarikar has ever done on screen. 2. To witness Khawaja mere khwaja song execution. No matter which religion you belong to, Gowarikar compels you to stand up and join Akbar and others trying to connect to almighty. 3. To witness the moment when packed DARBAAR of AKBAR listens to Jodha's distant voice singing Man Mohana, you probably would curse yourself why you did not listen this song with your full attention when JA music first released. 4. To realize that Ashutosh has probably more music sense than we have and most likely you would rush back home just to listen those 2 instrumentals that you perhaps ignored before. 5. To get a real feel of that era, perhaps movies like Mughal-e-azam could not bring that era so alive on screen as Akbar Jodhaa does. You will be convinced that events would have happened the same way at that time as they happen in this movie (By events i mean day to day activities, the way battles were fought, the way food was cooked etc.} 6. To see excellent Hritik as Akbar. You can not imagine any other actor playing it. 7. To witness a few scenes which compel you to buy tickets of the next consecutive show again for example the scene just before the interval. 8. To see a camera work which asks you if there is a need to go to Hollywood movies anymore. 9. To realize that no stupid things are needed to make us laugh, no heavy dialogs are needed to realize we are watching a periodic movie, to feel how love can change a person's life, to realize no kiss scene or nudity is needed to express sexual bond, to really know what a song means to a movie and so on. 10. To sense what bond has formed between Ashutosh ARR (Not to forget Javed Saab too). I can surely say one purpose of my living anymore is to witness this pair coming again and again and again. No doubt if ARR - Ashutosh pair surpasses ARR - Mani Ratnam pair in near future, and i really mean it. I will be back with more on music after watching the movie second time. Pravinder.
[arr] JA movie blog review 3
Gowariker’s churned out a historical one yet again, but unfortunately it’s so awfully long that, by the time you exit the theaters, you’re yawning, wondering to yourself how the editing (or the lack of it) ruined the film so bad I’m tempted to title it Jodhaa Ak-bore. Because parts of the ‘epic’ just drag, it’s like a heavyweight flick heaving itself lazily to the final reels as if it were a burden. Like Lagaan, the movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan narratinghistory. But that’s where the similarity ends. Jodhaa Akbar takes aneternity to develop too many characters, and while there isn’t a singlescene in the movie that is irrelevant, many of them could be simplytrashed. The plot is simple, and historians might argue on this, but ittraces Akbar’s (a confident Hrithik) path from childhood to youth, tomarrying - and falling in love with - the bold and rebellious Jodhaa (astrikingly pretty Ash). Sprinkled in are the battles. Yes, it’s technically brilliant, save for the unforgivablysubstandard war scenes. The warriors - and the animals - are often soclumsy on the battlefield that it’s sometimes painful to watch themfight. Outside of that, Gowariker is flawless - as is thecinematography by Kiran Deohans, Neeta Lulla’s scrumptious costumes andNitin Desai’s breathtaking sets. In those aspects, the flick isspectacular and might just make people say ‘good’ when opinions areneeded. The much-talked about khwaaja song is so brilliantlypicturised, and it ends with Hrithik defying the norm, being hypnotizedin awe and love for the saint, as he joins the devout disciples intheir celebration, almost under a spell. A scene loaded with passionatefaith that leaves the audience moved. The performances are a strict okay,except for the leads. Hrithik, for once, is amazingly expressive.Warmth, romance, fury, frustration, fear, sympathy, helplessness,vengeance - you name it, and the bloke’s managed it all effortlessly,silencing many a critic. Helping him out is his captivating screenpresence - there’s a scene where he tames a rogue elephant, and whilethat scene might be rubbished on paper, the director-actor duo do sowell to make it convincing that you almost nod your head inappreciation. Ash is no less expressive - in fact, she has very littledialogue yet a lot of meat in her role - but I must admit, her abilityto emote is far, far superior than her sword-wielding skills. Still,she fits the part of the defiant Rajput princess. The support cast is unfortunately weak. Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s Raja Bharmal is almost always helpless, very unlike a king if I may, and Nikitin Dheer’s Shareefuddin is so absurdly over expressive that, at times, you hope Akbar slaughters him and gets over with it. Sonu Sood’s Sujamal is expected to make the audience notice him, and he manages it more out of sympathy than conviction. The female support cast do a lot better, Ila Arun deserves a mention but it’s Punam Sinha’s Hamida Banu who plays the mother’s role to the T. Credit to Gowariker for getting that bit of the cast together, and extra-credit for handling the subplots of religion so subtly, so simply, and so sweetly that you agree unconditionally. All in all, it’s worth a watch if you don’t mind the 200-minute length, but you might catch sunrise if you go for the night show. And feel free to excuse yourself in the middle to grab a snack or two, as you won’t miss too much with the extra scenes. As the credits rolled at the end, I was left in a mild shock seeing Ballu Saluja’s name for the editing. Where was the editing anyway? This crazily stretched film shattered my expectations, and for me, Jodhaa Akbar is history. In more ways than one. * mutiny.in
[arr] What does rahman do with the tunes composed for movies which have been abandoned
Recently i was readin somethin about Gandhi Krishna's Engineer... Will Rahman re-use the tunes composed for such movies elsewhere ? Rakesh Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping
[arr] Mail Today reviews JA (3/5)
Akbar’s da dude by Vinayak Chakravorty Akbar, dude, you never seemed like a hunk in thepages of textbook history. Watching the biceptual beef that AshutoshGowariker unleashes by way of the greatest Mughal emperor ever, thethought is bound to pop up in your mind. If mainstream cinema is allabout conscious suspension of disbelief, we will grant Gowariker thatbit of cinematic licence. Let’s just assume Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbarhas been working on his six packs while we were busy watching HrithikRoshan in Dhoom 2. But then, forget all controversy over historicalaccuracy. Gowariker smugly dismisses all the raging debate over factand fiction right at the start, with a disclaimer which acknowledgesthat the love story of the Mughal emperor with a Hindu princess hasnever been clearly defined anywhere. The disclaimer also accepts thatthere are other versions of the romance, suggesting that his film isjust one of them. May be, there are various versions on how Akbarlooked too, and the Hrithik Roshan cut just suits his box-officeambitions. If Hrithik still makes a formidable Akbar despite lookinglike a dude at a lavish fancy dress party, it just proves he hasevolved well as an actor over the years. Also, the film is awell-scripted romance by writer Haidar Ali. Despite the inordinatelylong runtime, Jodhaa Akbar spawns enough highlight scenes to captivatewith the core premise it sets out to narrate — the love story of Jodhaaand Akbar, with an intelligent socio-political undercurrent. Gowarikerhas done justice in establishing his version of the romance as anoutcome of political needs of the era. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan asJodhaa looks — repeating the clichéd jargon for lack of a more apt word— gorgeous. Smartly, Gowariker gives her minimum dialogues all throughthe film. Rather, he lets Kiran Deohans’ camera wantonly play with herporcelain perfect face and eyes. To his credit, Gowariker has alsosuccessfully managed to eke out a certain chemistry between Hrithik andAsh. Since Jodhaa Akbar has primarily been hardsold as a romance,Gowariker could have gone a bit easy on the sheer number of charactershe crowds his screen with. Also there is too much happening on theperiphery, in what appears to be Gowariker’s bid to establish a commenton the circumstances that led to Jodhaa and Akbar’s union. Technically,this is a perfect film, one that celebrates the past with the rightcolours (Nitin Desai’s art direction is outstanding) and sounds (ARRehman and Javed Akhtar). Highlight scene? Watch Akbar enter atrance as a group of dervishes croon the majestic Khwaja mere khwaja.It’s a scene that epitomises the spirit of the film in all itssubtlety. It’s also Hrithik Roshan’s Mughal-E-Azam moment. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Jodhaa Akbar Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Raza Murad Direction: Ashutosh Gowariker HHH outtake Jodhaa Akbar is a well scripted romance. But director Ashutosh Gowariker could have gone a bit easy on the sheer number of characters he crowds his screen with.
Re: [arr] how can i buy LOTR Al Risalah onlin
Al Risalah Unfortunately There has been no stocks of the CD from Big Music yet. Though this title was supposed to be released long back, there hasnt been havent heard from them yet. Worse still, the Big Music folks aren't giving a release date. As soon as some information flows , I will update you. On 2/16/08, Madiha Naureen [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: LOTR audio has been released is it available online because i think it not yet released in UAE? and How can I buy Al Risalah audio (if released) online. Thanks in avdance Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
[arr] JA movie blog review 6
Who knows if there was ever a 'Malika-e-Hindustan' called Jodha. Whether she was Akbar's wife or Jehangir's. Allwe know is Akbar was a relatively benevolent Mughal emperor who marrieda few Rajput princesses. And picking up that thread Ashutosh Gowarikerand scriptwriter Haidar Ali have spun a eyeball-popping epic love story. Sure,it's long. It's melodramatic. It's totally filmi. But unlike Asoka,where I wanted to walk out of the theatre in the interval, Jodha Akbarholds your interest. And that is chiefly because of two reasons: a) Hrithik Roshan:No idea what Akbar looked like but Hrithik carries the role on hissinewy shoulders with amazing strength and style. He is regal and yethuman. No other actor could have done justice! b) Aishwarya Rai:Extremely beautiful, graceful and also convincing (in her last fewfilms it's evident - acting karni aa gayee hai). The role she plays isa little 'too good to be true'. I mean a princess who is an expert insword fighting, who places two conditions before the Emperor of Indiaprior to marrying him, and cooks better than the palace bawarchis. Guess they had superwomen in the medeival ages as well... Andultimately this is one of the underlying themes of the film: theEmpowered Woman.(Do not read on, as there are some spoilers. Howeverit's hardly a 'suspense' film so what does it matter :) Startingfrom the name of the film where 'Jodhaa' precedes Akbar, the Rajputprincess is shown to be a lady with a mind of her own. Of course, Akbaris depicted as far more noble than he must have been in reality. Wouldthe 'Emperor of India' really say ok, I won't consummate this marriageuntil I have 'won your heart'? And there's absolutely no mentionof the famed harem of wives and concubines. It's as if Akbar is amodern day lover with modern day values. Chalo chhodo, picture hai. The idea that 'shaadi karke aapne mera fateh kiya hai, magar dil nahin jeeta' is interesting. Thenthere is a scene where Jodhaa is standing at the window and a barechested Akbar is doing sword practice. His body is absolutelymagnificent and Jodhaa is obviously feeling the heat. The idea that awoman also needs to be 'turned on' is kind of radical. Not only forthose times but even today, for many in our country! The otherrecurring theme is Hindus and Muslims co-existing in peace. Andespecially in the context of the Muslim being 'ruler'. The reason Akbaragrees to marry Jodhaa is political - he thinks it will make him moreaccepted as 'Indian'. He also agrees to two conditions put by her priorto the marriage: a) 'I will remain a Hindu and retain my rehan, sehan and other cultural traditions. I will not be forcibly converted.' b) 'I will be allowed to have a small temple in my mahal in the Mughal palace'. Again yeh real life mein nahin hua. The Rajput princess Akbar is known to have married was called Marium uz Zamani after she became his wife. Howeverin the context of the movie, it's all quite believable. The entire'Akbar as tolerant emperor' is brought out through Jodhaa. There's noneof the stuff we learnt in history books - Din e elahi, Tansen, Birbaletc. The fact that Jodhaa 'feels married' only when Akbarapplies sindoor to her forehead raises an important point: you canattempt to convert a person in the external sense but not from deepwithin. Hence you may as well let her be... Lastly thephotography, the sets, the costumes and the overall canvas painted bythe creators of the film is compelling in its grandeur. You finallyfeel okay - Bollywood can do it all as well (or even better!) thanHollywood. The Azeem o Shaan Shehenshah song and the battle scenes have sooo many extras you wonder how hey must have managed it all! Andhence for the scale, the style and the sheer poetry of the film I giveit 4.5 stars. By the way, in my book, that means the film is 90%perfect - despite the length and the Troy-inspired climax. Ican't understand the likes of Khalid Mohamed who has given it a rotten'2 star' rating in today's HT. You can almost see him smirking as heasks: Is Jodhaa Akbar a romantic dopiaza or Mughal history biryani? Khalidbhai, it's just entertainment. Aap aisi picture bana ke dikhao, phir baat kariye! The only problem is: when will Jodhaa Akbar hit multiplexes? Both Adlabs and Cinemax have boycotted it so far... youthcurry.blogspot.com
[arr] Deepa Gahlot reviews JA
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
[arr] JA movie blog review 7
'Jodhaa Akbar’: Grandeurs of the golden era Mughal history has always mesmerized its readers with its magnificent aura by being imprinted from historical chapters into our hearts. To an extent where it has inspired a reminiscent revival amongst filmmakers to cruise the viewers through this royal and magnificent era. Several elements of power, pride and prestige have been illustrated lavishly yet not without the essence of true love; the latter either exemplified unconditionally like that in ''Mughal e Azam or the not so emphasized one during the ‘golden’ era. AshutoshGowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar is a majestic saga of a mighty emperorJalaluddin Mohammad Akbar and a defiant Rajput princess Jodhaa; andtheir culmination of love for each other. A lot of speculation has beenmade regarding this particular epic. Yet the film convincingly portraysthe powerful theme along with other dimensions of Akbar’s noblepersonality and attitude towards treachery, injustice and plight of ourcountry. Set in the 16th century, thefilm starts by showcasing Jalaluddin Mohammad(Hrithik Roshan) at a verytender age being exposed to wars and bloodshed and winning. Hisstrategy of strengthening relations with the Rajput kings propels KingBharmal (Khulbhushan) of Amer to offer his daughter Jodhaa’s (AishwaryaRai) hand to the emperor. The alliance proves to be an arduous task ashe tries to woo the headstrong princess and goes all out to fulfill hertwo conditions as well. What initiallystarts off as a political gain and merger to consolidate his kingdomtakes a different turn altogether as this romance blossoms slowly likea bud into a blooming flower. Acting as an illuminating eye openerJalaluddin learns a thing or two about winning over people and hisqueen than just mere battles. It brings out the greatness in theemperor which showcases nothing less than his winning streak in everyaspect as he earns the title of ‘Akbar the great’. Amidst all this isthe display of deception, chicanery, misunderstandings and greed fromvarious sources which is all warred against with wrestling combatsresulting in a triumphant victory accompanied with righteousness. JodhaaAkbar is astounding and makes the audiences spell bound with its lavishsets and glorious costumes and jewellery. The entire lighting,background scores, extravagant appearance, power packed performancesmakes one feel that the time machine has transported one back to theglittering period of the Mughals. HrithikRoshan is absolutely brilliant as the valiant Akbar and gets into theskin of the character so much that it makes one visualize him as noneless than the historical character whom he portrays.. Aishwariya Raifits into the shoes of the fiery Jodhaa and gives a fabulousperformance as well. Rest of the cast is equally awe inspiring. Musicby A.R.Rahman doesn’t disappoint and the background scores arefantastic. Ashutosh Gowariker indeed has produced a stupendous filmwhich not only portrays romance but lessons that many can imbibe intothe present day scenario. Some of thesequences in the film deserve a special mention which sends implausiblegoose bumps amongst the audience. The one where Jalaluddin is taming awild elephant portrays the dangerous game of life and death and isprofoundly shot in a way that propels an enthusiastic round ofappreciative claps. The two conditionscommunicated by Jodhaa to the emperor eliciting a mixed reaction ofamusement and bewilderment in the latter are portrayed with tremendouscoy and conviction. Agreeing heartily to her unwillingness to converther religion and a request for a small shrine in the palace exhibitshis liberal, unconventional and secular attributes; a rarity especiallyin that era. Also the sword sequence between Jodhaa and Akbar where thelatter is wooing her back to his kingdom after a tiff; proves to beromantic in its own manner and portrays the clash of egos rather thanthe tinkering of the weapons. Putting hisnation above everything his righteous and valiant stance is exhibitedeven if it means wrestling a mighty combat with Sharifuddin Hussain hisbrother in law. Uttering this dialogue 'Hum Hindustan ko galat haatonmein jaate nahin dekh sakta' sends cheers and thunderous applauses. Prodigiousqualities of the emperor are displayed exquisitely as those of theunique jewels adorned on his crown. Unlike other Afghan kings, hisinterest lay in the welfare of India and showering it with prosperityinstead of plundering wealth of its rightful abode. Flourishing thecountry and addressing queries of the common man, his golden heart wasexhibited unmistakably in such instances. Though he lost his heart toJodhaa its golden essence remained along with the nine gems in hiscourt-‘Navaratna’. Though the duration ofthis film may prove to be a limitation and tests the patience levels ofits viewers, it is definitely a must watch as it is bound to fall
[arr] BehindWoods reviews JA (3.25/5)
Friday, February 15, 2008'Jodhaa Akbar' Review: A True Form Of Richness Film: Jodhaa Akbar Rating: 3.25/5 Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Kulbushan Karbanda Camera: Kiran Devhans Stunts: Revi Dewan Music: AR Rehman Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Production: UTV Direction: Ashuthosh Gowarikar Released On: 15th Feb 2008 Story: Historicalstories need not be retold in text here. Same applies to Jodhaa Akbar.But there is enough of creativity injected in it. Messages get into theheads of people when that is told through well known characters.Ashuthosh has chosen a right historical character-set to narrate hismessage oriented theme instead of going with routine social characters.In other words, instead of taking social characters he has chosensocial studies this time. It's all about how Akbar wins theheart of his wife Jodhaa despite his hectic kingly responsibilities.The film can be understood even in mute. The expressions and emotionaldepth are rightly projected on to celluloid. Everything has to be watched on screen and that brings a fabulous treat. Performance: Hrithikjustified his role with his macho look. It is sure that Akbar goessynonymous with Hrithik from now onwards. Aishwarya, although may notbe synonymous to Jodha, she performed in a spirited role as braveprince. Sonu Sood is ok in his shoes. Costume designer deservesgood mention. Art direction is marvelous and stunt coordination is alsodealt well which happens to be the seriously considerable aspect inthis film. Music by AR Rehman is on high score. He gave haunting tunes once again. AshuthoshGowarikar made a fine film that goes in tune with the taste of tastefulaudiences. But he would have worked on cutting down the length of thefilm especially in first half. Analysis: The film islike reading War and Peace, the bulkiest book with many characters init. As the story is not so popular on par with Mahabharatha it becomesa hard pie to bite for audience initially. But as the audiences startconnecting to the sense of narration, the film gives a marvelousexperience and they hardly look at their watches. The best part in thefilm is that it is not verbose like Prithvi Raj Kapoor starrerMughal-E-Azam. The dialogues are not so hard to understand forcontemporary audiences. There is a right mix of Hindi and Urdu whichleaves the audiences easy to go with the subject. The songs like'Azeem-o-Shaan Shehanshah..' were carried with verbose Urdu lines whichboosts up the adrenaline. This 40 Cr worth movie draws anaffluent picture on the canvass of eye balls. It's worth watching forthe flamboyant mahals, palaces and Emperor Courts as well ashigh-voltage monarchial battles. It is one of the richest films evermade on the Indian celluloid. AR Rehman's music stands ahighlight and Ashuthosh Gowarikar made him the best use. Kiran Devhans'Camera work is a synonym for excellence. Ravi Dewan's battlecompositions are impressive and stand in international standards. Thefilm was made with a very long hard work of about 3 years. A vast studywas made on Jodhaa, Akbar and many related historical characters. Theefforts are seen on the screen. There are a total of 16 fencing battlesin the film where Hrithik has shown his mettle and brought Akbar inhim. And coming to Aishwarya, she looked the best in all the frames andbrought real glory for the entire movie. It's not just her mostrenowned beauty and sensuous factor but even her hard work inperforming in fencing battles deserves a great mention. Firsthalf of the movie picks up slowly and the real tempo starts in secondhalf. Although the film appears to have shifted the track from the wellknown history, it leaves no boredom for audiences although rolls onscreen for about 3 and half hours.
