So I finally saw this film today.
Where do I start?
The problem I have with filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowarikar, Madhur Bhandark and their films is that they take themselves and their films very seriously! While the likes of David Dhawan, Farah Khan and Priyadarshan (nowadays) very explicitly mention that they make no brainers and you should leave your brains behind, Mr Gowarikar is portrayed as the intellectual who makes a magnum opus every 3-4 years. So I am unable to approach a film like Jodha Akbar the same way I would approach a film like Wanted or De Dhana Dhan.
So when I sat down to watch Jodha Akbar, I was not expecting a children's film, but a sensible, reasonably mature film. What I got was a children's film, a bad one at that.
JA reminded me of all those cartoons and animated series I used to watch as a kid about emperors, warriors etc where everything is spelt out to you like a 5th grader, no room for any moral ambiguity, subjectivity etc. You have to like Akbar and Jodha from the beginning and you just have to hate all the other characters opposing them because they are opposing them, they must be evil.
Its indeed sad that even today filmmakers like Gowarikar cannot go beyond reducing supporting characters to mere caricatures.
The character of Maham Anga is a classic example. Such a powerful character in Mughal history reduced to being a jealous sasu ma taken straight out of Ekta Kapoor's manual "Saas-Bahu serials 101"
The characters of Sujamal, Sharifuddin, Maham Anga were all interesting characters who were reduced to mere caricature to suit Gowarikar's superstar Hrithik Roshan...poor guy was completely miscast as Akbar, and realizing that he probably did not even prepare hard enough for the role. The least he could have done was to work on his diction and urdu a little bit.
As a Muslim, I was also extremely upset to see the same old stereotypical Muslim barbaric rulers we have been fed since time immemorial. Apart from Akbar, every Muslim character is depicted as someone who is driven to blood lust the moment he sees a Hindu and if he is not chopping of his head, he is exploiting them in the name of tax and what not. Well done Mr Gowarikar, but if I was looking for that kind of material, I am better off reading Bal Thackeray and 18th century Orientalists!
The few redeeming points are Rehman's music, Aishwarya's beautiful and mature performance, the cinematography and majestic sets.
Overall, a major disappointment.
