Was it Suraj Barjatya directing the movie?

February 17th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Jodha Akbar Movie Review by Gaurav

Ashutosh Gowarikar said in one of his interviews, Jodha Akbar is an epic romance. I just want to ask, why? How this romance was different from the life of any average Indian couple, whose marriage is an arranged one. In an arranged also marriage both persons don’t know each other and they get to know about each other by living together and observing each other’s life style. Like our many TV serials, here also there is an scheming mother-in-law (kind of), trying to destroy the developing love. How many times have we seen people marrying each other for political or business advantage, in our movies, serials and in real life as well. Then why this is an epic romance and others not. May be because this involves one of the most celebrated character of Indian history or may be because of the money involved in making this film or the sets. This somehow looked like a movie made by Rajshree Productions.

People who might go to watch this movie for getting the feel of Moghul era, the wars fought during that time or the politics. This movie is not about all that. This movie is entirely about one arranged marriage and the couple sort out their differences and fall for each other. One of the biggest disadvantage for this film is, it’s length. The run time is too long.

The movie starts with voice of Amitabh Bacchan giving a brief about Moghul history and how Jalaluddin became emperor and how Bairam Khan helped empire grow. You are shown one war scene, which failed to impress me. Akbar is grows up and decides to take his decisions and we are shown that he doesn’t want slaves or to kill people. He wants to rule their heart. In the mean while we get to know that Jodhabai’s marriage to Ratan Singh is called off because Jodha’s father, king of Amer, decides to surrender to Moghuls. This leads to an agreement between King of Amer and Akbar, and the first condition of the agreement is that Akbar will have to marry Jodhabai. Jodha reluctantly decides to go by his father’s decision, with a little resistance of course. Then starts family drama. There you find husband and wife sleeping in different beds. Husband trying to impress his wife by showing his body and some skill with sword and wife trying to impress husband by cooking food for him. Then there is Maham Manga, who doesn’t want the relationship to grow. By interval some confusion develops between husband and wife, curtsy Maham Manga. But as happens in every Hindi film, by the end everything is hunky dory between the couple.

I don’t know the history behind Jodha Akbar but if what is shown in this movie, this doesn’t look like a great story. Dialogs sometime are not consistent with the language spoken during that time, but such incidents are quite few, so can be ignored. I don’t know how Akbar looked like, but somehow I didn’t feel like I was looking at one of the most talked about emperor of Moghul era, by looking at Hritik in the movie. He neither talks like an emperor nor walks like one. Aishwarya somehow looks convincing. All the songs seem too long and make you feel restless. The pace of the movie is another weak point, the movie could have been better if the length was somewhere around two hours, but this one is almost 3 hour 15 mins. More value has been given to the sets than the story.

Overall, I didn’t like the movie, but would like you to give it a try, because a lot of money and effort has gone into making this film and who knows, you might like it. My rating to this film is 5 out of 10.

Related posts:

  1. jodha akbar promo
  2. JODHA AKBAR was showcased at Cannes 2007
  3. Dont expect a Lagaan or Swades & u’ll be happy!!!
  4. Jodha Akbar review from a fan
  5. JODHAA AKBAR Censored

There Are 20 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by AksFilmi on 17 February 2008:

    Well Written agree on many points

  2. Comment by Master on 17 February 2008:

    Great review gaurav. I think 5/10 is perfect rating for JA. It’s not a great movie but not bad either, so its kinda in between.

  3. Comment by AksFilmi on 17 February 2008:

    yeah 5/10 is really low,dont think JA is that bad (thought havent seen the movie)but it looks a movie failed to be called classic that doesnt mean bad ?

    It was a gud effort

  4. Comment by AksFilmi on 17 February 2008:

    Master did u saw jodhaa akbar?

  5. Comment by kunal on 17 February 2008:

    This I think was one of the most balanced review Of Jodha Akbar I read till date. Even mine was plagued with frustration. Well written, well analyzed article buddy. Moreover I agree with the rating, it certainly is a below average movie (largely due to expectations) but not real bad.

