Over the last few weeks, television channels havebeen flooded with debates over the relationship between Jodhaa andAkbar. Was she his wife or his daughter-in-law? The question has seenmany answers, arguments and counter arguments. So it isn't surprisingto see a disclaimer even before Ashutosh Gowariker's epic saga starts.
Weare told that while the name of Akbar's wife remains a topic of debate,historians have agreed that the Emperor did marry a Hindu princess.Further, it acknowledges the existence of other versions of the story,and suggests that this is just one of them. What it does not tell youthough that it is about 3 hours and 40 minutes long.(Also read Review 2: Why Hrithik is the Emperor of Hearts!) Havingsaid that however it must be mentioned that if you can actually sitthrough this phenomenally long film, you may actually walk out feelingquite pleased with the effort. Ash on being Jodhaa Asthe title of the film suggests, Ashuthosh's dream project tells thestory of two people who meet circumstantially and end up falling inlove. It is just incidental that these two people happen to be theEmperor and the Empress of India. Needless to say that this puts them(and the filmmaker) in a rather curious situation. Because there's somuch happening around them that it becomes difficult for their love toreach fruition. And sure enough it becomes a bit of a problem for Ashuto film their story too. So just what does one concentrate upon:the dynastical politics in Rajputana or the kitchen politics withinAkbar's household? If Ashu is to be blamed he should be for not beingable to strike a balance between these two. Yes, the narrativeflags at various points. Yes, you keep looking at your watch. Yes, youwant to tell Ashu to get on with it. Yet you sit through it all. Why?Because Jodhaa Akbar, whether we like to admit it or not, is a storythat dreams are made of. Beyond all the glamour and politics, the marriage between Jodhaa andAkbar was union not so much of two souls but of two cultures. Andsomehow stories like these have always fascinated us. Thinkabout it, how many times have we sat up and heard out the tales ofcolleagues and friends who married outside their religion? It's thevery same thing with Jodhaa Akbar – the story and the film. Themagnitude of the canvas is indeed very breathtaking. However it is thisvery thing that tends to get overwhelming. There are chances that thedialogues and language of the characters may put you off. But we'd saygive it a break. If you can stand the archaic English in Elizabeth orShakespeare in Love, we don't see any reason why archaic Urdu and Hindishould be such a problem. If Jodhaa Akbar belongs to someone itbelongs to Hrithik Roshan. Aishwarya Rai looks pretty as a doll, butit's Hrithik who delivers all the goods. Watch out for that scene whereHrithik gets an epiphany and joins the Sufi dancers in trance. Asfor the war sequences, they could have well been done without. Ashudoesn't get too creative here. But he does a superb job when it comesto bringing out the chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya. Thepalpable but tentative romance between Jodhaa and Akbar is beautifullycomplemented by AR Rahman's music. Khwaja mere Khwaja, remains ourfavourite song, though the rest are lovely too. It is thechoreography, however that leaves a lot to be desired. Marhaba (Chinniand Rekha Prakash) is a filled with clichéd dance moves and outdatedcamera angles. In another song, there is a part where Akbarsings to his beloved and that little voice inside you says, "Hey, theydidn't tell us that in our history books!" But Jodhaa Akbar has never claimed to be entirely truthful to history (in fact no one can probably ever be). However, it reminds us what critics for the longest time have demanded – the need to free art from the shackles of history. So even though it tends to be long and sometimes boring like a history lesson, Jodhaa Akbar inits essence is a boy-meets-girl story. And to write off the storyentirely just because the guy takes a little too long to woo hissweetheart, would be a little unfair. Verdict: If you don't mind the length, do watch this one Rating: 3/5