[arr] A Nutshell Review reviews JA
Jodhaa Akbar Minimum Distance Todaymarks the premiere of Jodhaa Akbar here and the reasons for wanting towatch this film are simple - the pairing of Hrithik Roshan andAishwarya Rai Bachchan, director Ashutosh Gowariker, and musician A.R.Rahman. It's simply an irresistible combination, one that everyone inthe cinema hall would attest to, given the full house, and the fullhouse in the next screening. Jodhaa Akbar is set in the 16thcentury, which tells of an arranged marriage for strategic alliancepurposes that blossomed into true love between a Mughal emperor,Jalaluddin Mohammad (Hrithik Roshan) and a Rajput princess Jodha(Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). In fact, as how most historical epics wouldgo, such as the likes of Alexanderor peer Bollywood film Asoka (starring Shah Rukh Khan), while effortsare placed into extensive research to try and stay as authentic aspossible, there still are various interpretations to characters, someof whom will be taken to task (like Oliver Stone's vision of ColinFarrell as Alexander the Great)by audiences. The contention here is the story behind Jodha, and thevarious names she goes by with different retellings, and that is put upfront even before the opening credits start to roll. DirectorGowariker's pedigree with his successful epics like Lagaan and Swadesputs him in good stead as he tackles this love story on multiplefronts. In fact, as he puts it, it's a story about the meeting of twocultures and two religions, so basically, what's in a name? Sometimes Iwonder about similarities with the formation of big countries as weknow it today, with China undergoing multiple civil styled wars in bidsby conquerors to unite it, and with India, it seems that it's nodifferent. We get to see the multitudes of ethnic groups, each withtheir unique practices which we were given glimpses on, thanks to thesuperb art direction and wonderful, authentic sets recreated. JalaluddinMohammad hails from the Mughals, and is a Muslim, who from young istold by various quarters what to do, and how to lead his life asEmperor of Hindustan. He gains a reputation on the battlefield, whichcould parallel those in Hollywood in terms of sheer scale and grandeur,even utilizing hordes of marauding elephants and settled into some ickyterritory when elephants rampage and stomp on soldiers. Blood aside, wesee Jalaluddin slowly become a man of his own, and in a bid to forge astrategic alliance, he's offered the hand of Jodha Bai. However, thisarranged marriage was doomed a failure from all quarters, because ofthe difference in religion (she's a Hindu) and culture. Furthermore,the reluctant Jodha makes it all the more difficult by asking for 2conditions, that she be allowed to practice her religion, and to builda shrine in their bridal home. He agrees. And in today'scontext, I would say this act of proposition and acceptance would alsoraise some eyebrows sky high. But herein likes the key message thatgets drummed through the movie - why can't we love despite ourdifferences? Why can't we enjoy the diversity that each religion orculture bring, instead of baying for blood and inciting hatred? JodhaaAkbar has its message of (religious) tolerance worn very prominently onits sleeve. It's quite radical and forward thinking in Jalaluddin'scharacter, and we feel for the couple as they go journey from strangersto soul mates overcoming the various challenges posed from the outside,and between themselves as they try hard to break the thick ice. Butit's not all lovey-dovey in turmoil times like theirs, wherepoliticking takes place from the macro with the constant threat of warand the running of a country, to the micro where internal jealousiesand the defending of personal turf rear their ugly head, which kind ofreminisce the many petty backstabbings found behind closed royaltydoors, with Jalaluddin's nanny Maham Anga (Ila Arun) proving to be theattempted spoiler and go between in the marriage. And to leaders outthere, there's a scene which while it's something that's not new, isalways apt to remind them not to sit on their ivory towers, but to walkthe ground and hear the grumbling first hand, as nothing beats groundlevel intelligence. In most parts, Jodhaa Akbar had reminded meof Cecil B DeMille's historical productions, with its beautiful sets,costumes, great acting, and intense battle sequences. There are acouple of nice action set pieces ranging from full scale war with theclashing of two opposing sides (the elephants were a great bonus, trustme), to a duel which turns out to be a courtship ritual, something notnew since both Hrithik and Aishwarya challenged each other before(though on the basketball court), with the latter quite well versed in swordplay given her earlier role in The Last Legion, and one featuring what I thought took a leaf out of the battle between Hector and Achilles in Troy.
[arr] PFC JA movie review 2
I have put it in the Title and am going to tell that again. Long live the new K. Asif. I also want to put a disclaimer right here, that I really love Ashutosh Gowariker as a director and have loved Lagaan immensely, Swades is one of my all time favorites and by Jove, Jodha Akbar is now there in that list. This movie works on so many different aspects of cinema that I loved each and every part of it. Please do not go in expecting a History lesson and get your biases stuck there. Go in to see a story, a well woven script and for amazing cinematography, art direction, choreography, music, lyrics and of course the direction. The movie as you might have all guessed by now from the various interviews and promos are about the marriage of convenience between a Rajput Princess and a Mughal Emperor. The story takes off from when Bairam Khan is waging the wars against Hemu and the others for Akbar and helping him regain his empire. The movie ends at a phase in Akbar’s rule with Jodha by his side when there was peace and joy across the empire. Hrithik has so well etched the role of Akbar; you start to get totally involved in the story quite early on. Aishwarya looks extremely regal in the movie and fits the role of Rajput princess to the tee. It’s only in some close-ups that we get to see her age and also her bad acting. She looks groovy in Mid Long Shots. I shall not tell you the entire story as I expect movie buffs like you to pay the full sum and watch this piece of art in a theater near you. I will rather dwell on each of those aspects that got this movie working for me. As the narrative progresses, we are also shown the lifestyle and upbringing of Jodha, the brave Rajput princess. The marriage of convenience slowly transforms into love as the young couple start to discover each other. These shots are extremely well handled. The only blot on this wonderful landscape was a drunken twat sitting next to me who kept shouting “Dhoom Machale Dhoom Machale Dhoom” every time Hrithik Aishwarya got together in the frame. Why cannot movie theaters give an electric prod along with your ticket so you can just put such people to sleep? Well, do not want to dwell on that shit. Let me continue with Jodha Akbar. This is a masterpiece in art direction. Each and every shot is so bloody well planned that you gasp in many places. I have always hated SLB (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) since he only concentrates on Art Direction and never on the story (save for Khamoshi, this is my opinion, BTW). In this movie the ambience is just the ambience and not the story. We still get to see a well written story. Kiran Deohans has done a phenomenal job as the DOP (Director of Photography). I had read on the net and in papers that he had taken a long time to light up the sets and this was also a cause for the delay in shooting but all that bullshit aside, he has done a stupendous job in his realm. This movie cries out for all those international awards but will not get it since our dear government will send some really shitty movie instead as the nomination. I do not think this should be a problem as this movie will definitely be discussed even after say 2-3 decades for the things it has bought together. On the other aspects, AR Rehman used to have a wonderful working relationship with Mani Sir but it somehow did not seem to be there in Guru. With Ashutosh, the relationship seems to be growing from strength to strength. The music, in my opinion, is really good and I loved “Khwaja…” “Azeem ho Shaan”, “Kehna ko Jashne…” a lot in the movie. See the end of Khwaja and Hrithik acting in that. I found it to be too good. Javed Saab has given some wonderful lyrics as usual and the team of ARR JA (Javed Akthar) has worked well again. The dialogues by Saxena are really good and the actors did not ham too much on them, thankfully. This whole team has been held very well by the Captain, Ashutosh Gowariker. Every shot seems to have been planned with a lot of thought and some of the shots are phenomenal. The fighting shots are well planned and the use of VFX does not seem like how it is in other movies. It does not jar. There is that famous shot with Hrithik the Elephant as shown in the promos. This has been shot and planned really well and it was a treat to watch. The same also applies to the sword fighting scene between Aishwarya Hrithik. It could have been shorter but it was still nice. Of course his problems with the scissors persist in this film also. There could have been better editing but I did not mind the length of the movie but am sure our Audience will get bored as I saw many people trooping in and out when the scenes were getting a little stretched. This is not really a problem as the narrative required it in both Swades JA. Overall this is a really good movie and we seem to be having a good year if we get to see movie like Mithya Jodha Akbar by February itself. Please see it in the theater. Do, I repeat, not see it on pirated DVD as the small
[arr] Re: tamil JA AUDIO available now in music world chennai
anyone get a hold of it? how is it
[arr] Mid-day reviews JA
I want to be a classicsomething’s missing: Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan in Jodhaa Akbar Jodhaa Akbar **1/2 Dir: Ashutosh Gowariker Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Niketan Dheer and Punam Sinha Sarita Tanwar [EMAIL PROTECTED] What'sit about: Classics are not created; they happen. The biggest problemwith Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar is that it tries too hard to bea classic. The director adds all the luster and spectacle to the movie(thanks to the finest technicians) but in the process, he ignores themost crucial aspect of a film: its soul. It's a tale of love andheroism, set in the sixteenth century. It's all about the triumph ofEmperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) over seemingly insurmountable odds. Hisfather dies when he's just a child, leaving him with the burden offulfilling his dream of ruling over India. He wins many battles andthen faces his most difficult decision — King Bharmal of Amer(Kulbhushan Kharbanda) offers him the hand of his daughter Jodhaa(Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). This marriage between a Mughal emperor and aRajput princess and their romance forms the crux of the film. What'sgood: Let's face it: There are not many filmmakers who will attempt anhistoric film — given it's such a gamble in today's youth-dominatedblockbuster movie market — and fewer still would make it on such alarge canvas. As far as period films go, Ashutosh Gowariker's attemptis definitely in a league of its own; miles ahead of previousunfortunate attempts like Mangal Pandey and Umrao Jaan. Ashutoshensures there are plenty of moments designed to stir the adrenaline.The scene when Jodhaa makes her two wishes known to Akbar; theemperor's solo sword-fighting scene, as well as the one with his wifeare excellent. The bedroom scene, which is a part of the track,Jashn-e-Bahaara as well as the Sufi song in Rahman's haunting voiceleave a lasting impact. The scale, the setting and the detailing leavesyou in no doubt that the director's heart was in the right place. It'sa perfect Valentine release if you consider the love angle between thelead pair. The director also pulls off the conflict and the chemistrybetween his lead pair effortlessly. Hrithik Roshan proves he was thebest choice for the role. He has the intensity necessary for the role.If anything, he underplays the part, giving it a sincerity and nobilitythat completely wins you over. It's not designed to be a star vehiclebut Hrithik dominates the film totally. He gets terrific support fromAishwarya, who looks stunningly beautiful. Sujamal (Sonu Sood) andSharifuddin (Niketan Dheer) also make an impact. No complaints aboutthe length; a period film of this scale surely deserves an extra hour. What'sbad: Jodhaa Akbar entertains but does not enthrall. Individually, eachscene is carved with precision. But put them together and they somehowdon't blend as smoothly as you want them to. The film's biggest failingis that except the four characters mentioned above, all the others looklike actors in make-up. The soldiers of Akbar's army carry swords, butthey don't look like they can stick them in and gut an opponent. Eventhe combat scenes lack power and terror. Perhaps the director needed toadd hordes of computer-enhanced soldiers to lend more drama to thehugely dull battle scenes. The language spoken by the characters is ahindrance; even though one understands the meaning, the words are veryunfamiliar. You keep looking for the spirit of Lagaan and the simple,emotional appeal of Swades — and you just keep looking because it isn'tthere. What to do: Watch it for Ashutosh Gowariker's bold and stylish attempt — though we wish he'd focused as much on substance.
