AR Rahman does it again. The music is of an extremely superiornature, and the
background score accentuates the grip over the drama.The maestro seems to be in
his best form when working with Gowariker.
Masterpiece? Not really! Entertaining? Definitely
Aniruddha Guha
Thursday, February 14, 2008 23:29 IST
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Film: Jodhaa
Akbar
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood
Rating: ***
Hours after watching Jodhaa Akbar, the song 'Azeem-o-Shaan Shahenshah'
keepshaunting you with its lilting melody and breathtaking picturisation.Placed
at a critical juncture of the film, it is a riot of colourscaptured beautifully
by cinematographer Kiran Deohans and excellentlychoreographed. In fact, Jodhaa
Akbar has quite a few suchbrilliant moments spread through the film. However,
it's the matterin-between that restrict it to being just a good entertainer,
and notthe great masterpiece it should have been.
Ashutosh Gowariker brings back lucky mascot Amitabh Bachchan to lend his
baritone once again to the narrative (remember Lagaan?),which gives viewers a
glimpse of Mughal history preceding the story.However, you tend to get lost in
the heap of names and details thrustupon you, which don't really add to the
story anyways.
But then, it's a historical, and certain rules need to be followed.
If only the writers (Ashutosh Gowariker and Haider Ali) had done it in
a more enjoyable manner, not making the first half drag like there's no
tomorrow, and the editing (Ballu Saluja) could have been crisper, the
film could have been much more enjoyable.
So then. Our man Jalaluddin Muhammad (Hrithik Roshan) is the
Shahenshah-e-Hindustan.A man of principles, he transforms from being a mere
ruler to a lovedemperor, who cares for the common man, and is fair in his
judgements.As he wins over one nemesis after another, his fame and glory
grows,and he earns the epithet 'Akbar'.
However, the real test lies in 'winning over the heart' (the phraseis repeated
throughout the film, irritatingly) of Princess Jodhaabai,daughter of King
Bharmal of Amer. In spite of agreeing to marry Akbar,Jodhaa refuses to accept
the Mughal emperor as her husband. Themarriage is a political arrangement
between Akbar and King Bharmal,which will ensure a peaceful environment in the
kingdom. How and why,is of course, forgotten once the marriage takes place.
There are a number of sub-plots too - Akbar's brother-in-law(newcomer Nikitin
Dheer, menacing) aims to take his throne, Jodhaa'sbrother (Sonu Sood,
effective) wants his rightful place in his empire,and there is a Rajputana clan
afraid of Akbar overtaking their kingdoms.
The story has enough ingredients that make a political drama, andcould have
been set against any backdrop. The Mughal era, however,brings along with it the
chance to be opulent, and at the same time,intriguing. Gowariker exploits this
setting to the fullest, with wellmounted war sequences, lavish sets and
sprinkles it with sequences
that have technical standards, not seen before in Hindi cinema.
Ravi Dewan's choreography of the action deserves special mention. In
fact, the film is brilliant in all technical aspects, be it the
eye-filling sets (Nitin Desai), visually-rich cinematography or the
sumptuous costumes (Neeta Lulla). Dialogues (KP Saxena) are apt.
AR Rahman does it again. The music is of an extremely superior
nature, and the background score accentuates the grip over the drama.
The maestro seems to be in his best form when working with Gowariker.
The performances are first-rate too. Hrithik Roshan looks every inch
the royal emperor he's meant to be. Everything about his persona, from
body language to speech or even just the way he looks at his subjects,
translate into a performance, which will win the actor a number of
accolades. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too matches up to Roshan, and carries
off the queen's role with aplomb. Gowariker can easily take credit for
extracting one the most finely-nuanced performance from her.
In fact, the film has touches of brilliance which you know only
Gowariker can bring to screen. The maker, as in his earlier movies,
manages to infuse a patriotic fervour in the proceedings, which elevate
the drama. He handles the romantic scenes with a sensitivity that makes
them endearing.
Where the film misses out, is the pace. Although a love story
essentially, the sub-plots mar the impact of the romance and slow down
proceedings. After a point, it becomes difficult to decide whether the
film was aimed to be a love saga, or a political drama. In fact, once
Jodhaa and Akbar re-unite, the movie doesn't really have much reason to
go on, except to tie the various loose ends left open by the writers.
Also, though the film stands out at various places, it does not leave a
lasting impact.
In the final analysis, Jodhaa Akbar is an honest effortwith good performances,
well-mounted sequences and great music. If onlythe editing and screenplay could
have matched up to the otherdepartments, it could have gone down in history as
what you call a'blockbuster' film. But in the end, it's confined to being a
goodone-time watch.
