Jodhaa Akbar: A review
Amit R Agarwal,
15 February 2008, Friday
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Mughal-E-Azam
is the most illustrious film on Mughals. Would Jodhaa-Akbar be able to
displace its memory? Not quite, the movie has a basic fault – the
absence of a strong antagonist.
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MUGHAL-E-AZAM
is the most illustrious film on the Mughals. Would Jodhaa-Akbar
displace the memories of M-e-A? Not quite, because of one basic fault,
absence of a strong antagonist. For M-e-A’s antagonist, Akbar, is the
protagonist here.
Before
writing further, it is very important to know the history of Islam in
India, misconstrued as having been introduced by the Mughals. India or
rather Hindostaan, at one time, stretched from present day Afghanistan
to a little beyond present day Bangladesh.
The
first Islamic invasion happened in 664 AD, when Al Muhallab ibn Abi
Suffrah attacked the borders of Afghanistan and penetrated till Multan.
However, it was not until 710 AD, when Muhammad bin Qasim captured
Gandhar and Sindh that Islam spread in India through conversions.
Various Hindu rulers ruled Delhi till Mohammed Ghori defeated
Prithviraj Chauhan in 1191AD, thus laying the formation of Delhi
sultanate. In 1526 AD, Babur (ousted from Samarkand, his capital – in
present day Uzbekistan) laid the foundation of Mughal Dynasty.
The
film starts with 13-year-old Akbars’ forces defeating Hemu’s (last
Hindu King of Agra and Delhi) forces in the battle of Panipat in 1556.
Thereby Akbar’s only ambition is to get Hindostaan under one unified
rule. However, his greatest opponents are not only the Rajputs, but
also his own relatives (brother-in-law Shariffuddin and bosom-brother
Adham Khan)
As luck would
have it, he sees the opportunity to win the allegiance of the Rajputs,
when King Bharmal of Aamer offers him the hand of his daughter,
Princess Jodhaa Bai for marriage. However, post-marriage, Akbar finds
that he will have to win the love of Jodhaa Bai to consummate marriage.
How,
he goes about winning her love forms the narrative. The entire focus of
the film is so far untold story of Jodhaa Bai and Akbar. Like any
historical, Jodhaa Akbar too has its share of controversy. Firstly, the
identity of Jodhaa Bai herself, who many historians say, never married
Akbar.
Secondly, whether
the marriage proposal was offered by the King of Aamer or Akbar himself
(the film shows King of Aamer proposing it). However, other widely
believed historical attributes are maintained:
The
almost-annihilation of Akbar’s army by mighty Hemu, only the destiny
willed otherwise; Hemu gets hit in the eye and his army deserts him.
Thus paving way for Mughal rule Akbar stopping his trusted aide, Bairam Khan,
from beheading Hindu kings. Akbar’s religious tolerance
However,
there is no mention of the ban on marriage for Mughal princesses, which
Akbar introduced, probably owing to the betrayal by his brother-in-law,
Shariffuddin, in order to reduce the contenders to the Mughal throne
for future generations. The mention was justified since Shariffuddin is
the antagonist in the movie.
The
film is visually opulent. The jewellery design deserves special
mention. It sent the female audiences discussing the fine work. The
camera-work by Kiran Deohans is good. The war scenes are well executed.
It
is very difficult to erase the memory of Prithviraj Kapoor as Akbar and
Durga Khote as Jodhaa Bai. However, Hrithik and Aishwarya have both
successfully managed to paint a fresh picture of Akbar and Jodhaa.
The
cast is apt and Nikiten Dheer makes an impressive debut as
Shariffuddin. Shatrughan Sinha’s wife Poonam has the charm and the
looks to pass off as Hameeda Banu, Akbar’s mother. Ila Arun as Maham
Anga is good. Radio jockey Yuri who plays Bairam Khan impresses with
his act.
One song deserves mention for itschoreography and picturisation,
“Azeem-o-shaan Shahenshah.” The filmwill appeal to the classes and the
connoisseur of cinema. However thosebrought up on the recent flux of comedies
are bound to be disappointed.
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