Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Yes honestly, i still feel that SWADES is Ashutosh's best film, Jodha Akbar does not had the soul to hold the movie till the end. the script was not as good as of Swades and Lagaan. Swades hold u till the end of the movie and Lagaan does because Cricket in Lagan was the main lifeline of the movie along-with script

Hrithik, Aishwarya acted brilliantly along-with the entire cast

Technically it is one of the best which came out of India Cinematography, definitely deserve a special mention along-with Choreography

rating 7/10

Fmovies: I watched Jodhaa Akbar today. Needless to say, I had a lot of expectations from the movie considering Ashutosh Gowarikar's earlier releases - Lagaan and Swades, both of which were tremendously appreciated.

The movie is good. I say good but not great! It probably could have been better. I'm no historian so I will not get into the dispute of whether the facts depicted in the film are true or false. The movie grabs the viewers attention throughout so that should be a good enough reason to go and watch it.

Coming to the performances, Hrithik as Akbar has done a wonderful job. He looks the part and his portrayal of a commanding but considerate and tolerant Moughal Emperor looks natural. It is a very controlled performance from his part. Aishwarya looks gorgeous in the movie and she truly does suit the character of a Rajput Princess. As far as her acting goes, she is just about average. The on-screen chemistry between the lead pair is sizzling. It is one of the highlights of the movie. Both of them look great together.The supporting actors are good especially Sonu Sood as Jodhaa's cousin, Sujamal and Ila Arun as Akbar's wicked foster mother.

The songs are few and not much can be said about them apart from the fact that they are well picturised. The costumes and jewelery are quite spectacular. The cinematography is good too. The war sequences & the scenes in the lavish palace have been well shot. These aspects along with the good looking lead pair make the movie a visual treat.

Don't try to compare the movie with its predecessors or try to question the historical significance and I think you will like the movie. Its definitely worth a watch.

As an American I knew little of this story or Emperor but had heard of the Moghuls. It doesn't matter if it wasn't exact because it is based on a happening. The movie is for entertainment so it doesn't have to be exactly historically correct. It was not a documentary. Both of the leads were absolutely excellent in their roles. I was very impressed and especially by Hrithik Roshon. He is an excellent actor. I know little about the Bollywood movies but this one mesmerized me once I figured out how to turn on the subtitles.

I really liked the humor that was added to this movie. The part with the sword fighting and the irony of what how she lost to Akbar was funny. The line where he reminds her he is her husband going along with the sword fight. Many eye contact gestures between the two that were so touching and at times comical.

I really loved the Sufis and their singing in the movie. It was a nice blend of action, and romance. I like the fact they kept it in good taste and did not dwell on bloody battles or steamy love scenes between the Princess and the Emperor when they finally admitted their love for each other. It got the point across very romantically but tastefully and you don't see that much anymore in most movies. Kudos to those who made this great, great movie. It is well worth anyone's time to watch. It is an opulent and very enjoyable movie.

Jodhaa Akbar fmovies. Period films, when well made are a visual treat. Right from the likes of Mughal-E-Azam till the recent Jodhaa Akbar, these flicks have the power to transport one back in time to relive those ages. What might disconcert many viewers of this genre is the excessive directorial license used by some movie makers to blur lines between fact and fiction. