Kiran Deohans' swift but sublime cinematography is of international calibre, at par with 'Gladiator' or 'Braveheart'. A.R. Rahman's music is a bit of a letdown though. Veering between authenticity and listener-friendliness, it's a bit of a mellow mishmash signifying none of those enchanting echoes of Jodha and Akbar's ever-lasting romanticism.
--- In [email protected], "Dinesh Vaidya" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Following is the review of Jodhaa Akbar appeared on > Musicindiaonline.com at following link > > http://www.musicindiaonline.com/ar/i/movie_name/9539/1/ > > ------------------------- > Movie Review : 'Jodhaa-Akbar': Breathtaking tale of love, war, > secularism > > > Producer: Ashutosh Gowariker, Ronnie Screwvala > Director: Ashutosh Gowariker > Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Sonu Sood, Ila Arun, Niketan > Dheer > Music: A.R. Rahman > > There is Hrithik Roshan as Akbar, in full regalia, watching a > traditional sufi qawwalli when he suddenly goes into a spiritual > trance and joins the qawwalls for a dance to divinity. > > This historic moment that takes us beyond the dynasties of Mughal > history, couldn't have been possible without Hrithik's amazing > capacity to infiltrate the portals of divinity through dance > movements. > > As we traverse the simply stunning spectacle of Ashutosh Gowariker's > historical epic, often wonder-eyed and open-mouthed, we end up > looking at Akbar as interpreted by Hrithik rather than as what the > Mughal legend might have been. > > The body language of the sword-wielding poet-warrior reminds us of > Mel Gibson in 'Braveheart' and Tom Cruise in 'The Last Samurai' > rather than Prithviraj Kapoor who played Akbar in K. Asif's undying > classic 'Mughal-e-Azam' with such imposing imperiousness. > > In terms of the creative and visual terrain covered in the three- > hour, 20-minute journey, Gowariker's vision subsumes a reined-in > wealth of ideas and images into an opulent but aesthetic tale of > love, romance, war, hatred and secularism. > > The director transports us into an era when brother battled brother > in bitter rage. But love blossomed in the heart of a secular Muslim > emperor who married a fiercely individualistic Rajput princess and > allowed her space to be her own person. > > The narrative patterns Akbar's chequered life of love and wars > through the various characters who influence his mind and heart. To > begin with, we see the young Akbar being moulded into a violent > person, brimming with ideas of revenge and acquisition by his > senapati-mentor Bairam Khan. > > In a frightening burst of vengeful brutality, we see Akbar ordering > his soldiers to throw a stubborn adversary head-first to death. > > But all said and done, Gowariker's Akbar is a man who'd rather live > in peace than wallow in war. Alas, Akbar lived in violent battle- > friendly times. > > Then there's the complex relationship that Akbar shares with his > foster mother, played by Ila Arun. But the friction between the > foster mother and Akbar's new bride could be straight out of Indra > Kumar's 'Beta'! > > Gowariker also purposely brings in kitschy elements from commercial > cinema to provide a kind of warm accessibility to his historic tale. > > The filming of the durbar song 'Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah' is the last > word in spectacle. Breathtaking is the word that often comes to mind > in this tale of vibrant valour and vitality. > > Never before have we seen battle sequences so spectacular and > energetic in Hindi cinema. Take the opening sequence where the battle > lines close ranks in such passionate movements that the audience > almost feels trampled in the middle. > > Kiran Deohans' swift but sublime cinematography is of international > calibre, at par with 'Gladiator' or 'Braveheart'. A.R. Rahman's music > is a bit of a letdown though. Veering between authenticity and > listener-friendliness, it's a bit of a mellow mishmash signifying > none of those enchanting echoes of Jodha and Akbar's ever-lasting > romanticism. > > > The love story occupies the pride of place in 'Jodhaa-Akbar'. The > sudden marital alliance between the benign king and the free-spirited > Rajput princess, their post-marriage courtship, the misunderstanding > that cuts through their growing fondness, and the final and > irreversible reconciliation, are portrayed with exquisite fluidity. > > Not once does the director allow the inherent opulence of his theme > to overpower the love that grows between them. > > Hrithik's pleading, poetic eyes in a warrior's face define the > historic romance as much as Aishwarya's swan-like grace and > passionate individualism. After 'Dhoom 2', this pair surely whips up > a Mughlai feast of passion and romance. > > Watch 'Jodhaa-Akbar' as a splendidly spiced-up slice of history. Or > just savour the chemistry between the warrior and the princess, with > hundreds of junior artistes, elephants, rabbits and parrots > accompanying the couple's journey from secularism to eternity. > > © Copyright 2008 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com >
