srininet1

Dear Ashutosh,

I write this review with a very heavy heart. Because I am seeing that one after another, every film-maker who I thought will take Indian cinema to new heights is falling flat on his
face with every successive film. The list includes prodigies like you, Farhan Akhtar, Ramgopal Verma, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

I guess you were also caught in the dilemma of choosing between quality and success. I loved Lagaan, and felt that Swades, though dull in some parts, was an excellent movie that made for repeated viewing. The audience didn’t worry about the length of Lagaan because it dealt with cricket, but Swades come under the scanner and was panned for being preachy and long. I thought you learnt your lesson, but was shocked to see that you have not only repeated the mistake again, but also gotten worse than before!

I feel Jodha Akbar is your Nadir. The plot had potential, but it gets wasted due to the horrendous screenplay penned by you and Haider Ali, who is also credited with the story. It keeps meandering aimlessly throughout the film, leaving the viewer confused about what exactly you were trying to say through the movie. I really hope you didn’t get so involved with the details that you forgot to see the Big Picture and in the process, messed it up completely.

If it was about Jodha and Akbar’s love, there is very little of it, and also displayed very amateurishly. Akbar starts getting feelings for Jodha after listening to some priests who say that “Love is God” or some nonsense, and keeps looking at her, waiting for some reply. He even throws her out of the house and then goes all the way to get her back, like umpteen other Hindi films. In short there is nothing new about Jodha and Akbar’s love that has not been seen before on the Silver Screen.

The unconventional alliance, which was the turning point, is again given no importance, as Jodha’s father, Raja Bharmal, just decides in a jiffy, that the only way to avoid the war is to marry his daughter off to Akbar. Eureka, anyone?!

There are several unnecessary scenes which prove that you too have bowed down to commercial pressures. These scenes were better suited for ad films or documentaries, but instead find place in this so-called “Epic”. Take for instance the scene where Akbar is shown taming elephants, or the scene where Jodha watches him flex his muscles in the sun while practicing sword-fighting, or the elaborate ritual of treating a groom when he visits the groom’s home for the first time. It’s all nice and beautiful, but hey, where does this take the story? Actually, nowhere! All this results in the interval getting pushed beyond 2 hours, which is an unforgivable mistake.

To be precise, this film should have been titled “Akbar”. It’s all about Akbar and nothing else. Everyone, everything else gets relegated to the background, including Jodha. All that she gets to do is cry, dress up in expensive, heavy costumes and utter some clichéd dialogues. So much for character development! Akbar rules the roost, as the stern ruler, the loving husband, the brave warrior, and the empathizing, thoughtful king. Suddenly though, he decides to check out the local market to find if his junta is happy. Why o why? Eureka again?! Such sequences, which have no connection to the central theme, only frustrate the viewers. Worse, it extends into a celebration song and an assassination attempt!

It’s perfectly fine to focus on Akbar. But then, why have an ocean of characters floating around him. Most of them don’t get much to do or say anyways!! Swades was a classic example where focus on few characters made them strong and believable. But here, they stick out like sore thumbs. Also, there is an overdose of conspiracy in the film with his relatives are hatching one conspiracy after another.

Despite your tall claims about the songs carrying the story forward, the above events actually make the songs unnecessary and uncalled for. It’s actually laughable to think of the entire country cheering and dancing for Akbar, just because he abolished a tax!! And the villagers, mostly Hindus, comfortably sing the song littered with urdu words like ‘tehzeeb’, ‘marhaba’ and ’salaamat’.

All in all, the terrible screenplay is Jodha Akbar’s single biggest weakness, which destroys the potential impact of the film. It nullifies the enormous effort that you had put into getting the look of the film right. The characters look ancient, the palaces are grand, and the language spoken is Urdu, but they are put into situations which resemble today’s soaps (conspiracies et al) and hence bores the audience.

Technically too, Jodha Akbar doesn’t match up to your earlier efforts. Lagaan was world-class, and Swades looked and felt authentic. But here, the failure is evident in almost every department.

Editing by Ballu Saluja is conspicuous by its absence. If Swades was long, this one should be called “Unedited”. Cinematography by Kiran Deohans is unimaginative and ordinary to say the least. The film looks more like a TV show and the songs reflect neither grandeur nor scale. Devdas, another period film, was eye-poppingly gorgeous in comparison.

Music by A. R. Rahman is Very Good, but its effect is diluted or nullified by the screenplay and picturization which ranges from satisfactory to boring. The background score, however, is surprisingly loud at many places, frustrating the viewers further.

Art direction by Nitin Desai is meticulous as far as interior design is concerned, but the exterior look of the palaces and forts leaves a lot to be desired. The walls look unusually spick and span, which gives it an artificial look.

Action by Ravi Dewan is lackluster and boring. The sword fights succeed in inducing a yawn, as do the war sequences. The action is slow and labored, and one feels as if the actors had a tough time using the swords.

Inconsistent makeup makes Aishwarya look painfully tired and stressed out throughout the movie, while Hrithik shines in his avatar as Akbar, sporting the thin moustache and bushy hair. I have never seen Aishwarya look this bad in any movie!

The only honest and endearing performance in the whole film comes from Akbar i.e. Hrithik Roshan. He carries the burden of this costume heavy film on his able shoulders and makes even the stupid scenes watchable. Without him, the film would’ve been unwatchable and bombed on Day 1.

Ashutosh, please stop strutting those history books on TV and leave them at home. Because the camouflage or distraction isn’t working at all!! The audience is able to look through the fine details and period, because the story is “Run of the Mill”, littered with “Oft-repeated” sequences.

To sum it up, if Akbar was alive today, he would’ve subjected you to the same punishment that your Akbar gave to a guy in the movie, because you wasted lots of your, the audience’s, and the media’s money and time. Wondering what punishment I am talking about? Throw the man down, and keep repeating the exercise till he dies. What I really mean is, the audience will have to reject such movies so that the film-makers realize their mistakes.