Movie Review: Jodhaa Akbar Jodhaa Akbar: Opulent Masterpiece indya.com rating: 4 out of 5 *
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood and Ila Arun Director: Ashutosh Gowariker Synopsis:Young moghul emperor Jalaluddin (Hrithik) sets out to bring the entireIndia under his flagship and deploys orders to the neighbouring statesto either accept his honour or face his wrath. This sets a wave ofpanic amongst the Rajputana states. While a few decide to accept itunconditionally, others start aligning to set up a front against him.Amongst them is also, Amer's Raja Bharmal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) whooffers his acceptance with a condition that Jalaluddin will marry hisonly daughter Jodhaa (Aishwarya) in return. But just before theirwedding, the fiery Rajput princess Jodhaa also sets her two clauses infront of Jalal, that he will not change her religion and allow her asmall temple space within his fort. Jalal agrees and thus a marriage ofalliance between two varied cultures and religions takes place forpolitical gain. With his marriage starts Jalal's journeyof winning the love of his wife - who feels she has been used as a pawnin the game of politics - and fighting hidden enemies within andoutside his trusted circle and eventually becoming Akbar the great. Acting: From a young novice king with all hisvulnerabilities to a lover who constantly strives to strengthen hisrelation with his wife and a no nonsense ruler who wins the hearts ofhis masses and enemies alike, Hrithik is nothing short of marvelous.Ladies are definitely going to swoon at his bare-chested swordpracticing sequence. Aishwarya Rainot only looks her best ever on screen but delivers an astonishingperformance and conveys a lot through her eyes. Sonu Sood playingSujamal, her unfortunate brother makes a good impact whereas newcomerNikitan Dheer as Akbar's scheming brother in law impresses with hiselectrifying screen presence. Poonam Sinha exudes grace while Ila Arunplaying Hrithik's wily foster mother cum advisor is just perfect. indya.com rating: 4 out of 5 Direction: Ashutosh's labour of love is visible in every single frame of the movie. Having made one of the most opulent filmsin Indian cinema, Gowariker deserves a bow for his vision andsuccessful handling of the epic love story. He superbly merges twodifferent tracks – the unusual romance between the royal couple andpolitical intrigues. The wonderful songs are aptly placed moving thestory ahead and their picturisation befitting. His casting is justperfect too. But at times you do keep feeling that the editing couldhave been tighter. But nevertheless, his is a splendid effort withgreat aid from Nitin Desai's awe inspiring production design, KiranDeohans' outstanding cinematography and Ravi Dewan's edge of the seataction sequences. indya.com rating: 4 out of 5 Script:Gowariker and Haider Ali's script manages to cover a gamut of issuesbut at the same time tends to lengthen the running time (3 hr. 33mins). But, they have succeeded in packing it up with some remarkablesequences, notably – Hrithik's taming of an errant elephant, Aish andIla Arun's confrontation in the royal kitchen and the scene followingit where Hrithik eats from the same platter which Aish was forced toeat it first, Hrithik confronting Aish after a misunderstanding overher character, Aish and Hrithik's sword fight, Hrithik expressing hislove to Aish during sunset and the final one on one combat betweenHrithik and Nikitan that reminds you of Brad Pitt – Eric Bana fight from Troy. The script is replete with many more such gems that make JA a great watch. indya.com rating: 4 out of 5 Music: Apart from his music(that gradually grows on you), Rahman also makes an amazing impact withhis background score. The Khwaja Mere Khwaja number takes you in atrance, the Azeem-o-shaan Shahenshah song leaves you spell bound by itspicturisation while Jashne Bahara has a mesmerizing effect. indya.com rating: 4 out of 5