Re: [arr] Deepa Gahlot reviews JA.. no mention of ARR ohis music!
Interesting! and absolutely no mention of ARR or music or BGS just like another review posted yesterday or the day b4 or have I lost sight! Neena Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Historical epics may have fallen out of favour in the last fewdecadesâwho 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 Modiâthe underrated king of the Costume Drama-- earlyShantaram and, of course, K Asif, whose excellence ironically soundedthe death knell for the historical. Ashutosh Gowarikerâs 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 forâHinglishâ and âBambaiyaâ dialogue and lyrics. It is not hard tosee why Gowariker is tempted by the idea of making an epicâwhat elsecould he do to surpass the magnitude of Lagaan, except costume drama orsci-fi? Thatâs why it is perhaps disappointing that Gowarikerâs 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 Gowarikerâs 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 sayâ what is lackingin the film are real drama and a gripping narrative. All the scenesthat remain in memory are âitemsââAkbarâs fight with a wild elephant, abare-bodied Akbar flexing his muscles and smirking at the wide-eyedJodhaa, the sword-fight between the twoâ 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 âoutsidersâ.When Akbarâs 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 todayâs 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 donât go in expecting greatness. http://cinemaah.blogspot.com/2008/02/jodhaa-akbar.html - Support the World Aids Awareness campaign this month with Yahoo! for Good
[arr] Mission Ustaad Atleast in CHENNAI
All chennai Rahmaniacs, Atlast Mission Ustaad is telecasted in Chennai. 9x is in available in Chennai . Enjoy Fridays and Saturdays night 9 PM . ENJOY -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
[arr] Jodha Akbar Box Office Report
Jodhaa Akbar Strong On Saturday http://yuvasworld.blogspot.com/2008/02/jodha-akbar-box-office-report-boxoffice.html
[arr] Re: Mission Ustaad Atlast in CHENNAI
Sorry written in excitement ... Atlast Mission Ustaad telecasted in chennai On 2/16/08, Vithur [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: All chennai Rahmaniacs, Atlast Mission Ustaad is telecasted in Chennai. 9x is in available in Chennai . Enjoy Fridays and Saturdays night 9 PM . ENJOY -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
Re: [arr] So far, disappointed by the converging criticisms of JA
lack of suspense ??? On Feb 16, 2008 10:07 AM, Chord [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There are positive reviews, but the criticisms all point to the same problemsfilm is too long, too patchy, too filmy, drags a lot many areas, lack of suspense, inconsistent, loose... There are lots of 4/5s, but also lots of 3/5s and some 2/5s. Today's flim goers don't do well with movies that drag and bore. I'm very worried about the BO results. Although I haven't seen the film yet, I know I'm going to like it simply for the music, historical opulance, visuals, acting, dramatic sequences, and action scenes. I'm pretty tolerant to slow paced movies. I'm hopeful that despite the shortcomings in terms of lack of tightness and drawn out, sluggish and non gripping parts, the visuals, the chemistry between Ash and Hrithik, the music, the drama will be enough to please the average person. If, however, most people think the movie is too drawn out, long, non gripping, and cannot grasp the movie as a whole, then the movie is in trouble. I really want to see the film badly and I know it will be appreciated by many. Kudos to Ashu and his team for attempting such an epic film with so much investment and work. I just hope their hard work pays off. IT takes guts to make such a film in today's world. I think some of the criticisms are a bit too crticial, but, the real test will be the numbers in terms of BO. I just wish Ashu could have learned his lesson from Swades to make the plot a bit more tight and concise based on what I am hearing from others. I really want the film to succeed and become a blockbuster for everyone's sake involved in the film, but esp. for Rahman. I want people beyond his fans to recognize and love the brilliance of this soundtrack. -- regards, ranjith
[arr] AR Rahman's Tamil ACD Inquiry
Hey guys, recently my uncle gave me his ARR tamil collection. he gave me 9 original CDs. However it is not ayngaran. it is released by a distributor called Epic Records INC (made in EEC), Blockbuster Music CDs, Sound of Arts, Maruthu Music, Chapleton Enterprises LTD, Musicplex, Ramba Records, BAR internation, Bhasky. does anyone else here have the same distributor's CD. are these original releasers? BTW, these CDs are not from India, they are international. Nowadays, there is only one international releaser - Ayngaran. were there many back then??
Re: [arr] Rahman's policy earning him detractors?
Independent reviews on the music have been lukwarm somewhat but in the context of the film being reviewed overallJA as Gopal states was received very generously...so... On Feb 16, 2008 4:59 PM, Aditya Nataraja [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, Rahman recently opted out of OSO on the issue of rights and royalty. As a result he had to walk out on an SRK production (which went on to become a big thing). Both these acts seem to have given ARR's image a different tinge that is reflecting in the music section of the reviews of JA. I am yet to come across someone (apart from Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN) who has wholeheartedly praised the music of JA during his/ her review of the movie. Being an ARR fan I just adore the music. I think it fits the grandeur and scale that Ashutosh Gowariker has envisioned. It cannot be possible that the movie is rated as a 4 on 5 and the music is just 'passable'. How can that be? That means either the reviewer has not paid attention to the music while watching the movie or it must be the 'tinge' that I am talking about working its effect. As a Rahman fan I am disappointed by the movie reviewers giving a lukewarm response to the music. And am sure as my fellow fans you are too, hence this mail. Having said that I must also reiterate my support for Rahman in his policy of having a share in the rights of the music. As the creator of the music he certainly deserves a share of the money that these buggers make out of selling it. Of course he might not get the major part, but some part he certainly deserves. So he is asking for it and we stand by him. My question after this long mail is: Do you think that this policy of his is earning him detractors? Or do you believe that people are seriously not moved by the music of JA as is indicated by most reviews? Just throwing open something for discussion. Feel free to let me know if I have gone wrong somewhere. Love, Adi. -- You are what your deepest desire is; As you desire, so is your intention; As your intention, so is your will; As is your will so is your deed; As is your deed, so is your destiny -The Upanishads
[arr] How can I order JA Tamil in online?
Has anyone got link? Thanks.
[arr] saw JA last night
On the whole the movie was good in parts, but long and slow. It started at 10:15 pm and ended around 2 am. BGM was awesome for the most part although I felt it was overdone at some places. 1. Kwaja Mere Kwaja looks great onscreen. The sufi singers singing in unison and going into a trance, arr's voice all matched perfectly. 2. Azeem - shaan shehenshah was everything I excpected. The grandeur, the sets, the drums and the dancers 3. In lamhon ke daman mein: The effectiveness of this song is multiplied 10 X times on screen because of the chemistry betweem hrithik and ash 4. Jashm-e-bahaara: I was sort of disappointed because this being the best of the lot should have been placed better. When this song arrived, things were moving really slow and people were getting restless. So the effect of this song was diminished 5. Mann Mohana: This song is split in two parts. The second part was placed better
[arr] Richa Sharma singing for ARR
She created a stir with her folksy voice in Billo Rani, in the film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and her bubbly rawness added charm to the popular track Show me your Jalwa in Madhuri Dixit's comeback film Aaja Nachle. However it's not just Bollywood and playback singing that Richa Sharma is busy with. Recently, she has joined a bunch of seasoned singers in yet another reality show called Dhoom Macha De. It's a show for performers and all the singers have the independence to sing anything that they want within the theme given, explains Sharma, who is competing with 10 other singers, including stalwarts like Kamaal Khan, Anaida, Suneeta Rao and Baba Sehgal. So are reality shows the way to prance back into the limelight for out-of-work singers? I've had plenty of releases lately, interrupts Sharma, a tad defensively. Her singing career took off in 1999 with Samajh Gayi in Taal and she has sung for films like Saawariya and Om Shanti Om recently. I'm not in the recording studio every night, but I'm satisfied with the kind of work I'm getting, she smiles. Sharma also has an album planned for this year. It's a seven track Sufi compilation, she reveals. On the film front there are six releases lined up, including Shyam Benegal's Mahadev, Adnan Sami's dance number in Sadiyaan, AR Rahman's qawwali for Khinza and Pritam's club song for Jannat. In the future Sharma also has her eyes set on composing music. She says, I love to compose and have made a few Sufi tunes in the past, but I will wait for some time before I really get into composing. That might just take a bit longer with the reality show keeping her busy. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Track-List/273784/ Any idea about this movie Khinza?
[arr] JA movie review
Hi, I saw JA yesterday. It sucks big time. movie lasts for 3hours 45 minutes and will bore you to death. Not a single person in the whole theater liked the movie. Ashutosh has made a joke out of akbar. Its not even worth download and watch. Dont waste your time/money on this movie. what a waste of 40+ crores. regards, raj --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Gowarikerâs churned out a historical one yet again, but unfortunately itâs so awfully long that, by the time you exit the theaters, youâre yawning, wondering to yourself how the editing (or the lack of it) ruined the film so bad Iâm tempted to title it Jodhaa Ak-bore. Because parts of the âepicâ just drag, itâs like a heavyweight flick heaving itself lazily to the final reels as if it were a burden. Like Lagaan, the movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan narratinghistory. But thatâs where the similarity ends. Jodhaa Akbar takes aneternity to develop too many characters, and while there isnât a singlescene in the movie that is irrelevant, many of them could be simplytrashed. The plot is simple, and historians might argue on this, but ittraces Akbarâs (a confident Hrithik) path from childhood to youth, tomarrying - and falling in love with - the bold and rebellious Jodhaa (astrikingly pretty Ash). Sprinkled in are the battles. Yes, itâs technically brilliant, save for the unforgivablysubstandard war scenes. The warriors - and the animals - are often soclumsy on the battlefield that itâs sometimes painful to watch themfight. Outside of that, Gowariker is flawless - as is thecinematography by Kiran Deohans, Neeta Lullaâs scrumptious costumes andNitin Desaiâs breathtaking sets. In those aspects, the flick isspectacular and might just make people say âgoodâ when opinions areneeded. The much-talked about khwaaja song is so brilliantlypicturised, and it ends with Hrithik defying the norm, being hypnotizedin awe and love for the saint, as he joins the devout disciples intheir celebration, almost under a spell. A scene loaded with passionatefaith that leaves the audience moved. The performances are a strict okay,except for the leads. Hrithik, for once, is amazingly expressive.Warmth, romance, fury, frustration, fear, sympathy, helplessness,vengeance - you name it, and the blokeâs managed it all effortlessly,silencing many a critic. Helping him out is his captivating screenpresence - thereâs a scene where he tames a rogue elephant, and whilethat scene might be rubbished on paper, the director-actor duo do sowell to make it convincing that you almost nod your head inappreciation. Ash is no less expressive - in fact, she has very littledialogue yet a lot of meat in her role - but I must admit, her abilityto emote is far, far superior than her sword-wielding skills. Still,she fits the part of the defiant Rajput princess. The support cast is unfortunately weak. Kulbhushan Kharbandaâs Raja Bharmal is almost always helpless, very unlike a king if I may, and Nikitin Dheerâs Shareefuddin is so absurdly over expressive that, at times, you hope Akbar slaughters him and gets over with it. Sonu Soodâs Sujamal is expected to make the audience notice him, and he manages it more out of sympathy than conviction. The female support cast do a lot better, Ila Arun deserves a mention but itâs Punam Sinhaâs Hamida Banu who plays the motherâs role to the T. Credit to Gowariker for getting that bit of the cast together, and extra-credit for handling the subplots of religion so subtly, so simply, and so sweetly that you agree unconditionally. All in all, itâs worth a watch if you donât mind the 200-minute length, but you might catch sunrise if you go for the night show. And feel free to excuse yourself in the middle to grab a snack or two, as you wonât miss too much with the extra scenes. As the credits rolled at the end, I was left in a mild shock seeing Ballu Salujaâs name for the editing. Where was the editing anyway? This crazily stretched film shattered my expectations, and for me, Jodhaa Akbar is history. In more ways than one. * mutiny.in
[arr] Re: Deepa Gahlot reviews JA
This review truly echoes my feeling about the movie. Saw it yesterday. Out here in the Bay area - all shows were packed ...so a good crowd turnout at least on the first day. Finally got to see ths songs that I have been hearing for the past month or so - on the big screen. The background score too is excellent. Like someone stated earlier - it wud be great to hv the BGM's available separately. Rahman's score is something that makes it probably the best reason to see this movie. There is no comparison possible to Lagaan or Swades. I feel those were a clas apart. But again - a period movie at such a grand scale is not everyones cup of tea. Kudo's to AG for the grand/royal sets ..and the scale. Apart from Hrithik and Aish - the rest of the cast looks terribly out of place. A must watch though for any Rahmaniac. -A --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Historical epics may have fallen out of favour in the last fewdecadesâwho 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 Modiâthe underrated king of the Costume Drama-- earlyShantaram and, of course, K Asif, whose excellence ironically soundedthe death knell for the historical. Ashutosh Gowarikerâs 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 forâHinglishâ and âBambaiyaâ dialogue and lyrics. It is not hard tosee why Gowariker is tempted by the idea of making an epicâwhat elsecould he do to surpass the magnitude of Lagaan, except costume drama orsci-fi? Thatâs why it is perhaps disappointing that Gowarikerâs 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 Gowarikerâs 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 sayâ what is lackingin the film are real drama and a gripping narrative. All the scenesthat remain in memory are âitemsââAkbarâs fight with a wild elephant, abare-bodied Akbar flexing his muscles and smirking at the wide-eyedJodhaa, the sword-fight between the twoâ 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 âoutsidersâ.When Akbarâs 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 todayâs 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
[arr] The Indian Express reviews JA
Chemistry, not historyFont Size - -A +A Posted online: Sunday , February 17, 2008 at 11:10:10 Updated: Saturday , February 16, 2008 at 11:28:53 PrintEmail To Editor Post Comments Movie Name:Jodhaa Akbar Directed by: Ashutosh Gowarikar Cast: Hritik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai bachchan In a standout scene, Jodhaa Bai andJalal-ud-din-Akbar are sitting across each other. She's writtensomething she wants her husband to read. After waffling for a couple ofminutes, he returns the beautifully-inscribed parchment to her,confessing he can neither write nor read: he was raised to be awarrior, not a litterateur. She lowers her eyelashes and says, Ekpatni apne pati ka naam kaise le sakti hai. He gazes at her,love-struck, as she blushes becomingly: the thing between them iselectric. It's confirmed. Dhoom 2 was no fluke. Hrithik Roshan andAishwarya Rai are the hottest pair of lovers Bollywood has. You forgetthat these two are trying to be Shahenshah Akbar and hisMallika-e-Hindustan: this is a man and woman in the eternal act offinding love. And only in this moment, and others like this one, doesAshutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar spark to life, because this isterritory the director can traverse sure-footedly. He takes us intotheir boudoir, where they lie next to each other, a gossamer netkeeping them less than an inch apart: you can sense their yearning. Asword duel between them turns into a stylised mating dance, wherebreaths mingle yet lips don't meet. For the rest, where historycomes crowding in, Gowarikar keeps his distance. The altercationsbetween hungry-for-power siblings and an emperor struggling to rule afractious bunch of satraps, the discussions between Akbar and his wisemen, the taking stock of his praja by a wise and compassionate ruler,the epic scale computer-generated battle scenes-are all observed atarm's length. Clearly, even if he has done the smart thing and calledhis movie more imagination than history, the director wants to makedoubly sure that he won't get more slammed than he already has, in theauthenticity department. But even if you discount all the argumentsbeing trotted out by angry historians and Rajputs-some claiming Jodhawas theirs, some saying that she didn't exist-you can't get over thefact that Jodhaa Akbar, at nearly three-and-a-half hours, is much toolong. The editing is bland, and the pace so slack in so many placesthat you drift off. Till the next time Ash and Hrithik come near eachother, resplendent in their industrial strength jewellery andglittering costumes. Neither Roshan nor Rai, despite the bestefforts of the stylists, look like they belonged back then: he is pureeye candy, stripped down to his bronzed skin; she sports a stunningmakeup-less appearance which doubtless takes longer than pancake to putin place. Except for Raza Murad, whose Urdu diction is pitchperfect, everyone else struggles: muaaff kar dijiye, they go, and it'shard to keep from laughing. Of the ensemble, Ila Arun, with her raccooneyes (she plays the evil dai-ma who tries to come between the lovers),and Sonu Sood (he is Jodhaa's bhai-saa, who teaches her the fine art ofduelling with swords), fill out their roles. Watch Jodhaa Akbar for its beguiling moments of amour. The rest is window dressing.
