The history text book comes to life!
Just finished watching Jodhaa Akbar. The first thing that struck me was the length - 3hrs & 42 mins. One of the longest films ever! What struck me more was how it didn't ever feel that long. The story was by no means fantastic, but it was somewhere between being a documentary and a film. A notable point was how historically accurate the movie was (well, it tallied with the versions of history I know, and extrapolating from there, it must be pretty accurate - other than the name of the title character).
The movie begins with the Second Battle of Panipat. What was good about that was the pains which the director seems to have taken to get his facts right & he sets the tone pretty well. As a battle, it was decisive, for without it, there would have been no Mughal Dynasty (& no Taj Mahal!). As a war scene, somehow, it was better than the Lord of the Rings, in that you could feel that this battle actually mattered to you, and you knew the ramifications of its result(no effeminite long haired skateboarders here). One stray arrow changes the course of an entire nation's history - it's fascinating when you think about it that way.
The only issue I had was the characterization of Akbar. He is portrayed as a "man-who-can-do-no-wrong" when it came to administering his subjects. Somehow, that seems too good to be true (although it may be true).
There is a scene where Akbar decides to wander amongst his subjects - this was really interesting as it tried to show how the common man felt when Akbar (or any pre internet era monarch) reigned. Firstly, they would have no clue how he even looked. Frankly, the common man didn't seem to give a damn, which, when you think about it, isn't too different from today. It makes you realize that the common man was not something out of a textbook, he was just as any Indian you know today is.
It seems, however, that Ashutosh Gowarikar must have saved a bundle on paying his editors, for, simply put, there doesn't seem to have been any done! The song "Khwaja" makes you wonder what the director was thinking!
Hrithik does a very good job in portraying Akbar, and Aishwarya, well....the less said the better.
Overall, it's a really good film, especially if you remember any of your high school history, as it literally brings those pages to life. If you're expecting to watch an edge-of-your-seat, masala movie - I'd suggest Troy.
The movie begins with the Second Battle of Panipat. What was good about that was the pains which the director seems to have taken to get his facts right & he sets the tone pretty well. As a battle, it was decisive, for without it, there would have been no Mughal Dynasty (& no Taj Mahal!). As a war scene, somehow, it was better than the Lord of the Rings, in that you could feel that this battle actually mattered to you, and you knew the ramifications of its result(no effeminite long haired skateboarders here). One stray arrow changes the course of an entire nation's history - it's fascinating when you think about it that way.
The only issue I had was the characterization of Akbar. He is portrayed as a "man-who-can-do-no-wrong" when it came to administering his subjects. Somehow, that seems too good to be true (although it may be true).
There is a scene where Akbar decides to wander amongst his subjects - this was really interesting as it tried to show how the common man felt when Akbar (or any pre internet era monarch) reigned. Firstly, they would have no clue how he even looked. Frankly, the common man didn't seem to give a damn, which, when you think about it, isn't too different from today. It makes you realize that the common man was not something out of a textbook, he was just as any Indian you know today is.
It seems, however, that Ashutosh Gowarikar must have saved a bundle on paying his editors, for, simply put, there doesn't seem to have been any done! The song "Khwaja" makes you wonder what the director was thinking!
Hrithik does a very good job in portraying Akbar, and Aishwarya, well....the less said the better.
Overall, it's a really good film, especially if you remember any of your high school history, as it literally brings those pages to life. If you're expecting to watch an edge-of-your-seat, masala movie - I'd suggest Troy.
posted by Firebringer at 9:27 PM
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