October 12, Somewhere in December, Somewhere in January and finally February 15th.. These are the dates when Jodhaa Akbar was supposed to release but it got delayed for some or other reason and finally it released today i.e. February 15. I was waiting for this movie for quite sometime but unfortunately I had to leave Mumbai just a day before its release but I was lucky enough to get movie tickets here in Gujarat. The theatre was kind of bizarre place but let’s talk about it later, lets move on to the movie for now..
The story is pretty simple, a political marriage turns into love story with mix of politics. Wikipedia has done a better job in story telling.
Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.
Political success knew no bounds for Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan). After having secured the Hindu Kush, he furthered his realm by conquest until his empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal, and from the Himalayas to the Godavari River. Through a shrewd blend of diplomacy, intimidation and brute force , Akbar won the allegiance of the Rajputs. But little did Akbar know that when he married Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a fiery Rajput princess, in order to further strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking upon a new journey – the journey of true love.
The daughter of King Bharmal of Amer, Jodhaa resented being reduced to a mere political pawn in this marriage of alliance, and Akbar’s biggest challenge now did not merely lie in winning battles, but in winning the love of Jodhaa – a love hidden deep below resentment and extreme prejudice. Jodhaa-Akbar is their untold love story.
Let’s focus more on the review. Before going for the movie, I was told by a friend (Brajeshwar) that the fight sequences are ripped from from the movie Troy but there were hardly any fight sequences in the movie. Actually only 2. Yea, the ending one was “I have seen this” kind of scene but I doubt whether it was totally ripped off or not. (Will have to revisit Troy for that).
Okay, the movie starts with a scene on the battlefield, the director tried to give Lord of the Rings or say Troy kind of feel but somehow it did not work well, it lacked the aggression in the soldiers.. it was looking more like they are running around here and there just for the sake of it. But that’s the only thing which did not fit well in the movie, apart from that I should say the movie was perfect.
Many people were concerned about the longer duration of the movie but once the movie starts, you will never ever realize that it was 3 and half hour long. The scenes were handled so well that you won’t get bored for a single moment. (Must applaud director Ashutosh Gowarikar for that)
I really loved fee scenes in the movie… specially the scene where Akbar is trying to control an elephant, the scene where Jodhaa cooks the food for Akbar and she is asked to taste it before giving it to Akbar.. I really loved the way Jodhaa handled that scene.. even Akbar’s reply was fantastic.. also the sword fight between Jodhaa and Akbar was very good.. actually the list doesn’t end here but let me quickly move on to other areas.
Apart from great direction, the music plays a very important role in the movie, be it the background music or the songs.. music was just fantastic..I must salute A.R.Rahman for that. He is a genius, if you listen to the music carefully, you will find so many instruments involved in a single song.. take example of the song, Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah, just listen to it carefully, so many instruments.. I really loved all the songs but Khwaja Mere Khwaja takes the top place. Even Jashn-E-Bahaara and In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein were very good. Also the background score was very interesting.. from folk songs to various instruments, it had everything.
The choreography was just too good. Khwaja Mere Khwaja, a sufi number was handled superbly. It was more like a spiritual song with very few dance moves but handled very well. But the treat was Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah. More than 300 dancers? Just imagine how difficult it would have been. It was a royal treat watching that song. I really loved the way it was shot, loved those aerial views.
Cinematography by Kiran Deohans was worth praising. I loved the views of Akbar’s palace, so beautiful.
On the acting front, the chemistry between Hritik and Aishwarya was fantastic.They both make a perfect couple. Hritik was very good as mugal emperor, a strong character who knows his job well and does not care what other people think about it. Aishwarya was impressive too, a beautiful princess who is strong and brave from inside. Apart from the lead characters, Sonu Sood was pretty good as Rajkumar Sujamal, I also liked the character of Maham Anga played by Ila Arun, a very strong character with lots of gray shades.
So to sum it up, Jodhaa Akbar is a very good movie with great direction by Ashutosh Gowarikar. It is definitely a must watch and you should watch it only in theaters. Don’t watch it on your computer or TV. I would give this movie Rating: 
.
On the box office front, I really doubt about the blockbuster status (these days people love crap movies like Welcome, Partner etc..) but I think it should reach super hit status atleast.
Once again, A.R.Rahman YOU ROCK.. YOU ARE A GENUIS..
