Jodhaa Akbar - A Review

By Rajesh Anand
Singapore

Feb. 25, 2008

A belated Happy Valentine's Day to all.

To love is to care for the happiness of the beloved and not one's own. Somehow, around this year's Valentine's day, watching Jodhaa Akbar reminded me of this saying.

Here is my attempt to review this movie.

The Rs. 40 crore magnum opus will remain etched in my mind as one of the finest movies I have ever watched. Ashutosh Gowariker surely has a Midas touch. His "Lagaan" was breathtakingly exciting and projected the glimpses of rural India under Raj very subtly and empathically. His next venture "Swades" , though a poor performer at the box office, was no less brilliant and portrayed the inner conflicts of an NRI in balancing his material ambitions with being an instrument in sharing the burden of the land of his birth, equally beautifully.

In Jodhaa Akbar, we have a historical masterpiece which brings alive the enchanting yet impressionable images of an empire as celebrated as "the Mughals".

From our school textbooks, we did gain a fairly adequate knowledge of the Mughal period - beginning with Babar, his son Humayun, his son Akbar, his son Jahangir, his son Shahjahan and his son Aurangzeb. From the Amar Chitra Kathas, we kept picking up the anecdotes of Akbar-Birbal. From movies like Baiju Bawra, we also learnt about another Akbar's navaratna Tansen whose musical genius is the stuff of the legend. We knew that Akbar was the greatest of the Mughal kings, respected other religions, abolished jaziya (taxes imposed on followers of other religions), had set up elaborate systems of communication with his subject (Diwan-e-aam, Diwan-e-khas etc.). But our level of inquisitiveness would often stop there. We could hardly think of the possibilities of the so-called invaders of the Aryavart enriching the land of India culturally and spiritually. Jodhaa Akbar suceeds in challenging this mindset. It underlines the Vedic concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is like a family) and emphatically conveys the point that in the ultimate analysis, it is the individual rather than his caste, creed and lineage that matters. The master storyteller which Ashutosh Gowariker is lets us look at the background of the 16th century India and makes us admire the most enviable personality of Akbar. In 3 hours 20 minutes journey of absolute brilliance, Jodhaa Akbar entertains, educates, enthralls and above all inspires its audience as one learns that Akbar was a man of such high integrity, a faultless husband, an eclectic, a virtuous king etc. etc.

Critics may question the authenticity of the story shown in the movie and copious critiques may be written about the absence of references suggesting the polygamous nature of Akbar. Yet, the romance and the emotions depicted in the movie in the relationship between Akbar and Jodhaa are too sublime to let oneself get caught in such discussions. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in her avatar of Jodha is a treat to watch. And Hrithik Roshan without doubt has essayed his role with amazing finesse. Such is his overpowering character that within few minutes into the movie, the viewer's images of Akbar - hitherto of a portly king who was dead opposed to his son Salim's dalliance with a commoner Anarkali, metamorphose. After Jodhaa Akbar, we will no longer think of Akbar as a stern father alone adept at mouthing heavily accented farmaans.

The director has managed to grip the viewer's attention from the very start. The baritone voice of Amitabh Bachchan adds to the magic. The anointing of a 13 year old Akbar, necessitated due to the untimely death of his father Humayun, the grand plans, strategies and executions of the wars under a ruthlessly loyal Bairam Khan prepare the audience very well for the main drama to unfold. The fragmentation of the India as a sovereign nation and the lack of a common national identity is also brought out exceedingly well. The animosities within the family, the subterfuge by the kins, the grey character of Maham Anga (motherly figure to Akbar essayed by Ila Arun), the ubiquitous monster called corruption not sparing even a well-governed state as Akbar's and the consequential killing of Todar Mal etc. all tell us a fascinating story.

The movie also arouses the devotional sentiments of the viewers quite unequivocally and conveys the point that in the garden of God, religions are just like flowers. The creation of God is variegated with myriad permutations and indicting as if different religions are also a manifestation of the same law. Like the cows which are found in different colors - spotted, white, black, brown etc. but the purpose of each is the same that is to provide milk.

The music by A R Rahman is as usual very soulful and piercing, though it may not be considered as catchy as the songs in Lagaan. The rendition of a bhajan on Krishna by Jodhaa and the qawwali by the Sufis ( khwaza mere khwaza) and another beauty "azeemo shaan" convey the essence of spirituality very effectively.

Another striking feature of the movie is the care that the director has taken in creating some incredible scenes rarely seen in the Bollywood movies. The battle scenes showing the foot soldiers, the elephants and the archers, the sword fights, Akbar's encounters with an untamed elephant are visual delights to say the least.

One surely misses the absence of Birbal, Tansen, Abul Fazal very much and the fleeting or no appearances of these characters definitely leave the viewers insatiated, though Ashutosh Gowariker, in many interviews, has clearly described the constraints he had - mainly the time limits and also the facts that a number of Navaratnas came into prominence only later. As a result, the viewers have to remain contented with Akbar's prime minister Todarmal only who has had some footage.

So, all you movie lovers, history lovers (especially Indian history), fans of Aishwarya and Hrithik, lovers of Rahman's music - do not wait and walk into your favourite cineplex with a good bagful of popcorns. Remember the movie has a time span of 3 hours 20 minutes. The critics comments notwithstanding, relish the movie without getting too involved in the accuracy of historical facts.
 

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