[arr] DesiCritics reviews JA
Movie Review: Jodhaa AkbarFebruary 16, 2008 Amrita Rajan India and the Mughal Dynasty Valerie Berinstain Book, Usually ships in 24 hours Buy now from !-- google_ad_client = pub-7273131845408543; google_alternate_ad_url = http://desicritics.org/adchannels/empty.html;; google_ad_width = 250; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = 250x250_as; google_ad_type = text_image; google_ad_channel =1726044841; google_color_border = F6F6F6; google_color_bg = F6F6F6; google_color_link = 99; google_color_url = 695E49; google_color_text = 00; //-- Jodhaa Akbar, Ashutosh Gowarikar's sixteenth century epicabout the political marriage between a Rajput princess and a Mughalemperor, is a must-see if period romance peppered with a dash ofviolence is your cup of tea. There are extravagant spectacles,pretty people in elaborately lovely costumes, stirring battle scenes,evocative music, and a lead pair who turn in their career-bestperformances. And for all its eye catching splendor, Jodhaa Akbarmanages to shine most bright in the more intimate moments - be itbetween husband and wife or swordsmen squaring off against each otheron the battlefield. We begin with Amitabh Bachchan's voicegiving us a little tour through the early Islamic history of NorthernIndia, where the Mughals are the latest in a long line of invaders.With Nasiruddin Humayun's untimely death, a meaningless crown passes tohis young son, a somewhat squeamish Jalaluddin Mohammad. His father'sgeneral, Bairam Khan (Yuri), takes it upon himself to serve his youngliege lord's cause. By the time Jalal reaches glorious manhood in thewell-muscled person of Hrithik Roshan, Bairam Khan manages to cobbletogether an empire for him to rule. A newly masterful Jalalbegins to take over the reins of control by sending the ambitiousBairam Khan off on a pilgrimage to Mecca (a polite way of sayingexile as such a trip in the sixteenth century would take years) andexpanding his empire. But the Rajputs, Hindu warriors of the northwest,refuse to bend knee. Jalal manages to subdue some of them but there arestill too many holding out. This isn't a state of affairs that a manwho wishes to call himself Emperor of all Hindustan can allow. EnterRaja Bharmal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) of the Rajput state of Amer.Circumstances have made it necessary for him to seek Imperialprotection and he indicates that he is ready to swear allegiance to theMughal crown - if the Emperor would take his daughter Jodhaa (AishwaryaRai) to wife. Once the stars have aligned to put Jodhaa and Jalal in close proximity to each other - a process that roughly takes an hour - Jodhaa Akbar gladly puts its political pretensions aside and turns into a charming love story. Thereare still a number of sword fights and a lot of talk aboutcourt/political intrigue, but the movie's heart isn't really in it. Theonly bit of intrigue Jodhaa Akbar is really invested in, is the one between its principal leads. Apart from a bravura turn by Ila Arun as the jealously possessive Maham Anga, every character except Jodhaa and Jalal have about as much depth as a wading pool. The villains, including the hilariously portrayed Hemu (a Hindu king who captured Delhi for a brief period of time after Humayun's death) who looks like an escapee from a Ramsay Bros. film complete with greasy hair tossing, aren't just villainous but also rather stupid and given to showing their hand rather easily. And the good guys like Akbar's birth mother Hamida Banu (Punam Sinha) sort of glide about and make dutiful noises from time to time. The only bit of interesting dialogue afforded the talented Suhasini Mulay (Rani Padmavati, Jodhaa's mother) is when she offers her newly betrothed daughter some poison on the sly - Death is surely better than suffering insult, she tells her shocked child. As for Rai and Roshan, they haven't been this good in quite sometime. Roshan, in particular, gives his overworked facial muscles alittle time off and taps into that well of talent that stood him ingood stead in movies like Lakshya. Rai proves once again thatall she needs is a director who isn't awed by her physical perfectionto turn in a performance that hits all the right notes. However, I do think that the makers copped out on making a truly fantastic film by not allowing the more psychotic side of medieval royalty (witness the scene where Jalal has his injured foster brother dragged up the stairs just so he can have him thrown down once more) more screentime, but the tiny moments wherein Jalal and Jodhaa try their best to understand each other and begin to fall in love, make up for it. So does it take liberties with historical facts? In several places. But as a movie, it works very well. http://desicritics.org/2008/02/16/112159.php
[arr] Re: JA movie review
Well the question is - how do you know not single person liked it? Did u check with each and every person? If you did then thats commendable. Sorry dude no offence meant. I dont think it was bad enough to say it sucks. It was an honest and a brave attempt at recreating those times and historical characters. Yes ...there were short- comings - agreed -but in no way can the whole movie be called a waste' -A --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Rajeev Gandhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, I saw JA yesterday. It sucks big time. movie lasts for 3hours 45 minutes and will bore you to death. Not a single person in the whole theater liked the movie. Ashutosh has made a joke out of akbar. Its not even worth download and watch. Dont waste your time/money on this movie. what a waste of 40+ crores. regards, raj --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan catchgops@ wrote: Gowarikerâs churned out a historical one yet again, but unfortunately itâs so awfully long that, by the time you exit the theaters, youâre yawning, wondering to yourself how the editing (or the lack of it) ruined the film so bad Iâm tempted to title it Jodhaa Ak-bore. Because parts of the âepicâ just drag, itâs like a heavyweight flick heaving itself lazily to the final reels as if it were a burden. Like Lagaan, the movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan narratinghistory. But thatâs where the similarity ends. Jodhaa Akbar takes aneternity to develop too many characters, and while there isnât a singlescene in the movie that is irrelevant, many of them could be simplytrashed. The plot is simple, and historians might argue on this, but ittraces Akbarâs (a confident Hrithik) path from childhood to youth, tomarrying - and falling in love with - the bold and rebellious Jodhaa (astrikingly pretty Ash). Sprinkled in are the battles. Yes, itâs technically brilliant, save for the unforgivablysubstandard war scenes. The warriors - and the animals - are often soclumsy on the battlefield that itâs sometimes painful to watch themfight. Outside of that, Gowariker is flawless - as is thecinematography by Kiran Deohans, Neeta Lullaâs scrumptious costumes andNitin Desaiâs breathtaking sets. In those aspects, the flick isspectacular and might just make people say âgoodâ when opinions areneeded. The much-talked about khwaaja song is so brilliantlypicturised, and it ends with Hrithik defying the norm, being hypnotizedin awe and love for the saint, as he joins the devout disciples intheir celebration, almost under a spell. A scene loaded with passionatefaith that leaves the audience moved. The performances are a strict okay,except for the leads. Hrithik, for once, is amazingly expressive.Warmth, romance, fury, frustration, fear, sympathy, helplessness,vengeance - you name it, and the blokeâs managed it all effortlessly,silencing many a critic. Helping him out is his captivating screenpresence - thereâs a scene where he tames a rogue elephant, and whilethat scene might be rubbished on paper, the director-actor duo do sowell to make it convincing that you almost nod your head inappreciation. Ash is no less expressive - in fact, she has very littledialogue yet a lot of meat in her role - but I must admit, her abilityto emote is far, far superior than her sword-wielding skills. Still,she fits the part of the defiant Rajput princess. The support cast is unfortunately weak. Kulbhushan Kharbandaâs Raja Bharmal is almost always helpless, very unlike a king if I may, and Nikitin Dheerâs Shareefuddin is so absurdly over expressive that, at times, you hope Akbar slaughters him and gets over with it. Sonu Soodâs Sujamal is expected to make the audience notice him, and he manages it more out of sympathy than conviction. The female support cast do a lot better, Ila Arun deserves a mention but itâs Punam Sinhaâs Hamida Banu who plays the motherâs role to the T. Credit to Gowariker for getting that bit of the cast together, and extra-credit for handling the subplots of religion so subtly, so simply, and so sweetly that you agree unconditionally. All in all, itâs worth a watch if you donât mind the 200- minute length, but you might catch sunrise if you go for the night show. And feel free to excuse yourself in the middle to grab a snack or two, as you wonât miss too much with the extra scenes. As the credits rolled at the end, I was left in a mild shock seeing Ballu Salujaâs name for the editing. Where was the editing anyway? This crazily stretched film shattered my expectations, and for me, Jodhaa Akbar is history. In more ways than one. * mutiny.in
[arr] Planet Bollywood reviews JA (8.5/10)
Jodhaa-Akbar Producer: Ronnie Screwala (UTV Motion Pictures) and Ashutosh Gowarikar Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar Starring:Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, KulbhushanKharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Raza Murad, Punam Sinha, Rajesh Vivek,Pramod Moutho, and Ila Arun Music: A.R. Rahman Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Genre: Historic Recommended Audience: Parental Guidance Approximate Running Time: 3 Hrs. 20 Mins Film Released on: 15 February 2008 Reviewed by: Shruti Bhasin Reviewer's Rating: 8.5 / 10 Music ReviewPosters Public Rating Average: 9.16 / 10 (rated by 52 viewers) Give your Rating: 1 / 10 2 / 10 3 / 10 4 / 10 5 / 10 6 / 10 7 / 10 8 / 10 9 / 10 10 / 10 Opinion Poll: Has Jodhaa-Akbar lived up to the hype?Jodhaa Akbar…the untold love story…behind every great man is a strong woman.Ashutosh Gowarikar showcases his most ambitious project to date about a ruler that goes through his own journey of greatness and ends up finding true love. As a passionate moviegoer, one has to let go of scrutinizing the accuracy of every historical detail and go beyond the story to see the filmmaker’s vision. The mood of the film is set from the start, as Amitabh Bachchan begins to narrate the film, we see an amazing 16th century battle scene (with elephants and thousands of extras – something that reminded me of Lord of the Rings). Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) is an emperor who wants all the kingdoms to rule under his sovereignty in Hindustan. From being powerful, to tolerant, to generous, and of course persuasive, the empire conquered many kingdoms, despite being resented. TheRajputs were the bravest of the brave and did not bow down very easily.In a political move, King Bharmal of Amer (Kulbhushan Kharbanda)decides to rule under the emperor, only if he married his daughter,Princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). In order to build a strongalliance with some Rajputs, Akbar agrees, despite the stubborness ofhis wife-to-be. And so begins the love story of complete strangers from2 different religions. As the movie progresses, we see the political and administrative decisions that Akbar becomes liable for, and in the process, he tries to win the heart of Jodhaa. He loses people he cares for, he gets betrayed, he is wounded, he is accountable for his actions, and he is most of all, very human. The charming relationship between Jodhaa and Akbar grows slowly, where two people learn to understand each other, embrace each other’s culture and differences, and finally let love shine in their hearts. A round of applause to writers Haidar Ali and Ashutosh Gowarikar for writing some interesting sequences. Some of these include: The first battle scene Akbar taming a wild elephant as a pass-time The hypnotic trance that the prince goes in during the song Khwaja Mere Khwaja During a political meeting, Akbar sees his wife for the first time while doing hindu prayers The Rajput feast when Jodhaa cooks The swordfight between Jodhaa and Akbar The Azeem-O-Shaan song One on one battle between Akbar and his brother-in-law What can one say about a movie that costs a whopping 40 crores? Its one of the most visually stunning films I’ve seen in terms of colour, choreographies, cinematography, art, costumes, and action. The length of the film is felt in the 2nd half and the movie should be edited by about 20 minutes to leave a stronger impact. The dialogues excellent, understandable and some of them give you goodbumps. Music and background score by AR Rehman is soulful and infused properly within the film. Comingto performances, the main stars showcase natural chemistry andpersonify their characters so much that you forget you are watchingactors playing a role. Hrithik Roshan as Akbar is flawless. Hismannerisms and expressions are perfect, especially when he explains tohis advisors to stop bringing religion in political matters. He allowshis personal barriers to be broken and shows how vulnerable Akbar wasto make the right decisions. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan balances herco-star by being simple, straighforward, and fearless as Jodhaa. Eventhough, she has a meaty role, her best sequences include Hrithik in theframe. The film has some outstanding performances by secondary characters, with the most notable being: Ila Arun as Maham Anga (motherly figure to Akbar), who is intimidating and sinister for the wrong reasons; Sonu Sood as Sujamal (Jodhaa’s cousin) delivers his best
[arr] AVSTV reviews JA (8.5/10)
What causes Gowarikar’s radical and quite stunning transformation is the authenticity that thrives beneath the man’s imaginative sculptures and inventive portraits. For his uncanny and unbelievably entertaining storytelling skills have been put to a test rarely ever taken by other filmmakers. He is to explore a very real romance, to which there is very little known. The mission is dreadful for many reasons. For one, there is a very thin line between fact and fiction. One man’s creative interjection is another man’s blatant lie. And those who have been following the controversy leading up to the film’s release will agree that Gowarikar has been walking this very line quite cautiously. Painted within the 16th Century, Jodhaa-Akbar opens with the child Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad ruling his empire, done so on his behalf by the brutish chief Balram Khan. The wars are fought and won without hesitation and the Mughal Empire continues to expand its borders across the region. As the kingdom grows, so does young Jalaluddin Akbar (Hrithik Roshan), whose charming looks bleed into his merciful soul. As the empire grows stronger and larger, many surrounding Rajput kingdoms begin to fear the Empire’s reigns. As an offer of alliance, King Bharmal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) of Amer proffers his daughter, Jodhaa, (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) to Akbar in marriage. However, Jodhaa is a dignified Hindu princess who will only accept the political marriage if her conditions are met: 1) She must be allowed to freely practice her religion, and 2) Akbar shall not lay a finger on her until she has consented. Here on out begins the imaginatively real and beautiful story of love between Akbar and Jodhaa. Let’s not be mistaken, Jodhaa-Akbar is a film which is whole-heartedly an epic portrayal of unbridled love, amidst the glorious tapestry that is the Mughal Empire. The historical accounts of how this country came to be are extremely accurate. Writers Haider Ali and Ashutosh Gowarikar have created a film three years in the making, extensive research was put into both Mughal and Raput history to create a film true to its core when it tries to document history. However, Jodhaa-Akbar is an imaginative tale more than anything else - a love story which does not hang in the balance of historical evidence and factual documentation. As Gowarikar has stated, the film has been envisioned to entertain with its epic tale of romance, and one man’s pursuit to win-over the woman he loves. Tremendous credit must be given to Ravi Dewan who, as an action director, has single-handedly brought this film up to international standards. From the roaring crowds and stunning battlefield scenes, to the titillating sword fights and the brilliant portrayal of Akbar’s playful taming of a wild elephant. The task given to him was gargantuan, and the man passes with breath-taking accuracy. Although it is quite easy to be ravished and astounded by the architectural opulence and lavish visual designs by Nitin Desai, never does this grandeur intrude the script or take focus away from the roots of the screenplay. The entire look and magnificence of the re-created Empire blend seamlessly into Gowarikar and Ali’s story. Gowarikar’s script is long, simply said. And even though it is enchanting for a certain period of time, the script is unable to maintain itself for the full 3hrs 20mins running time. The writing is virtually flawless up until the romantic crescendo between Akbar and Jodhaa, after which Gowarikar tends to overkill the subject matter. Editor Ballu Saluja would have been wise to snip a good half hour towards the end. Apart from the indulgences and a few clichéd sequences, the film has been written very well and quite convincingly - as you can truly believe that this is how the romance may have truly evolved. Performances are quite extraordinary to say the least. Hrithik Roshan as Emperor Jalaluddin Akbar seems to be the perfect cast. Everything from the majestic mannerisms, to the twinkle in his eye fit the documented character that was Akbar. His approach of reading all he could about the protagonist, and then throwing the books out and playing the role from within seems to have worked beautifully. His attention to detail and perfectionist attitude were a must for such a role. The efforts given into the thrusting of the swords and the graceful elegance in his every step portray all that is royal. His shifty transformation from the innocent young emperor with a heart of gold into the self-confident and dignified Emperor is surreptitious and seamless. Yet, his performance would have seemed incomplete if it weren’t for the princess presiding beside him. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is Jodhaa, simply put. As if no acting was present, Aishwarya has re-written Jodhaa’s personality in the film and has made it her own. It is the emotional sequences in which she is able to grab on to your senses without
[arr] Business of Cinema reviews JA (2.5/5)
