जोधा-अकबर (Jodha-Akbar)

जोधा-अकबर is Ashutosh Gowariker's latest chart buster that hit the screens this February. I had been to see it a couple of weeks ago with three of my colleagues, at a theatre here that traditionally screens a lot of Indian movies. Given my usual reluctance, I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of spending three precious hours of my weekend sitting in a dark room being assaulted by flashing pictures! To top it, the movie was set at some period long, long ago in Indian history when people weren't exactly known to burst out in spontaneous song and dance...I was sure it would be painfully dull and also historically inaccurate. Well, that was my initial scepticism anyway. One thing to look forward to was lunch, which was to be at an Indian restaurant called 'Bombay Grill' chosen for its proximity to the theatre complex. We set off in time to make it to the four O' clock show (there was a show every one hour!) and after tucking in some good punjabi food at the afore-mentioned place, arrived to find the parking lot crammed with desis' cars. That gave some hope...The movie couldn't be so bad after all! Or it could just be the initial craze to catch the movie first and being able to brag / crib all about it to everyone else who'd care to listen. As we were entering the main building, we spotted a colleague who was just driving off after seeing the noon show. 'Great movie. You should watch it', was what he said. Greatly heartened by this critical review, we proceeded to march in and buy our tickets. Fortunately, there wasn't much crowd at the counter as most of them were already waiting in line to get in. In typical Indian fashion (no disrespect intended :)), none of the queues were very distinct...it was just a big mass of humanity eager to barge in the moment the doors opened. All we could do was fall in behind some people whom we guessed would be headed towards the same screen as us. When we did make it inside, most of the seats at the back had already been occupied so that left us with seats in the second row - not the best place to be at a theatre. We'd have to crane our necks a bit to be able to see the whole length and breadth of the screen but all that was forgotten as the lights dimmed and it was showtime.

The movie starts off with a disclaimer that there have been many versions of the story surrounding princess Jodha (if that was indeed her name) and this movie was just one other version. Quite necessary, I thought, considering how this could draw a lot of flak from various religious quarters back in India. Then we hear the familiar voice of Amitabh Bachchan tracing the history of mughal rule in India from Babur to Humayun and thereafter Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar. Without delving too much into the story itself, much of which is common knowledge, I shall attempt instead to pick up parts of the movie and pen my thoughts on them.

This is a movie that definitely has to be seen on a large screen to appreciate it. The battle scenes are nicely picturized with all the ingredients to evoke Ooohs and Aaahs from the audience. There are huge armies on both sides peppered with their share of foot soldiers, horses and even elephants. The elephants though did seem a mite artificial though. Watching the armies from both sides converge on each other and the bloodshed that follows, I couldn't but help be reminded of the Brad Pitt starrer, Troy!

It is always refreshing to hear Urdu in a Hindi movie and Jodha Akbar was no exception. However, not everyone can manage to pull off dialogues in Urdu with equal elan. Hrithik Roshan, I felt, was found lacking in this department. Listening to him on screen, it seemed as though he was trying too hard to sound correct...it felt strained. To be fair to him, he does not have the kind of baritone, that for example Amitabh is gifted with. As a result, he almost ends up shouting (you can see the veins in his face standing out) in scenes when a forceful or serious message is to be conveyed. Aishwarya, on the other hand, speaks Hindi for the most part, what with her being a Rajput princess. Kulbhushan Kharbanda and the other old-timers don't leave much to complain about. Ila Arun as Maham anga, the prince's chief nurse, was, to me, one of the best performances in the film. In contrast to this is the character of Jalal's birth mother who could just not utter a simple sentence without giving the impression that she was reading out from a memorized script. Among the others is Sonu Sood, as Raja Sujamal, Jodha's rakhi brother, who has done a decent job of his role. Overall what was evident is that there are few good Urdu speakers left in Bollywood. Either that or the good ones did not get cast in this movie.

Given the magnitude and grandeur of the project, it was only fitting that the music be composed by the maestro A.R Rehman. Of late A.R's songs have seen a subtle shift in style and his score in this film only serves to re-inforce that feeling. 'Khwaja mere Khwaja' is a song that is set in the Sufi style and I can't think of any other music director among the current breed who could have composed such a number. It is wonderfully soothing with what could be called, a touch of the mystic to it. A.R himself has sung the main part of this song and it suits him incredibly well. I almost felt sorry for Hrithik who does a small twirl at the end of this song...that was the only chance he got to display his prowess at dancing! The other song that I liked immensely was "Kehne ko jashn-e-bahara hai" sung by Javed Ali. He was pretty much an unknown name till people heard this piece. I read someplace that he sang in the chorus for 'Kajra re' from Bunty aur Bubli before this. A.R has this incredible knack of being able to mine talented singers/musicians from the depths of Bollywood where they lie in wait for him to present to the world! Javed Ali's rendering of the Urdu lyrics is very good indeed and that adds a lot to the appeal of this number. Next is "Azeem-O-Shaan Shehenshah" which is sort of the peppy song in a movie that does not provide much scope for fast paced music. This song is packed with all kinds of sounds from swords slashing through the air to giant drums beating out an enticing rythym. Its probably not the kind of song you would hum to yourself but you would definitely want to hear it again and again. A.R uses the best vocalists in each genre and it is hardly surprising that he chose Sonu Nigam for 'In lamhon ke daman mein'. The mood of the song lends itself perfectly to the situation on-screen and Sonu's voice only makes it sound better. The only remaining song is 'Man mohana', a deeply devotional bhajan sung by Bela Shinde. At first I thought it was Alka Yagnik but as the song progressed, I could make out it wasn't her. Here's another unheard of voice who shines bright under the skillful direction of A.R. This particular song is a fine example of the great diversity in India...in which other country can you have a movie where a Sufi song is followed by a bhajan?! It happens only in India :).

Jodha-Akbar has its good points and not-so-good ones. Inspite of the latter, of which thankfully there are not too many, I liked the movie. It is definitely worth a watch and that too on a big screen. The rich colour and wide angle shots are just not pleasurable on a TV screen. All in all, a nice attempt at a movie what combines history with the romance of Bollywood! Go see it...