Movie Review
Jodhaa Akbar
Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music Director: AR Rahman
Don’t watch Jodhaa Akbar as a historical because there’s more fiction than fact. Watch it as a plain and simple love story and you might just love it. The only difference here is that love flowers after marriage and the couple is a royal one—Mughal Emperor Akbar and his charming and defiant Rajput wife Jodha. Set in the 16th century, the epic love story explores a marriage alliance entered between two cultures and religions for political gain.
Despite the millions spent to create pomp and pageantry, the film works only because of the well handled moments between Akbar (Hrithik) and Jodha (Aishwarya) trying to find romance in an archetypal arranged marriage. On the minus side, the battle sequences are unimaginative (war doesn’t seem to be Gowariker’s forte), the palace intrigue banal, the length of the film inordinate and the editing extremely loose.
As far as acting goes, Hrithik is good but it’s not a flawless performance. His Urdu diction is laboured and he doesn’t look imperial enough. Relatively, Aishwarya is more convincing as she uses her limpid and expressive eyes to great effect, carrying off difficult scenes with effortless ease. The actress is especially good in the feisty and combative scenes. Fringe players like Sonu Sood and Ila Arun (as Hrithik’s governess) do absolute justice to their parts.
AR Rahman’s music is in sync with the milieu of the period, especially the Khwaja Mere Khwaja track. In fact, the entire scene, executed beautifully, a cinematic treat. On the whole, Jodhaa Akbar is not a bad film at all. It just doesn’t qualify to be a classic, which it well could have been.
Current Top 10 Songs
1. Maa (Taare Zameen Par)
2. Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Jodhaa Akbar)
3. Kiya Kiya (Welcome)
4. Jab Se Tere (Saawariya)
5. Dus (Dus Kahaniyaan)
6. Ajnabee (Superstar)
7. Manzar (Sunday)
8. Jogi Aaya (Black & White)
9. Mauja Hi Mauja (Jab We Met)
10. Race Saanson Ki (Race)
Current Top 10 Movies
1. Taare Zameen Par
2. Sunday
3. Welcome
4. Halla Bol
5. Om Shanti Om
6. Jab We Met
7. Superstar
8. Mithya
9. Bombay To Bangkok
10. Rama Rama Kya Hai Dramaaa
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