Film Review: Jodhaa Akbar By HETAL ADESARA 16 February 2008, 08:25 PM Film: Jodhaa Akbar Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar Producers: United Motion Pictures, Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions Cast:Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Poonan Sinha, Raza Murad, SonuSood, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Nikitin Dheer, Raza Murad,Ila Arun Cinematography: Kiran Deohans Dialogues: K.P. Saxena Art Direction: Nitin Desai Editor: Ballu Saluja Rating: 2.5/5 Ashutosh Gowarikar’s magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar can be called that as far as the movie’s length is concerned. Thelead cast, comprising Hrithik Roshan (Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar) andAishwarya Rai Bachchan (Jodhaa Bai), does a great job and both fit likegloves into their royal characters. However,Gowarikar goes wrong in terms of the length of the movie (3 hours 20minutes). One can relentlessly argue that Lagaan was longer in durationthan Jodhaa Akbar but then Lagaan was Lagaan and the climax made itwell worth the wait. However, this does not hold true for Jodhaa Akbar.Gowarikar goes into unnecessary depths and sub-plots barring which, themovie would have been a treat to watch. On the other hand, some crispediting from Ballu Saluja could have worked wonders for Jodhaa Akbartoo. Setin the sixteenth century, Jodhaa Akbar is about a marriage of alliancethat gave birth to true love between Mughal Emperor Akbar and a Rajputprincess Jodhaa. Afterwinning kingdom after kingdom, Akbar also manages to win the allegianceof the most belligerent of Hindus - the Rajputs. However, a conditionwas put to him that he would have to marry Jodhaa - the daughter ofAmer’s Raja Bharmal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). Themovie traces the early marriage life of Akbar and Jodhaa. What beginsas a mere marriage of convenience finally culminates in love betweenthe two but not without twists and turns (some even of the saas-bahunature). Case in point is when Maham Anga (Ila Arun), who has beenAkbar’s caretaker since his birth, plots to bring about hatred in hisheart for Jodhaa and succeeds. Interms of direction, some of the scenes in the movie were executedbrilliantly. Worthy of special mention is Hrithik’s fight scene withthe elephant and almost all the sword fighting scenes. Onthe other hand, the battle scenes were shoddy and badly executed. Thenagain, the least said about computer graphics and visual effects, thebetter. The CG used in the war background, army, the battle etc lookedphony and gave a bad overview of the scene. The special effects toowere nothing to write home about. They went from bad to worse speciallyin the bedroom scene with the backdrop of the sun set where Akbarfinally asks Jodhaa if she loved him. Thefilm’s prerequisite of grandeur was met by art director Nitin Desai toa great extent. However, the forts and palaces’ exteriors lookedblatantly fake sometimes. The interiors, on the other hand, were richand vibrant and grand. The film’s music is its high point.AR Rahman’s tunes blend perfectly with the mood of the film. The songsare mesmerizing specially Khwaja Mere Khwaja. However, the choreographyand picturization of the song was way too mechanical barring Hrithik’s30 seconder. Another song worthy of note here is Azeem-o-ShaanShahenshah. KiranDeohans uses the camera well. While most shots were well captured, waytoo many close-ups of character artists were a sore point. Dialogues byK.P. Saxena were satisfactory. The script (Ashutosh Gowariker andHaider Ali) could have been tighter with additional focus on the film’slead characters since the story does revolve around them. HrithikRoshan’s performance is par excellence. Whether as a king who finallywants to take matters in his own hands, or a husband admitting to hiswife that he doesn’t know how to read or write, or even as a warriorfighting a battle… he emotes well. AishwaryaRai Bachchan is beauty personified. As the elegant yet fiery Rajputprincess, Aishwarya is simply brilliant. This is definitely one of herbetter performances till date. The chemistry between the two ispalpably obvious and well captured. It works. However one has to waitinterminably long to see romance finally brewing between the two. NikitinDheer as Akbar’s brother-in-law Sharifuddin Hussain does a good job forhis debut film and is worthy of mention. He fits the characterperfectly and delivers well. Sonu Sood as the restrained RajkumarSujamal is yet another delight to watch and does justice to his welletched out character. Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Raja Bharmal) and RazaMurad (Shamsuddin Atka Khan) are okay. PunamSinha (Mallika Hamida Banu) is adequate in her performance. Arun doeswell as a possessive and scheming mother and evokes the feeling ofhatred towards her character. Suhasini Mulay as Jodhaa’s mother RaniPadmawati hams all the way. She has a smile fixated on her face whetherthe situation demands it or not. Consider this, Jodhaa is upset
[arr] [Non-ARR]: Robo Shooting Started
Robo Shooting Started *(Friday, 15th February 2008)* Today Friday, Feb 15 a shoot of Rajinikanth- Shankar big budget magnum opus *Robot* started in Chennai's AVM A/C Floor with no fanfare or any publicity. It was the first photo shoot for the film by famous Chennai fashion and portfolio photographer G.Venket Ram exclusively focused on superstar Rajinikanth. Remember Rajini did his first ever photo-shoot with Venkat for *Sivaji*. The *Robot* shoot was a hush –hush affair, as Rajinikanth arrived on dot of time in his Chevorlet Tavera, Shankar drove down in his new black BMW car with the trademark registration number 8 and producer Karunamoorthy of Ayngaran International came in his Honda-CRV. Cameraman Venket Ram had set up his camera and other equipments early in the morning itself. Nearly a dozen wigs were flown in from US by hair dresser Bhanu to be tried out on the superstar who shot in various blazers. The look of *Robot* is one of the most important aspects of the film. Shankar and his young team have also roped in an international consultant to give a new look to Rajinikanth as Robot. The final look will emerge after matching the photo shoot pictures with a computer generated look, which will take about a month. Now that Aishwarya Rai has denied the rumours of her exit from the film as rubbish, the rest of the casting of the film is going on. Three top characters from Tamil have confirmed that they are willing to shoot for the film as and when Shankar wants. Meanwhile Nirav Shah has decided to quit the project, due to personal reasons. So now, noted cameraman Thiru has been roped into the project. http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14605537
[arr] INdicine reviews JA (4.5/5)
It’s been a long wait for the epic drama and the wait has been worth it. Brief story - Jodha Akbar is a journey of true loveof Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (Hrithik Roshan), the great Mughal emperorwith Jodha Bai (Aishwarya Rai), a Rajput princess and daughter of theKing Bharmal of Amer. Akbar’s biggest challenge isn’t only aboutwinning battles but also winning the heart of Jodha. Now the Review, let me start off with the helmsman– the man behind this magnificent drama. Director Ashutosh Gowariker’sdirection is flawless, every single sequence has been executedbrilliantly. The effort that has gone into the making of this epic lovestory is evident on the screen – etched on every frame of the movie.It’s simply incredible. The movie deserves nothing less than a ‘A++’ inevery aspect. The scene where Akbar tames an elephant, has been performed and executed to perfection.The sword-fighting scene between Jodha and Akbaris a masterstroke by the director. It’s romance on screen at itsultimate best. The dialogues in the particular scene too are brilliant.When Jodha and Akbar meet for the first time, their chemistry, Hrithik’s body language, the execution – Perfect!Hrithik’s dance at the end of Khwaja Mere song as if he was immersed into the song, his expression and those eyes… I was awestruckAkbar practicing sword fighting baring his torso as Jodha watches him hiding behind a wall… Hrithik’s physique is perfectly captured, an absolute treat for the female audience.The romance between the couple is subtle and beautiful, something that is hard to find in modern day movies. The chemistry between Ash – Hrithik is sizzling.Azeem-o-shan-shenshah – choreography, music, use of colors, execution out of the world. Never ever would you have witnessed something like this before!The final fight – brilliantly done and Hrithik performs the action sequence with a lot of class.Cinematography is of international standards. Kiran Deohan’s proficiency is evident from scene one. He just sweeps you off your feet by capturing the huge sena to the intimate romance with deftness. Music by A.R. Rehman is perfect classic material. Khwaja Mere Khwaja is divinely pure; Jashn-e-bahara is a beautiful romantic song. Every song is a classic, superbly choreographed and picturized. The editing for a couple of scenes could have been tighter but never mind, you don’t get bored for a single moment. The movie belongs undoubtedly to Hrithik Roshan. He is Akbar, not for a moment do you feel its Hrithik Roshan the superstar on screen. His body language, expressions, action, dialogue delivery just about everything is perfect. Here is an young actor, who is light years ahead of the competition, with the right kind of roles Hrithik is gonna rule Bollywood in the future. Shenshah-e-Roshan, indeed! Aishwarya Rai is great too; this is one of her finest performances. She looks every bit a beautiful Rajput princess. Sonu Sood and Ila Arun are good and so is the rest of the supporting cast. So overall, Jodha Akbar is a classic masterpiecethat shall be remembered for a long long time. Don’t worry about thelength, you hardly feel its 3 hours 20 minutes long. Remember, you gotto be a bit patient while watching Jodha Akbar, relax and enjoy as the epic drama unfolds with all its glory. Don’t miss it, worth the price of your ticket and more! Rating: 4 and a half stars. http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/jodha-akbar-review/
[arr] Jodha Akbar - Loads of passion but Where is the content ???
Note: A) Contains Spoilers. B)These are my random thoughts after watching the movie . C)There are many good points about the movie,but i am not going to stress more about those things since many others have already written about it. D) I totally agree that it takes lots of courage and passion for making a epic movie and Ashutosh Gowariker should take a bow for attempting such kind of a movie in India. End of Note. It is clearly evident from the promos and from the fact that this movie was made from the maker of Lagaan and Swades ,that it was made with lots of passion and love for cinema.When the opening credits rolled on the screen, i got goosebumps ,sheer out of the expectations and the hype created around the movie, which was further added with magnificent voice of big B narrating the proceedings. The initial war sequence was very craftily picturised and the cinematography was top notch.The aerial view of the battle field along with the long angle shot was a masterstroke,but as the camera moved closer to the soldiers the make belief factor of the war was lost,the extras looked constrained and lazy.The sequence which could have gone down in the history of Indian cinema was held back.The same thing can be said about the entire movie.I never expected a troy or for that matter lord of the rings,but i surely expected the plot and the sub-plots to be rock firm solid and characters(Apart from Akbar) to be of flesh and blood.Don't take me wrong the movie is ok, but what could have been a masterpiece simply becomes a long and dragging piece of cinema. The saving grace of the movie has to be Hrithik,he sinks his teeth into the character of Akbar and makes him alive on the screen.Aishwarya Rai Bachhan is good in the movie as compared to her other movies.Sonu Sood is strictly ok.All the other actors are wasted. The two songs individually are mindblowing.The Khajwa song is picturised in such a manner that it pulls you like a magnet and you are glued to the screen for the entire track.The title track is A.R Rahman at it's best……beautifully shot and the best song in the album. The main culprit here is the screenplay with half baked plots and half developed characters.The relation between Jodha and her brother is never developed in a manner that you can relate to or feel for.As a result in the end when he dies, you don't get emotional nor do you get numb,in fact you don't feel anything for him.The film drags in parts and some editing could have certainly helped.Just before the intermission, Ila arun creates misunderstanding between HR and Aishwarya and just after the intermission the plot extinguishes like someone has abruptly cut it.The lead villain 's character in the movie played by Nikitin Dheer(ND) is again not developed fully and doesn't have enough screen presence to prove his point.The final one to one combat between HR and ND is inspired heavily from Troy,doesn't matter though but still it remains just fine and again never goes that step ahead.Then again the scene depicting the sword practice of HR ,showing his muscles looks forced and artificial.Though i must say some of the romantic scenes between HR and Aishwarya are treat to watch. I felt sad after watching this movie as i expected a lot from Ashutosh Gowariker and he could have offered so many more things at various levels to this movie.As an ardent fan of Indian movies i still beleive that Ashutosh Gowariker will one day make another classic like Lagaan,but this time he has missed the bus by 3 hrs 20 mins. a blogger review in passionofcinema
[arr] The Hindu slams JA
This one thrills neither historians nor connoisseurs Recreating history: Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Raiin Jodhaa Akbar. Jodhaa Akbar (Hindi) Director: Ashutosh Gowariker Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha No man is a chessboard. In each one of us, greys abound. Unless of course, one is watching Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar.Here Akbar, arguably the great Mughal emperor, is a paragon ofperfection. He does not lose a battle and towers above the rest withhis moral stature. Sorry, Akbar needs no brownie points from posterity.Gowariker is a poor student of history. The film is so glaringlydeficient in the most obvious of things that you wonder if the directorwas trying to mock at history. Or is it a deliberate subversion of thetruth? Agreed, there has been a debate, largely avoidable though, whetherJodhaa was Akbar’s wife or daughter-in-law. A common cinemagoer canleave it to historians to thrash it out, but where Gowariker failsmiserably – his third film in a little over six years, after Lagaan and Swades– is in attention to elementary details. Relating the untapped romanceof the Mughal Emperor and his Rajput wife, the film lacks integrity. Gowariker takes too many liberties with history in the name of artistic licence. His devout souls at the dargah are all carefully clean-shaven, like those ads for men’s lotions. This in an age and at a place where a beard was the preferred way. And his emperor even does a little jig at the end of a song. Then walks the garden path with the ladylove in another sequence. All this is a throwback to more ordinary romances of commoners. Akbar is not spared any dignity. So many negatives. Yes, but like life, here too there is a little silver lining. Hrithik Roshan may not fit the stereotypes of Akbar, but he is fine in action. He is a decent actor who manages to look good simply because his counterpart Aishwarya Rai refuses to do even the bare minimum. She is vapid all through, making Hrithik look almost outstanding in comparison. Unfortunately, Gowariker does not invest his hero with too much detail. He comes across as a man who could do no wrong. And we never get to see the human side of the redoubtable man. And Deen-e-Ilahi is non-existent here. Watch Jodhaa Akbar as a masala entertainer, andyou may not be too disappointed despite its poor editing, inordinatelength. The big canvas will appeal to some, the cinematography toothers as would the song “Jashn-e-bahara hai”. Looking for a masterpiece of history with the past throbbing with life? You might have to wait till eternity. This one thrills neither the historians nor connoisseurs. ZIYA US SALAM http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/17/stories/2008021750840200.htm
[arr] The Pioneer reviews JA (6.5/10)
Spectacular show Meenakshi Rao Jodhaa Akbar Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Ila Arun Showing at: PVR, others Ratings: 6.5/10 Thisis not about history or the twisting of it for cinematic licence. It isabout being spectacular -- and how. Jodhaa may or not have been Akbar'swife but Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar is the first ever period romance that has the bigness of it all to take on Mughal-e-Azam. It is big, really big when it comes to the canvas. It is as meticulous as Aamir Khan was for Taare Zameen Par where detail was concerned. And, it is romantic too. Muchas the Bachchans would cringe, there is palpable chemistry thatAishwarya Rai shares with Hrithik Roshan. As Jodhaa she has flowerswithout glamour and make-up, lending a beauty a pristine kind ofpureness that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was, till now had enjoyed themonopoly over. Maybe it is the stunning jewellery and costume designing that givesAishwarya and Hrithik pride of place in the movie. May be it is themusic by AR Rehman. But everything is put together so engagingly thatyou forgive Gowarikar for stretching the movie to three hours and 40minutes. If Lagaan was big and Swadesh an indigenous marvel, Jodhaa Akbarcomes with a heady blend - of bigness, of romance, of historicity andof drama. Doesn't really matter if the real Akbar was a rollypolly guyor that Jodhaa is a figment of historical conjecture. Together onscreen and in Gowarikar's deft hands, this couple from the past is justthe dose that makes Valentines Day that much relevant. http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=FILMSfile_name=film1%2Etxtcounter_img=1
[arr] 'I travelled Jet' - ARR's sense of humor on display
Jet set Rahman India’s most celebrated Bollywoodcomposer, A.R. Rahman, was at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Londonlast week. This was for the launch of the original cast album of thestage version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, for which he has partly composed the music. On a previous occasion his baggage had gone astray so I asked whether this time his suitcase had arrived safely. It had, he assured me. “I travelled Jet,” he grinned. His endorsement of Jet may not be entirely unconnected with the “15 million rupees” — that sounds a bigger number than £200,000 — that Jet Airways have invested in the album in an effort to gain a higher profile in the UK. “Making music for this very complicated show has been a great challenge,” said Rahman. “The best part has been making a record. Each song has 100 to 200 people participating. It’s a great experience — thanks to Jet. It wouldn’t have happened otherwise. They paid money for the album.” As a huge admirer of Jet’s domestic services, I am pleased the airline is now offering tough competition to Air India, British Airways and Virgin on UK-India flights. But maybe its fares need to come down — in fact, all return fares need to come down to no more than £300. “Air India is cheaper than Jet — and flies directly to Calcutta from Heathrow,” I pointed out to a Jet executive, in my usual attempt to be helpful. “Different product,” he sniffed. Two Jet Airways stewardesses, perhaps taking a cue from Lord Paul’s waistcoat, looked graceful in bright yellow jackets. Rahman looked happy, relaxed andconfident as he worked the room. Though he was always big in Bollywood,his international career blossomed after Andrew Lloyd Webbercommissioned him to compose the music for Bombay Dreams in 2002. “It completely put me on a differentroad,” he acknowledged. “I still remember the first room on the fourthfloor of The Palace Theatre — Andrew gave me that room — where Istarted composing The Journey Home. Bombay Dreams was a great idea at the right time.” http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080217/jsp/7days/story_8912446.jsp
[arr] Rolling Stone mag launches India edition
The debut issue will feature an interview with ARR --- Stone gets rolling For all you rock ’’ roll buffs, the news just got better. Music bible Rolling Stonedebuts in India this month end and will be priced at Rs 100 per issue.The magazine’s 15th international edition adds India to a list thatincludes Brazil, Italy and Argentina. “The monthly will have theyounger generation as its target audience, although it runs on thegoodwill of its older audience,” says editor of Rolling Stone, India, Radhakrishnan Nair, currently editor of Man’s World.About 60-70 per cent of its content, says Nair, will deal with theinternational rock ’’ roll scene, and the rest with Indian rock. Rolling Stone,equally known for its hard-nosed take on American politics, alsopublished some of America’s finest writers including Tom Wolfe, NormanMailer, and Gore Vidal. The Indian avatar promises to adhere to thattype. “Well, outside of music the magazine will definitely be lookingat literature, Internet, gadgets, fashion etc. But music will remain atits core,” says Nair. Rock on!
