Rating:***
There is Hrithik Roshan as Akbar, in full regalia, watching a traditional
sufi qawwalli when he suddenly goes into a spiritual trance and
joins the qawwalls for a dance to divinity.
This historic moment that takes us beyond the dynasties of Mughal
history, couldn't have been possible without Hrithik's amazing capacity
to infiltrate the portals of divinity through dance movements.
As we traverse the simply stunning spectacle of Ashutosh Gowariker's
historical epic, often wonder-eyed and open-mouthed, we end up looking
at Akbar as interpreted by Hrithik rather than as what the Mughal
legend might have been.
The body language of the sword-wielding poet-warrior reminds us
of Mel Gibson in "Braveheart" and Tom Cruise in "The
Last Samurai" rather than Prithviraj Kapoor who played Akbar
in K. Asif's undying classic "Mughal-e-Azam" with such
imposing imperiousness.
In terms of the creative and visual terrain covered in the three-hour,
20-minute journey, Gowariker's vision subsumes a reined-in wealth
of ideas and images into an opulent but aesthetic tale of love,
romance, war, hatred and secularism.
The director transports us into an era when brother battled brother
in bitter rage. But love blossomed in the heart of a secular Muslim
emperor who married a fiercely individualistic Rajput princess and
allowed her space to be her own person.
The narrative patterns Akbar's chequered life of love and wars
through the various characters who influence his mind and heart.
To begin with, we see the young Akbar being moulded into a violent
person, brimming with ideas of revenge and acquisition by his senapati-mentor
Bairam Khan.
In a frightening burst of vengeful brutality, we see Akbar ordering
his soldiers to throw a stubborn adversary head-first to death.
But all said and done, Gowariker's Akbar is a man who'd rather
live in peace than wallow in war. Alas, Akbar lived in violent battle-friendly
times.
Then there's the complex relationship that Akbar shares with his
foster mother, played by Ila Arun. But the friction between the
foster mother and Akbar's new bride could be straight out of Indra
Kumar's "Beta"!
Gowariker also purposely brings in kitschy elements from commercial
cinema to provide a kind of warm accessibility to his historic tale.
The filming of the durbar song "Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah"
is the last word in spectacle. Breathtaking is the word that often
comes to mind in this tale of vibrant valour and vitality.
Never before have we seen battle sequences so spectacular and energetic
in Hindi cinema. Take the opening sequence where the battle lines
close ranks in such passionate movements that the audience almost
feels trampled in the middle.
Kiran Deohans' swift but sublime cinematography is of international
calibre, at par with "Gladiator" or "Braveheart".
A.R. Rahman's music is a bit of a letdown though. Veering between
authenticity and listener-friendliness, it's a bit of a mellow mishmash
signifying none of those enchanting echoes of Jodha and Akbar's
ever-lasting romanticism.
The love story occupies the pride of place in "Jodhaa-Akbar".
The sudden marital alliance between the benign king and the free-spirited
Rajput princess, their post-marriage courtship, the misunderstanding
that cuts through their growing fondness, and the final and irreversible
reconciliation, are portrayed with exquisite fluidity.
Not once does the director allow the inherent opulence of his theme
to overpower the love that grows between them.
Hrithik's pleading, poetic eyes in a warrior's face define the
historic romance as much as Aishwarya's swan-like grace and passionate
individualism. After "Dhoom 2", this pair surely whips
up a Mughlai feast of passion and romance.
Watch "Jodhaa-Akbar" as a splendidly spiced-up slice
of history. Or just savour the chemistry between the warrior and
the princess, with hundreds of junior artistes, elephants, rabbits
and parrots accompanying the couple's journey from secularism to
eternity.