  6. Comment by AksFilmi on 17 February 2008:

    Both of them written brillant articles/reviews ,Keep writing always

    Yes Kunal may be bcoz of expectations it should be not rated that high but it wud be fair if expectation are not consider when we rating the movie

  7. Comment by AksFilmi on 19 February 2008:

    liked the tittle brother Was Suraj Barjatya Directing this movie :P

  8. Comment by TRS on 20 February 2008:

    I enjoyed reading your review and appreciate your balanced feedback on the film. Moreover, your comparison of Jodhaa- Akbar to an average Indian family melodrama and even an Ekta Kapoor television soap is interesting, and I do see a superficial resemblance between the two. However, I would like to illustrate the depth and larger significance of Jodhaa- Akbar’s narrative in contrast to the meaningless formulaic drama of many other Bollywood films.

    Unlike the typical portrayal of an arranged marriage, Gowariker uses this alliance to discuss pertinent issues of secularism and feminism that plague India today. The ground- breaking marriage of a Muslim emperor to a Hindu princess in the sixteenth century, the respect he shows for her religion by allowing her to remain a Hindu, a practice uncommon even today, and her ability to have a Hindu temple in the Islamic palace serves as a metaphor for a larger message of tolerance and acceptance that is still lacking in the country.

    The developing relationship between Akbar and Jodhaa is far from predictable, and their characterizations are strong, dynamic and three dimensional. The concurrence of Jodhaa to marry Akbar for her father’s political gain, but the stipulation of conditions under which she will marry represents her defiant nature without her disregard for traditions, an important statement for women in India today. Similarly, the “wife trying to impress the husband by cooking food for him” is indicative of Jodhaa’s retention of Indian values despite her rejection of Indian female passivity with her confrontational, independent- minded character and her flare for sword fighting. The “husband trying to impress his wife with his body” is more than just a display of Roshan’s physique in this case, since the body of Aishwarya Rai, who is known for her beauty the world over, is surprisingly never showcased in a similar light. The objectifying of the male body rather than the female body epitomizes Gowariker’s message of feminism in his attempt at straying away from the exhibition of the female body and the prioritization of the male gaze.

    I do, however, agree that moments in the film are overly dramatized and that critical plot points are spelled out for the audience, leaving little room for narrative subtlety. Perhaps these elements of a Bollywood masala film are Gowarikar’s response to the lukewarm reception of his last film Swades (2004) that went against many norms of the mainstream Bollywood musical. However, the visual scale of the film should not be ignored in favor of narrative critique. Jodhaa- Akbar’s cinematography meets international standards with its extravagant set design, opulent costumes and magnificent visual style. The depth- of- field of the shots depicting the growing romance between the central protagonists serves as an effective indication of the larger societal implications of their cross cultural relationship. Furthermore, the rich red and green costumes that are echoed in the set design are indicative of their opposing yet complimentary personalities and the socio- political impact their relationship has on their surroundings. Although the CGI leaves room for improvement, it is unlike anything Bollywood has ever seen before, let alone ventured to accomplish. Clearly, behind this Bollywood masala film is the cinematic subtlety and vision of a master, continuing to bravely conquer untrodden paths.

  9. Comment by AksFilmi on 20 February 2008:

    Well written TRS, agree with you when you call Jodha Akbar a Bollywood masala film, it surely is one and that is its biggest drawback.

  10. Comment by gauravt168 on 22 February 2008:

    Nice write up TRS. You have really thought a lot.

    Gowarikar’s intentions must have been right, but he has failed to translate them in the movie. My only issue is with the storyline. Since we are calling it an epic romance, then there should be very strong reasons behind it.

    A normal Muslim marrying a Hindu girl during 16th century would have been a greater romance than this. Although this one might be called a path breaking relationship, still it was a political marriage. Akbar was so powerful emperor that nobody dared question his decision. I am sure people must have talked about it behind his back (why wasn’t that shown in the film significantly, that could have been a great addition to the story). Jodha could have been shown influencing Akbar’s political decisions, since Akbar was an illiterate and Jodha was a well educated girl (she is shown sword fighting, hence I assume she was well educated also). Jodha Akbar could have been shown engaging into a discussion over some political issue, may be Shreefuddin’s case or may be Adham Khan. And how Jodha influences his decision basis the discussion.