[arr] Blog review of JA movie 11
JODHAA AKBAR MOVIE REVIEW AshustoshGowariker has outdone himself. This movie is a masterpiece, a completeinterpretation of what the director has visualized. From costumes, tobody language, to background score, to the songs, sets, manpower andlighting... Gowariker has everything spot-on. Cinematographer KiranDeohans captures through his wide lens the glory of the Moghul Erarecreated by Nitin Desai. A R Rahman uses the beat of huge drums totransport you to another era. Pure, acoustic delight. Ravi Dewanrecreates the fights that have you on the edge of your seats, whileRaju Khan, Rekha Chinni Prakash and Ash Kumar combine to give you somebreathtaking dances to do justice to the costumes of Neeta Lulla. Thechoreography of the tracks Khwaja Mere Khwaja and Azeem-O-ShaanShahenshah leave you awestruck.Now, for the performances. Theperfectionist that he is, Gowariker has taken pains to pick his entirecast and each one blends with the other to transport you back to an eragone by. Even the extras have been carefully picked.Hrithik Roshan andAishwarya Rai Bachahan in the lead role, contrary to beliefs, have comeout looking super cool. Both actors complement each other, and bothhave been given the space to build their characters. I would rate thisas Aishwarya’s best performance to date. This is credit to a gooddirector who knows how to extract a performance from his actor. As forHrithik, he soaks in the moment and one can see him completelysurrender himself to Gowariker. He has worked hard on his body languageand dialogue delivery. He portrays well the qualities of Akbar. He maynot be the perfect Akbar, but he does enough to relive the role of theEmperor; that of a gentle and tolerant ruler with a love for hissubjects who even put his life on the line to save his country. Hisdialogue towards the end where he subjects himself to the might ofSharifuddin Hussain for a sword fight, 'Hum Hindustan ko galat haatonmein jaate nahin dekh sakta', draws a huge applause.Considering theintricacies of the subject, I guess the three-hour plus length of themovie could not have been avoided.TO GO OR NOT: Oh yes, politicians andlovers and all those interested in good cinema, a must watch. JODHAAAKBAR is sure to bag a host of awards at next year’s ceremonies. Rating : 5/5 http://csitdinesh.blogspot.com/2008/02/jodhaa-akbar-movie-review.html
[arr] Blog review of JA movie 10
Jodhaa Akbar - Review Film: Jodhaa Akbar Rating: 3.25/5 Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Kulbushan Karbanda Camera: Kiran Devhans Stunts: Revi Dewan Music: AR Rehman Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Production: UTV Direction: Ashuthosh Gowarikar Released On: 15th Feb 2008 Story: Historicalstories need not be retold in text here. Same applies to Jodhaa Akbar.But there is enough of creativity injected in it. Messages get into theheads of people when that is told through well known characters.Ashuthosh has chosen a right historical character-set to narrate hismessage oriented theme instead of going with routine social characters.In other words, instead of taking social characters he has chosensocial studies this time. It's all about how Akbar wins theheart of his wife Jodhaa despite his hectic kingly responsibilities.The film can be understood even in mute. The expressions and emotionaldepth are rightly projected on to celluloid. Everything has to be watched on screen and that brings a fabulous treat. Performance: Hrithikjustified his role with his macho look. It is sure that Akbar goessynonymous with Hrithik from now onwards. Aishwarya, although may notbe synonymous to Jodha, she performed in a spirited role as braveprince. Sonu Sood is ok in his shoes. Costume designer deservesgood mention. Art direction is marvelous and stunt coordination is alsodealt well which happens to be the seriously considerable aspect inthis film. Music by AR Rehman is on high score. He gave haunting tunes once again. AshuthoshGowarikar made a fine film that goes in tune with the taste of tastefulaudiences. But he would have worked on cutting down the length of thefilm especially in first half. Analysis: Thefilm is like reading War and Peace, the bulkiest book with manycharacters in it. As the story is not so popular on par withMahabharatha it becomes a hard pie to bite for audience initially. Butas the audiences start connecting to the sense of narration, the filmgives a marvelous experience and they hardly look at their watches. Thebest part in the film is that it is not verbose like Prithvi Raj Kapoorstarrer Mughal-E-Azam. The dialogues are not so hard to understand forcontemporary audiences. There is a right mix of Hindi and Urdu whichleaves the audiences easy to go with the subject. The songs like'Azeem-o-Shaan Shehanshah..' were carried with verbose Urdu lines whichboosts up the adrenaline. This 40 Cr worth movie draws anaffluent picture on the canvass of eye balls. It's worth watching forthe flamboyant mahals, palaces and Emperor Courts as well ashigh-voltage monarchial battles. It is one of the richest films evermade on the Indian celluloid. AR Rehman's music stands ahighlight and Ashuthosh Gowarikar made him the best use. Kiran Devhans'Camera work is a synonym for excellence. Ravi Dewan's battlecompositions are impressive and stand in international standards. Thefilm was made with a very long hard work of about 3 years. A vast studywas made on Jodhaa, Akbar and many related historical characters. Theefforts are seen on the screen. There are a total of 16 fencing battlesin the film where Hrithik has shown his mettle and brought Akbar inhim. And coming to Aishwarya, she looked the best in all the frames andbrought real glory for the entire movie. It's not just her mostrenowned beauty and sensuous factor but even her hard work inperforming in fencing battles deserves a great mention. Firsthalf of the movie picks up slowly and the real tempo starts in secondhalf. Although the film appears to have shifted the track from the wellknown history, it leaves no boredom for audiences although rolls onscreen for about 3 and half hours. http://bharavis.blogspot.com/2008/02/jodhaa-akbar-review.html
[arr] Blog review of JA 8
Jodhaa-Akbar - Almost a Masterpiece Powered by: Chakpak.com Jodhaa Akbar I can understand how Ashutosh Gowarikar conceptualized Jodhaa-Akbar.A love story between two people - a Mughal King and a Rajput princess -whose marriage was purely for political reasons opens up immensepossibilities, especially when history books don't talk anything aboutthis. He must've thought that he could build a story about how twoindividuals separated by culture and religion fall in love aftermarriage. That is surely an imaginative thought. Only, the basicassumption here is that there was 'love' in that relationship in thefirst place. From what I have read about Akbar and his roving eye, itis very possible that love didn't even enter the picture. But Ashutoshhad made up his mind about creating an 'immortal' love story from thisrelationship that doesn't get more than two sentences in history books.Fair enough, for that is what creativity is all about. But how does one go about creating a love story for a man who marriedmultiple times and is believed to have had a harem of more than 300wives and concubines? Simple. Just ignore these facts. Ignore thatAkbar was already married twice before the Rajput princess came intothe picture (history books don't call her Jodhaa and even the filmstarts with a disclaimer...read my earlier posts about the stories told by the guides at Agra).Ignore that Akbar has been described as a sexual predator, whosesexual appetite had seemed insatiable in his twenties, and whose eyesfell even on married women. Ignore that Akbar, for all hisintellectual refinements, was very much a ruthless medieval warloard,driven by earth hunger and blood thirst. If you want to spin a yarnabout pakeeza rishte (chaste relationships), it becomes necessary that the individuals forming that rishta are cleansed thoroughly of any vices – or seemingly negative traits - in their characters. Oh no, don't dismiss me as a purist who wouldn't want history to betampered with. I'm all for it, because history can be annoyingly boringand if one has to make a historical film it is imperative that someelements of fiction (at least some dramatization) have to be sprinkledthrough the screenplay. What is history if not an interpretationof what happened somewhere in the past? It might be based on tons andtons of research, but at the end of the day, it's still aninterpretation. A filmmaker has the creative license to interprethistory in his or her own way as long as it results in a compellingfilm. So what I mention above is not a grouse against AshutoshGowarikar, for he has surely made a good film. Just that I felt that hecould not make up his mind about what his focus should be. A love story in a historical perspective is a great idea, but thenarrative should keep its eyes firmly on one of the things: love storyor history. Here Ashutosh keeps jumping unsurely from one to other,such that there are times where too much stock is used up for eventsthat do not impact the Jodhaa Akbar story. I found the final climacticmoments completely superfluous. They did not add anything to the lovestory. It would have been a much better film had the film ended withthe beautiful In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein song, which marks the culmination and consummation of the relationship between Jodhaa and Akbar. To give credit where it's due, Ashutosh has tried his best to weaveactual events and characters around the fictionalized romantic core. Ifelt it was a nice touch to create conflict between the lovers throughthe character of Maham Anaga, Akbar's wet nurse, because here is acharacter that history identifies as a conniving person who held Akbarunder her complete control. However, Maham Anaga is a much moreinteresting character than is actually depicted. Abul Fazal wrote,….in reality the business was transacted by Maham Anaga…..to whoseknowledge and perspicacity the bridle for opening and closing allaffairs, political and financial, was…. entrusted at this time. Shewas the one largely responsible for Bairam Khan's fate, but that aspectis not shown in the film at all. Agreed that it would have made thisalready long film even longer, but that might have been more compellingto watch than the other historical sub-plots that Ashutosh Gowarikarchose to spend inexplicably long time on. And that would have furtherestablished Maham Anaga's character. I would have also liked it ifAkbar's first wife, Ruqaiya Begum, was shown in the film and AshutoshGowarikar had created an imaginary sub-plot around the sexual politicsbetween the two wives. That would have made the film even moreinteresting. The film really comes on its own when it focuses on the lead characters(played remarkably by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). Theymake the ideal Akbar and Jodhaa. And the chemistry between them is –for want of a better word - perfect. They are in complete control oftheir characters and even Aishwarya's worst
[arr] Blog review of JA movie 7
Jodhaa Akbar I love historicals. Love them. Whether in print or on film,there is nothing I love more than a good period drama. And when thestory revolves around royalty, it really makes me happy because thereis something particularly fucked up about people who handle hugeamounts of power. I understand it can’t have been pleasant to be acourtier in the times of Henry VIII or a peasant during the reign ofLouis XVI much less Vlad the Impaler, but my imaginary life is so muchricher because they once existed. Which is why I was really excited about Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Jodhaa Akbar. Historicals aren’t really an Indian genre, which is weird because asa nation we’re completely hung up on what took place thousands of yearsago. Chance met strangers will exhaustively debate the characters andcompulsions of long dead men and women with all the vim and vigor ofpeople gossiping about their family members. But when the time comes towrite a book or make a movie, biopics and dramas featuring historicalfigures are comparatively rare on the ground. And when they do getmade, they’re either based on the Raj / Independence era or else slipinto fantasy (there’re some crazy great ‘historicals’ out there like Yahudi and Amrapali that I’d recommend to anybody). Books like Umrao Jaan Ada and Aag Ka Dariya or movies like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose only come along once in a while. And I understand the reluctance. As both Jaishree Mishra’s Rani and Gowarikar’s Jodhaa Akbarhave amply demonstrated in the past week, there’s nothing like ahistorical figure to bring out the hysterics in India and taking anysort of creative liberty with them is considered heresy. Fine doingsfor a country that gave birth to a religion (Hinduism) thatdidn’t hesitate to spin some pretty remarkable tales about one of itscentral divinities (Vishnu). Can you imagine the uproar that wouldarise today if somebody wrote a novel about Shiva and Vishnu givingbirth to a child that they then give up for adoption? And yet, that’sthe story of Ayappa, the boy God whose shrine in Kerala attracts hundreds upon thousands of devotees each year. I can’t imagine what it must feel like, to painstakingly craft apiece of art to which you have dedicated years of your life and thenhave a rampaging mob decide whether or not you have the right to showit somewhere. Not whether it has any artistic merit, mind you, butwhether you had the right to create it in the first place. And then they complain that Indian movies don’t win internationalawards. Of course, they don’t win international awards - everyone istoo busy playing it safe so their movie can get released! When a movielike Om Shanti Om, the ultimate in silly hi-jinks, could be accused of hurting Indian sentiments, am I surprised that Jodhaa Akbar is in the eye of a storm? No. Anyway, after all the hoopla, I was doubly curious to see what the fuss was all about. Following the precedent established by Satyajit Ray that Amitabh Bachchan’s baritone is the voice of history, we start the movie with the nickel and dime tour of Indian history. In The Story So Far, we learn that in the sixteenth century, the Mughals are the latest in a long line of invaders. With Nasiruddin Humayun’s untimely death, a largely meaningless crown passes to his young son, a somewhat squeamish and girly-looking Jalaluddin Mohammad (no, seriously, when I first saw the kid in his helmet in the promos, for a brief second I thought it was Kareena Kapoor. Make of that what you will). His father’s general, Bairam Khan (Yuri), takes it upon himself to serve his young liege lord’s cause and by the time Jalal reaches glorious manhood in the well-muscled person of Hrithik Roshan, he has managed to cobble together an empire for him to rule. A newly masterful Jalal begins to take over the reins of control by sending the ambitious Bairam Khan off on a pilgrimage to Mecca (a polite way of saying “exile” as such a trip in the sixteenth century would take years and was fraught with danger) and expanding his empire. But the Rajputs, Hindu warriors of the northwest, refuse to bend knee. Jalal manages to subdue some of them but there are still too many holding out. This isn’t a state of affairs that a man who wishes to call himself Emperor of all Hindustan can allow. Enter Raja Bharmal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) of the Rajput state of Amer. Circumstances have made it necessary for him to seek Imperial protection and he indicates that he is ready to swear allegiance to the Mughal crown - if the Emperor would take his daughter Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai) to wife. Once the stars have aligned to put Jodhaa and Jalal in close proximity to each other - a process that roughly takes an hour - Jodhaa Akbar gladly puts its political pretensions aside and turns into a charming love story. Which, you know, I can’t argue with. I wanted them to have a lovestory because let’s face it - two pretty people in lovely clothes.Wouldn’t you want them to make out a little?
