Jodhaa Akbar Review - Engaging Period Film APK | February 15, 2008
Rating: ***.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) <!-- ad_width = 468; ad_height = 60; ad_affid=2126; //--> User comments <!-- google_ad_client = "pub-5440926502572625"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "300x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; google_ad_channel = ""; google_color_border = "336699"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "0000FF"; google_color_text = "000000"; google_color_url = "008000"; //--> Cast:Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, KulbhushanKharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Ila Arun, Digvijay Purohit, Shaji Chowdhary,Nikitin Dheer, Visswa Badola, Pradeep Sharma, Raza Murad, Yuri andOthers. Choreography: Chinni Prakash-Rekha Prakash-Raju Khan. Cinematography: Kiiran Deohans. Co-producer: Zarina Mehta-Deven Khote. Costumes: Neeta Lulla. Dialogues: KP Saxena. Editing: Ballu Saluja. Executive Producer: Sunita A. Gowariker. Lyrics: Javed Akhtar. Music: AR Rehman. Production Design: Nitin Chandrakant Desai. Screenplay: Haidar Ali-Ashutosh Gowariker. Sound Design: Stephen Gomes. Sound Re-recording: Hitendra Ghosh. Story: Haidar Ali. Stunt Co-ordinator: Ravi Dewan. Direction: Ashutosh Gowariker. Producer: Ronnie Screwvala-Ashutosh Gowariker. Banner: UTV Motion Pictures-Ashutosh Gowariker Productions. Release Date: 15th February, 2008. AshutoshGowarikar stuck to his word. The promos said 'A Mogul Prince A RajputPrincess’. And yes, the movie is all about them. It is an interestinglove story even in writing, and on the silver screen it makes for anextremely difficult subject to tackle and a tricky job to decide whatto fictionalize and what not to; what to keep in and what to avoid.Jalaluddin 'Akbar’, one of the most prominent and popular emperorsever, creates and keeps the interest levels up even to this day.Hrithik Roshan and Ashwarya as the protagonists of this magnum opus,the spectacle Gowarikar creates with the sets, the period setting andthe atmosphere, the music-all make Jodha-Akbar a worthwhile one-timewatch. The Mogul emperor’s arranged marriage to a Hinduprincess and the conflict that the union leads to because of and inspite of it is Jodha Akbar. The movie captures the events that lead tothe marriage with a little background added for good measure and thecouple’s early wedded life. The princess bent on keeping her ownidentity and her faith intact, the Muslim clergy trying to influence atolerant Akbar, the misunderstandings and the wars are all covered. Thereare some beautiful moments in the movie that negate its tiring length.Akbar joins the Sufi singers in their mystic dance, Jodha’s prayer forLord Krishna rings through the court just as the Mullahs discuss herreligious beliefs and other such small but significant events. Thecharacters of Akbar, Jodha, Sujamal and others are very well-definedyet volatile enough to pull the story forward. Gowarikar’s usual pacemakes the viewer appreciate the sheer effort spent in making a movielike this, giving minor and major details importance. Subtle humorcomes into play at times, and Akbar’s character is given new magnitudeswith him refusing to cut off the defeated King’s head on one hand andordering a traitor to be thrown twice from the terrace to ensure hisdeath on the other. The unconventional characters and fates ofthe main leads are difficult to pull off, especially in thisscreenplay. It could have been a highly watchable, even enjoyable movieif the story was a little different post-break. The action sequences inthe first half are good, while those in the second half get veryrepetitive. Background score and re-recording is good. The editing, however, could have cut the movie another 15 minutes shortat the very least. Since the story revolves around the two centralcharacters and their story, the focus is on them and the events thatsurround the early period in their marriage along with Akbar’sformative years. Some characters tend to have a very flat portraiture,like the evil scheming Mahan Anga (with whom Jodha’s animosity makesfor some powerful and intense bits) and Akbar’s greedy brother-in-law. Hrithiksteals the show with his absolutely flawless performance, and possiblyhis best yet. In majority of the scenes, one sees Jalaluddin MohamedAkbar and not Hrithik Roshan, as would have occurred with all the otherbig stars. Ashwarya makes the perfect princess even if she does ham alittle in the emotional scenes, her body language and the way shepulled off Jodha Bai is commendable. The magic of the movie lies a lotin its casting and the chemistry of the lead pair, where we see thecharacters and less of the actors. Credit must be bestowed upon thedirector also for this particular gift he has of creating thosecharacters. Ila Arun as Mahan Anga gives a credible performance whilePunam Sinha as Akbar’s mother and Sonu Sood as Jodha’s brother do agood job. Another aspect that is notable is the make-up and thecostumes, which are a visual treat. To add to the visual aspect, thephotography is really good. Background score is a little too loud attimes, but otherwise the music is overall a highlight for the movie.The action sequences, all but one, are conceived and executed well. The two songs have excellent choreography. Jodha Akbar is an engagingmovie for anyone vaguely interested or enlightened about history. Thedialogues in Urdu and Hindi are kept relatively simple, but for peopleunfamiliar with anything but present-day colloquial Hindi, it might bea tad bit difficult to follow. For the effort itself, Gowarikar is tobe appreciated. The length is a definite minus but the pace is justright. For the action sequences, the music and Hrithik, the moviecaptures the attention of the viewer. Gowarikar’s Swades might not havebecome a commercial hit, but it nevertheless remains a good movie.Whatever the trade verdict is on Jodha Akbar, barring some wastefulminutes, it is a movie made with a lot of conviction and is to belooked at as a work of fiction based on historical events. http://www.cinegoer.com/reviews/jodhaaakbar+review.htm