    There could have been many more things, instead of just life of a couple in this movie and unfortunately they were missing. Whatever is shown in the movie certainly does not qualify as epic romance for me.

  11. Comment by Sweety on 22 February 2008:

    After reading ur review…mine will come soon…:P

    love
    sweets

  12. Comment by AksFilmi on 22 February 2008:

    Sweety Waiting for ur review !! Did u liked the movie

  13. Comment by gauravt168 on 23 February 2008:

    waiting for ur review sweety..

  14. Comment by AksFilmi on 23 February 2008:

    Gaurav What do u think how JA will move ahead

  15. Comment by gauravt168 on 24 February 2008:

    in my view it should keep on doing decent business till next week, as there is no hindi film releasing till 7th march. yesterday i was at PVR to watch Jumper. There I overheard ppl not opting to watch JA because of it’s length.
    Michael Clayton has also released this week, but it’s only at adlabs and limited shows. Also being a english film, there are very less chances that it will hamper JA’s business.
    The movie will be a hit that’s for sure, just because of it’s release date. No other movie for 2 weeks will help the movie a lot.

  16. Comment by TRS on 24 February 2008:

    In India, the film has picked up significantly since its opening weekend. I think it will definitely continue to do well, given that it has an empty sleight and that the upcoming release, Race, is a UTV film that will be strategically released without eating into Jodhaa’s revenue. Internationally however, the film is breaking all records. It was the highest non- U.S film in the International charts last weekend, securing an impressive fourth position and generating $8.1 million across fifteen territories.

  17. Comment by AksFilmi on 24 February 2008:

    Thnx TRS for the update

  18. Comment by A Jodhaa Akbar Fan on 6 March 2008:

    I would request you to please not over-analyse the movie. I would suggest you just sit back and enjoy the film.

    Let me tell you that it is one of the most beautiful and sensitive films that I have ever watched, and this is the only movie ever that I have watched for the second time to understand the subtle nuances that the director tried to convey.

    The movie is very much upto expectations if not more.

    Hrithik portrayed his role to perfection. He was regal, royal, expressive and sensitive and lived the role of Akbar. One of his best performances to date. Aishwarya is perfect and does full justice as the fiery, strong-willed Jodhaa Bai.The role suits her devastating beauty, dignity and grace.

    Please read Abraham Eraly’s book “The Emperors of the Peacock Throne” a learned historical book that has a brilliant section on who Akbar was and his personality. The movie was brilliant - it captured the essence of Akbar-an emperor who was tolerant and supported all religions, a thinker and philosopher, a follower of liberal Sufism, a forward-thinking man, a warrior and a leader.

    Agree that the movie drags at certain points (editing could have been crisper especially in relation to the war scenes), but overall my family and I came out of the theatre with great memories, absolutely entranced by the sheer poetry of this movie and the incredible chemistry between the lead actors.

    This was an honest movie and the incredible effort shows, without the undue hamming, theatrics and over the top hype surrounding an OSO like film.

    Overall a brilliant, laudable movie and I would definitely buy a DVD to keep in my personal library. I would recommend this movie to everyone who loves history, art, beauty and tolerance.

    I am also strongly recommending this movie to all my friends and contacts from the world over.

    Well Done, Ashutosh- you have indeed done India proud.

  19. Comment by Master on 13 March 2008:

    Good review by the Jodha Akbar fan(just above my comment in a post).

  20. Comment by sav on 27 April 2008:

    Interesting reviews…
    i want to focus on few more things about the movie
    1. It is NOT the history…In our country where kids remember things by watching them as bollywood or TV ..is it not important to realize ….we ae not giving them history….
    I think we should not make NOT SO TRUE movies on big names(like AKBAR),,,not all of us are smart enugh to realize what is true history. And i was not expecting such flaw fom a director who made Swades…and lagaan (bhuwan was not MISLEADING)
    2. Hrithik looked very much european to me…rather than looking indian or mughal….
    3. I liked the sword scene between Akbar/jodha….impressive

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