[arr] Moviewalah reviews JA (2.5/5)
Movie Review: Jodhaa Akbar Posted February 16th, 2008 by aslam To start off, let me just say that Jodhaa Akbar ismore closer to Swades than Lagaan. What I mean by that is it's anaverage movie that is long and doesn't necessarily care if the viewersare involved in the proceedings on screen. Without sounding too harsh,it feels that Ashutosh Gowarikar without Aamir Khanis just an average director, who thinks he can make mega movies, but hedoesn't have the talent to handle subjects like these. Let's see why this movie is a proof that AG is an average director. The movie has great storyline, which I'm sure we've all heard a billion times so that wasn't the attraction, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya deliver great performances, which again should be expected. The supporting cast did their best and sets were no Sanjay Leela sets, but they're fine (we'll come back to that). So more than half the job was done, all Ashutosh Gowarikar had to do was tell a story in a way so that it's fun. I remember at least 10-15 times in the movie, where I looked at my watch and wondered why is that scene in the movie and more importantly when is this movie going to end. There were no sequences that would make your pulse race or make you look forward to what was going to happen. The scenes were done quite unimaginatively, literally, it was like he took inspiration for those love scenes, war scenes (which were seriously awful) and other drama scenes from several other Hindi movies (again not bad, but just nothing new about them). Lot of people I talked to said that the movie was really long and if they had cut it short, it would have been a good movie. Maybe, but if you are not a good story teller, doesn't matter if you have 5 minutes or 3 hours, they will just seem like a lifetime for your audience. Which is what I think is the problem with this movie - just plain, boring way of telling such a great story. Seriously Discovery of India did a much better job than most of these period movies. I think what would have helped would have been to focus on one theme. I mean Ashutosh Gowarikar is no Francis Ford Coppola, so he should have either focused on one of the many traits of Akbar - the lover, the great king or the great warrior. Trying to show all three things in a movie, just means that you are not devoting enough time on any. Now let's talk about the good things about the movie. Once again itsa timeless story that has a lot of room for interpretation and even ifits told as a biography, which this movie attempts to do, its still atruly remarkable story - that has a love angle, war angle, treacheryangle, I mean pretty much all the ingredients of an epic. Then, Hrithik Roshanjust completely morphed into the role of Akbar. If you see him,especially in the second half, he doesn't remind you at all of the barechested Hrithik dancing in Dhoom 2. Aishwarya in afollow up of her great job in Guru, delivers another good performance.Sonu Sood, Ila Arun and other supporting cast is good, although theydon't have much of a scope in the movie. The songs were not needed butthey are fine, not the best ARR composition, but some songs were good. So its not a total loss if you go and watch that movie, it's just that with that kind of crew you expect a much better result then what came out. I guess Ashutosh isn't as demanding as the perfectionist Aamir Khan :-) so most people just mailed it in. The other glaring lack of creativity that you see in Ashutosh, is the creation of sets. I mean seriously Akbar is one of the greatest emperors in the history and if you are watching a movie that deals with his love story, I am expecting something grander than a Devdas. This was not even close. I think Karan Johar or Sanjay Leela would have done a MUCH better job in handling those aspects. The other thing that really baffles me is the inability of Indian directors to shoot good war scenes. It's definitely not the lack of money, its just the lack of imagination. I mean they'll shoot a song in 15 different locations in the world, so they definitely have the money. The war scenes in this movie were a joke. There was one army that Akbar was fighting that seemed like they had dressed for a Garba dance and not a war Anyways I can go on and on, but you get the picture. Everything wasthere, but the most important thing about making a movie, which wasmissing here, was a desire to make a truly great movie. It's verydisappointing to see that someone who gets hailed as one of the top directors inIndia can deliver a mediocre product like this. It's bad becauseHrithik gave a great performance, much better than he does for his dadbecause he was hoping this could be his Mughal-e-Azam, butunfortunately it wasn't even close. http://www.moviewalah.com/review/2008/02/16/movie-review-jodhaa-akbar
[arr] Blog review of JA movie 9
'Jodhaa Akbar' Movie Review Posted In: Movies. By vaneet JodhaaAkbar, for a start, is a rare cinematic experience.It is opulent,grand, and it is classy, the traits seldom combined in HindiCinema.Combined with some power packed performances,the movie scoreswith its several high points among some average bits.With the khans,and the chistees, and the rajputanas, the forts and the armies, thehorses and the elephants, the movie is spell bounding. The movieis a huge success in recreating the Mughal era.It might be apt as avideo lesson for the history students, studying about the mughalera.The sets and settings are grand.Even the Cooking bowls and the Foodthaalis are huge(and mouth watering!).The war sequences are neck toneck with Hollywood movies like Troy. The cast, typical to Ashutosh, is huge but spot-on. Hrithik stamps his acting prowess as the ShahiMughal emperor with his flawless style and urdu dialogues. His effortand preparation for this role are evident as he tames the elephant andthe sword with equal dedication and panache. Aishwarya looks stunningas the as the malikai hindustanand gives her second good performance after 'Guru'.As the men watch herwith glee, the women are sure to boil with envy, as the petite Rajputprincess hosts tonnes of sparkling jewelery. All other khans and rajasjell with the script. The movie is about 3 and a half hour long,but it does not bore you a single moment.The first half bears a uniqueresemblance to the saas-bahu saga with Ila Arun as Maham Angaplaying the wamp and plotting against the newly wed Jodhaa. The storypicks up hugely in the second half and captures you till the end(thoughthe ending again bears a mischievous resemblance to Brad Pitt and Troy).The choreography and picturization of 'azeemo-shan-shehenshah' is superb. JAfor me sets a standard for any period movie to come in the future.Hatsof to the crew for the sheer effort and guts that are needed to make afilm like this. 4/5 http://blog.vaneetaggarwal.com/2008/02/jodhaa-akbar-movie-review.html
[arr] JA movie blog review 13
Jodhaa Akbar: notes and an unreliable synopsis [Statutory warning: I can’t promise that everything described here is an accurate reflection of what happens in Jodhaa Akbar. Parts of this review are as authentic a representation of the film as the film itself is of the Mughal era.] It turns out that the controversy about historical authenticity in Jodha Akbarhas been such a waste of everyone’s time. This film is really at itsmost authentic when it abandons all pretence that it was made for anyreason other than to bring together Bollywood’s two most beautifulpeople (and a lot of shiny jewellery). Take the magnificentlyshow-offish moment where a shirtless Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) displays his swordsmanship while Jodha (Aishwarya Rai)watches in womanly awe. The scene exists completely independent ofcontext – it’s about Hrithik as the ultimate alpha-male preening like apeacock (an inordinately muscular peacock) for Aishwarya; it’s aboutsending vicarious thrills through star-struck moviegoers of both sexes.With just a minor alteration in setting and costume, it could easilyhave come out of Dhoom 2, a film that was a fine showcase for this same couple. As it happens, this is one of the most assured scenes in Jodhaa Akbar.Unfortunately, most of the rest of the film makes a half-hearted stabat telling us about various things that may or may not have occurred inthe mid-16th century. Yawn. Completely beside the point. Anyway, thisis roughly what happens, or what I could make out as I drifted in andout of sleep: (An unreliable summary) Thefirst few minutes give us the background on the many politicalintrigues of the time, in the stentorian but much-too-familiar voice ofAmitabh Bachchan. (Like a stern father-in-law keeping a watchful eye onAishwarya after that kiss in Dhoom 2,Bachchan’s presence looms large here: not only does he do theseponderous voiceovers but Sonu Sood, the actor who plays Jodha’sprotective brother Sujamal, strongly resembles the young Amitabh – themoustached Amitabh of Reshma aur Shera, for example, or even Ganga ki Saugandh- from many angles.) Most of the historical information is tedious andcomplicated, though there’s a certain fun to be had in seeing the kingsof Hindustan depicted as petulant little boys, sulking, whimpering andclinging to their thrones when faced with the prospect of being madevassals. (As the maharajah of Amer, Kulbhushan Kharbanda looks andsounds like he has serious breathing problems, and little wonder giventhe number of heavy necklaces weighing him down at all times.) Meanwhile,on the Mughal side of things, there is Bairam Khan, a goodold-fashioned medieval psychopath who uses his official status asguardian for the boy-prince Akbar to nurture a very personal fetish forlopping off enemy heads. Unfortunately for Bairam, the boy-prince soongrows up and dispenses with his services. To prove that he is worthy ofruling the country, Akbar then takes on a wild elephant in a scene thatis reminiscent of Hrithik’s superhero-racing-the-horse in Krrish.But what really puts his courage to the test is when he agrees to wedthe Hindu princess Jodha to complete a political alliance: her longlist of demands includes the right to sing bhajans loudly in the nextroom while he is discussing matters of state with his viziers. Sadlythe marriage remains unconsummated because by the time J and A havefinished removing all those layers of jewellery they are no longerhorny and only wish to sleep. This puts the future of the Empire injeopardy. Also, there are culture shocks that must be dealt with. Thenewlywed Jodha, wholly unaccustomed to the brutal ways of the Mughals,watches aghast as her husband has a traitor thrown to his death fromthe roof (cue bone-crunching sound) and then has him thrown off againwhen the job isn’t finished. (Aishwarya’s eyes widen: she never got tosee such gory things in the Bachchan household except when Amar Singhand Shah Rukh came visiting at the same time.) Anyway,after watching Akbar’s topless swashbuckling, Jodha decides that theway to a man’s eight-pack abs is through his stomach. So she takes overthe royal kitchen and sets about preparing a large vegetarian meal forhim with her own hands. However, things nearly go perilously wrong whenshe misinterprets an order for a “24-carrot salad” and slips some ofher rubies and emeralds into the dish, causing the emperor’s courtiersto suffer from indigestion for days afterward. In a delicate andaffecting scene, the crafty Ila Arun(playing Akbar’s wet-nurse) enters the kitchen grounds where countlessheaps of vegetables are scattered about, and bursts into a rendition of“Mooli ke peeche kya hai”. This highly dramatic sequence ends withJodha falling out of favour; however, after a timely reconciliation,our leads start making out on the floor of the chamber (as chronicledin a lost volume of the Akbarnama) before
[arr] JA Tamil ACD inlay card
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/2270120839/ Thanks to Vithur for the scan
Re: [arr] Re: JA movie review
If you watched it in theater then what's with It's not even worth download and watch?? --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Rajeev Gandhi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi, I saw JA yesterday. It sucks big time. movie lasts for 3hours 45 minutes and will bore you to death. Not a single person in the whole theater liked the movie. Ashutosh has made a joke out of akbar. Its not even worth download and watch. Dont waste your time/money on this movie. what a waste of 40+ crores. regards, raj The search is more important than the destination - a r rahman - - Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
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Jodhaa Akbar Review - An Epic Bore 16 Feb, 2008General, Bollywood !-- google_ad_client = pub-9779114942504863; google_alternate_ad_url = http://www.searchindia.com/other-ads3.html;; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; google_ad_format = 468x60_as; google_ad_channel =; google_color_border = FF; google_color_bg = FF; google_color_link = FF; google_color_url = ff; google_color_text = 00; //-- Jodhaa Akbaris an epic bore athough it’s touted as an epic love story of MughalEmperor Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhaa, daughter of Raja Barmal, aminor king from a small state called Amer. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker (of Lagaan fame), Jodhaa Akbarnever once scales lofty heights but struggles in the quicksand of itsmediocre story, pedestrian acting, insipid action scenes and awfulmusic. Simply put, Jodhaa Akbar is not a work of a powerful imagination. Jodhaa Akbar is also unnecessarily long, solong that Regal Cinemas in Burlington, New Jersey provided an interval(a rarity in the U.S.). The movie is three hours and 24-minutes long! The movie is like one of those trashy Mills Boonnovels - Boy meets girl. Sparks fly. Boy and girl have disagreementand part. Boy and girl pine for each other. Boy and girl unite. Add some amateurish war scenes with some elephants, camels and horses to this Mills Boon kichdi and you have the essence of Jodhaa Akbar. Neither Hrithik Roshan nor Aishwarya Rai -who play Mughal EmperorAkbar and Jodhaa respectively - distinguish themselves by their actingin Jodhaa Akbar. In Jodhaa Akbar, Hrithik Roshan displays none of those magisterial traits one would associate with the Great Mughal Emperor Akbar. Most of the time Hrithik Roshan seemed like he was performing the role of Birbal (Akbar’s court jester). In several crucial scenes, Hrithik Roshan lets the audience down witha wooden performance. When Jodhaa imposes two conditions for themarriage, Hrithik Roshan disappoints and when he learns of his old Badi Ammi Maham Anga’s perfidious action, he disappoints again. What a pity that the passion Hrithik Roshan brought to some of his earlier movies like Koi Mil Gaya or Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai is completely missing in Jodhaa Akbar. As for Aishwarya Rai, the less said of this ethereal beauty’s non-acting, whether in Jodaa Akbar or any other movie, the better. In great love stories on the screen like Casablanca,the love of the principal characters for each other hits you with agale-force that leaves an indelible impression on the mind. But that never happens in Jodhaa Akbar. It’s a love story alright. But not an epic love story. The action scenes in Jodhaa Akbar also left us disappointed. We found Hrithik’s fight scene with the elephant less-than-terrifying and less-than-spectacular. And as for the war scenes in Jodhaa Akbar, they arehopelessly amateurish by Hollywood standards. (even amidst all thisoutsourcing mania in the U.S., it’s safe to say Steven Spielberg orGeorge Lucas won’t be outsourcing special effects to India any timesoon). Comedy comes in the form of Aishwarya Rai’s sword fights. Come on, this gal can’t even act. Where is the question of her performing sword fights with elan? If you don’t think Aishwarya Rai’s sword fighting is funny, there is her ludicrous presence on the battle field as Akbar prepares to fight his scheming brother-in-law. Looking for nice music in Jodhaa Akbar? Forget it. Music director A.R.Rahman must have dozed through the whole exercise. By the way, the picturization for the Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah song was an elaborate affair and quite nice too. The only other silver lining in Jodhaa Akbar was in the fine costume design by Neeta Lulla. Jodhaa Akbar is just not the kind of Bollywood movie you would want to waste money or time on this long President’s Day weekend in the U.S. http://indiablogs.searchindia.com/2008/02/16/jodhaa-akbar-review-an-epic-bore
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'Jodhaa Akbar' Review: A True Form Of Richness http://www.mp3mantra.com/2008/02/15/jodhaa_akbar_r... by smiler_reddy 1 days ago (mp3mantra.com) Film: Jodhaa Akbar Rating: 3.75/5 Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, KulbushanKarbanda Camera: Kiran Devhans Stunts: Revi Dewan Music: AR Rehman Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Production: UTV Direction: Ashuthosh Gowarikar Released On: 15th Feb 2008 Story: Historical stories need not be retold in text here. Sameapplies to Jodhaa Akbar. But there is enough of creativityinjected in it. Messages get into the heads of people when thatis told through well known characters. Ashuthosh has chosen aright historical character-set to narrate his message orientedtheme instead of going with routine social characters. In other words, instead of taking social characters he has chosen socialstudies this time. It’s all about how Akbar wins the heart of his wife Jodhaa despite his hectic kingly responsibilities. The film can be understood even in mute. The expressions and emotional depth are rightly projected on to celluloid. Everything has to be watched on screen and that brings a fabulous treat. Performance: Hrithik justified his role with his macho look. It is sure thatAkbar goes synonymous with Hrithik from now onwards. Aishwarya,although may not be synonymous to Jodha, she performed in aspirited role as brave prince. Sonu Sood is ok in his shoes. Costume designer deserves good mention. Art direction is marvelous and stunt coordination is also dealt well which happens to be the seriously considerable aspect in this film. Music by AR Rehman is on high score. He gave haunting tunes once again. Ashuthosh Gowarikar made a fine film that goes in tune with the taste of tasteful audiences. But he would have worked on cutting down the length of the film especially in first half. Analysis: The film is like reading War and Peace, the bulkiest book with many characters in it. As the story is not so popular on par with Mahabharatha it becomes a hard pie to bite for audience initially. But as the audiences start connecting to the sense of narration, the film gives a marvelous experience and they hardly look at their watches. The best part in the film is that it is not verbose like Prithvi Raj Kapoor starrer Mughal-E-Azam. The dialogues are not so hard to understand for contemporary audiences. There is a right mix of Hindi and Urdu which leaves the audiences easy to go with the subject. The songs like ‘Azeem-o-Shaan Shehanshah..’ were carried with verbose Urdu lines which boosts up the adrenaline. This 40 Cr worth movie draws an affluent picture on the canvass of eye balls. It’s worth watching for the flamboyant mahals, palaces and Emperor Courts as well as high-voltage monarchial battles. It is one of the richest films ever made on the Indian celluloid. AR Rehman’s music stands a highlight and Ashuthosh Gowarikar made him the best use. Kiran Devhans’ Camera work is a synonym for excellence. Ravi Dewan’s battle compositions are impressive and stand in international standards. The film was made with a very long hard work of about 3 years. A vast study was made on Jodhaa, Akbar and many related historical characters. The efforts are seen on the screen. There are a total of 16 fencing battles in the film where Hrithik has shown his mettle and brought Akbar in him. And coming to Aishwarya, she looked the best in all the frames and brought real glory for the entire movie. It’s not just her most renowned beauty and sensuous factor but even her hard work in performing in fencing battles deserves a great mention. First half of the movie picks up slowly and the real tempostarts in second half. Although the film appears to haveshifted the track from the well known history, it leaves noboredom for audiences although rolls on screen for about 3 andhalf hours.
