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
8 Comments:
I wish they make more movies on historic epics- with all the effigies being burnt when an attempt is made, it will save publicity cost! the closest to visualizing Indian history in my opinion have been done in tinkle comics and the like- the colors, costumes, art, storylines. Which is why the whole Akbar-in-guise-of-a-common-man episode seemed a bit reminiscent of raja hooja for some reason! i know that's quite a pedestrian opinion, but hey it gave me my laugh- along with the choreography of khwaja and azeem-o-shah.
other than that its totally worth the watch for jalaluddin akbar, costumes, art direction and the sword-fight foreplay ;-)
"it was better than the Lord of the Rings"
You are frikkin' asking for it, dude!
"you could feel that this battle actually mattered to you"
The Battle of the Pellenor Fields matters to me! Yes sir, it does! Un huh! *indignant*
Hmmm, I haven't seen the film yet but I've heard it's not half bad.
You liked Ash in Bride and Prejudice and now it's the less said,the better when she acts pretty decently.Is this is what happens when Indian actresses get married...erstwhile admirers change their tune.
The movie is hilarious especially the climactic love scene.The guys didn't seem to think so,though.Of course,they were probably a bit bedazzled.
Who be this - Daily Splats?
No, I just found it hard to relate to anything she was trying to emote in the movie. THat's why I didn't like it. As for her being married - I don't see where that should be a problem - unless of course you are Abhishek... ;)
Boo..meet your cyberstalker.
This just goes to prove you never read my blog... sniff,sniff.
So much for promises... :-(
So you really related to her emoting in Bride and Prejudice,huh...you did tell me that you liked the movie.
And yes,I do have multiple personalities but none of them is Aby Baby.
i liked the movie and yes, it didn;t seem so long though it's the kind of movie u can only watch once at a stretch.I actually thought ash was decent and you can't deny the hrithik-ash chemistry, whether they're in ganjis and minis or long flowing robes.
bottomline-hrithik was hot!
Okay, first of all, the movie was waaaaaayyyyyy too long. Ended up with a friggin' headache after watching it! Yes, Hrithik's acting is very good. Ash, well-all she does is look beautiful, but she's too doll-like. And the lovemaking scene??? Howlarious!
I loved the movie! Akbar's act was very good! Hrithik-Ash..a traet to watch!better than in dhoom2. What struck me here was...how tolerant Akbar was in those days too..and now what have we? Need to learn a lot. Such movies make history interesting.
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