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A disappointing tale of romance with absolutely no essence. Sowhat if the director had roped in some of the best of the techniciansin the film industry? So what if the director had managed to cast thebest of the actors available in tinsel town in his movie? So what ifthe previous works of the director were critically acclaimed and one ofthem had even got nominated for an Oscar? But What if the latestoffering from the director is only about style and no substance at allwith all the hype that was surrounding it. And What if such a moviedrags and drags for 3 hours and 20 minutes? Gawd!!! If you askme about the movie, it is just a normal average movie made with a lotof grandeur. And if you ask me frankly if I liked it, it’s a big NO.Probably, because I expected a lot from the movie and my expectationsincreased as soon as some of the reviews started floating in the net.Ashutosh Gowarikar had initially directed a couple of commercial duds,but ever since Lagaan, he had been accredited along with the bestdirectors of India. Though his next venture Swades was not a commercialhit, it clicked because of its content. If Lagaan was about team work,Swades about patriotism, Jodha Akbar speaks about unity. Whatgoes wrong in JA is that though the message gets clearly conveyed inthe first one hour, a lot of unnecessary scenes add to the length ofthe movie and makes the message very bland. To add it all, there is alove song towards the end that could have been easily avoided. Some ofthe plots reminded me of the movies that came in the 80’s and early90’s : * An evil godmother instead of a step-mom. But theexistence of such a mother is recorded in history as well. It is theportrayal that goes wrong here.* A treacherous brother-in-law and at the end, the hero’s sister runs and pleas him to pardon her ‘suhaagan’. * Some of the characters eves dropping and leaking vital information at the most crucial points in the movie. *A person nearing death speaking for so long a time and seconds beforehis death the important characters of the movie coming in front of himfrom nowhere. Ifthe movie had the same cast and crew with a subject that takes place inthe modern era, it would definitely see the dust as the story and basicplot offers nothing new. The movie does have some of the bestmoments ever shown in Indian cinema. The scene where Akbar reveals tohis wife about his illiteracy, the song that appears when Akbar is inthe middle of a heated discussion, Akbar taming an elephant (theelephant looks small during the fight but after taming and when Akbarfinally mounts onto it, the elephant appears so huge!!!), the entiresong Kwaaja Mere Kwaaja (mind blowing music and picturization),Jodha-Akbars sword fight are some of them. The cinematography,art direction, dialogues, costumes and the music department has done afabulous job in bringing the 15th century alive on screen. However, thewar scene (only war scene in the movie!) could have been shot in a muchbetter way. The scene is a total let down and lacks the intensity of awar. But again, some of the shots of the palaces and the courts alongwith the BGM’s would make you speechless. So whoever watches a piratedversion would, for sure, miss the only best things that the movieoffers. Hrithik is simply amazing in the role of Akbar; one ofhis careers best performance. Each emotion, composed and controlled, iswell captured too. Aishwaryas as Jodha is good only at certain scenes.Otherwise, her performance is very similar to the good roles she haddone before. There is an eye color mismatch with the adult Akbar andJodha and with their childhood. A blooper of the first order. Also, nowhere in history, it has been mentioned that Akbar had two thumbs inhis right hand !!! The rest of the cast has only done what they usuallydo. Overall, watching J.A. is not something to die for. Neitheris it a time-pass movie, as the time doesn’t pass that easily here!!!Take your own time, check twice if you have anything better to do andonly then decide to spend your 3+ hrs. You also need the guts to see anemperor like Akbar trying to woo his wife all the time and somehow winher “Dil”.
Re: [arr] The Hindu slams JA
I believe they will publish Sudhish kamath's version next friday in the Chennai edition. --- Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This one thrills neither historians nor connoisseurs Recreating history: Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Raiin Jodhaa Akbar. Jodhaa Akbar (Hindi) Director: Ashutosh Gowariker Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha No man is a chessboard. In each one of us, greys abound. Unless of course, one is watching Ashutosh Gowarikerâs Jodhaa Akbar.Here Akbar, arguably the great Mughal emperor, is a paragon ofperfection. He does not lose a battle and towers above the rest withhis moral stature. Sorry, Akbar needs no brownie points from posterity.Gowariker is a poor student of history. The film is so glaringlydeficient in the most obvious of things that you wonder if the directorwas trying to mock at history. Or is it a deliberate subversion of thetruth? Agreed, there has been a debate, largely avoidable though, whetherJodhaa was Akbarâs wife or daughter-in-law. A common cinemagoer canleave it to historians to thrash it out, but where Gowariker failsmiserably â his third film in a little over six years, after Lagaan and Swadesâ is in attention to elementary details. Relating the untapped romanceof the Mughal Emperor and his Rajput wife, the film lacks integrity. Gowariker takes too many liberties with history in the name of artistic licence. His devout souls at the dargah are all carefully clean-shaven, like those ads for menâs lotions. This in an age and at a place where a beard was the preferred way. And his emperor even does a little jig at the end of a song. Then walks the garden path with the ladylove in another sequence. All this is a throwback to more ordinary romances of commoners. Akbar is not spared any dignity. So many negatives. Yes, but like life, here too there is a little silver lining. Hrithik Roshan may not fit the stereotypes of Akbar, but he is fine in action. He is a decent actor who manages to look good simply because his counterpart Aishwarya Rai refuses to do even the bare minimum. She is vapid all through, making Hrithik look almost outstanding in comparison. Unfortunately, Gowariker does not invest his hero with too much detail. He comes across as a man who could do no wrong. And we never get to see the human side of the redoubtable man. And Deen-e-Ilahi is non-existent here. Watch Jodhaa Akbar as a masala entertainer, andyou may not be too disappointed despite its poor editing, inordinatelength. The big canvas will appeal to some, the cinematography toothers as would the song âJashn-e-bahara haiâ. Looking for a masterpiece of history with the past throbbing with life? You might have to wait till eternity. This one thrills neither the historians nor connoisseurs. ZIYA US SALAM http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/17/stories/2008021750840200.htm Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
Re: [arr] JA Tamil ACD inlay card
In the lyrics portion it is wriiten as as Mashook Rahman. can I know who is this ?? On 2/17/08, Gopal Srinivasan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrahmanfans/2270120839/ Thanks to Vithur for the scan -- regards, Vithur AIMING TO BE A TRUE RAHMANIAC
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Movie Review Jodhaa Akbar: Jodhaa Akbar has class but…. Many happy returns of the year(not just a day) for Ashtuosh Gowariker for directing Jodhaa Akbar very well. The movie did take a long time in its making but the outcome is worth it. However, quite expectedly, you cannot anticipate the masses to really love the movie. The firsthalf of the movie is rather long(the movie itself is 3 and a half hoursin length) and there are some scenes in the first half which seem to belong-drawn. They could well have been trimmed. Technicalities: Full marks to Ashutosh and his team including script writers K.P. Saxena and Haider Ali who have workedhard and meticulously to come up with the mood and the feel of theMoghul era at the screenplay level itself. Music by A.R.Rahman,including the background score is relevant anddoes not overwhelm the movie. The artwork by Nitin Desai is first-rate.But the main hero of the film is Ashutosh Gowariker who has shot somescenes with brilliance. The song picturizations including the titletrack “Jalaluddin Akbar” is done adeptly and so is the trance-likechoreography of Khwaja Mere Khwaja. Scenes: WatchJodhaa Akbar for the mesmerizing chemistry between Hrithik Roshan andAishwarya. Here are some of the best scenes of Jodhaa Akbar: Hrithik’s combat with an enraged elephant. This one is easily the best scene of the movieThe sword fight between Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan surpasses the Dhoom 2 reminds you of Dhoom 2 basket ball effect, but is more grippingA bare-chested Hrithik Roshan flexes his muscles, with the camera lusting after his muscular back. You can feel the subtle sexual undercurrent in Aishwarya’s eyes in this eye-candy of a scene.Hrithik is superlative when he tells Aishwarya Rai(Jodhaa) that he is illiterate.The love-making scene between between Jodhaa and Akbar is aesthetically shotThe scene where Jodhaa is made to eat the food first in the durbar before she could serve Akbar as was her wish.The intense sword fight between Hrithik Roshan and Niketan Dheer(who plays Sharifuddin)The thumping hit track Azeem-o-shehshan akbar is pleasing to the eyes and the ears. What works for Jodhaa Akbar: As was perceived, Ashutosh Gowariker has sought to bring out a rounded personality of Akbar rather than restrict him to just a romantic character. You can see the brutality in his eyes when he throws a traitor to his doom for plotting against him. Akbar is also seen wearing the guise of a common man to find out if his subjects are happy with the governance of the state. Thanks to the presence of Jodhaa in his life, Akbar becomes tolerant and sensitive to Hindus. Now we know that the reason for Akbar’s secularism had roots in love. Performances:Hrithik Roshan plays Akbar to perfection. He is one actor besides AamirKhan who likes to go to the nitty-gritty of the character he plays. Hrithik’sdiction is apt, his gait is royal and his candor is majestic. Expect alot of people to turn into Hrithik Roshan fans with this movie.Aishwarya too suits the role of Jodhaa to the hilt. She looks beautiful asa doll. Pure and ethereal! She has done a neat job too. NewcomerNiketan Dheer(Pankaj Dheer’s son) looks promising, Ila Arun is intensebut Sonu Sood somehow does not strike an emotional chord his characterwas supposed to portray. Just one line: The movie has class but lacks mass appeal. Rating:***(very good) http://bollywoodtrends.blogspot.com/2008/02/movie-review-jodhaa-akbar-jodhaa-akbar.html
[arr] JA movie blog review 17
Jodhaa Akbar -- Movie Review If you can sit beyond with the first 20 minutes of the movie trust meyou will be rewarded with the most spectacular cinematic experience. The first 20 minutes seem like a history lesson gone bad, but what follows grips you till the every end. Letsstart off by saying that the director has spent his money doing all theright things in the movie, grand sets, fantastic costumes and thejewellery is impressive. Most people come into the movie thinkingthis would be another war epic with blood all over the screen, but theviewer is pleasantly shocked by the fact that this is more of a lovestory between Jodhaa and Akbar, the director certainly knows his skillto the T. His handling of emotinal love scenes and intense warscenes need to be applauded, the dialogues of the movie are simple andthe viewer does not have to think hard. There are many sequenceswhich leave a impact on you for example to scene where Hritik demandsto eat from the same plate which Ash was told to eat to test if thefood made by her was safe for her husband. That scene shows the sensivity the director has in his art, the screenplay is tight and hold you close to the movie. The scene was Hritik tames a voilent elephant is also makes for good viewing. Thereis no melodrama in the movie which would bore you, coming to the musicAR Rahman has done a AWESOME job, at first the music wasnt a hit withthe masses but after you watch the movie you simply fall in love withthe music (I am listening to it as i write this :-) ) The lengthcan take its toll at times but its 3:20 minutes well spent , but yesthe movie could have been a little shorter but i am not complaning. Thereare a lot of smaller characters in the movie which do a efficient jobbut the performances of Hritik and Ash just take your breathe away. Noone could even come close to performing the role of Akbar than Hritik,after watching the movie you cannot imagine anyone playing the role ofthe royal emperorer but him. This movie will surely take Hritikto new heights, he is the sole of the movie and carries the movie onhis shoulders, and Ash compliments his very well. She has reallycome off age and this ranks as one of her best performances to date,after a dismal Swades, Ashutosh has stuck gold with Jodhaa Akbar andit remains to be seen wheather the youth as the patience to watch thisflick, but if they give this a try they sure will not be dissapointed. This is one of the best historicans made by our Indian Movie industry and this sure is a classic with brillant performances. Thereal hero is this movie is the director and he needs to given all thecredit for attempting something so big like Jodhaa Akbar, so i erge youto get off your ass and go buy the tickets for this movie and againdont mind the first 20 minutes just take it as a bad dream. Stars: out of 5 http://alstar-neo.livejournal.com/1940.html
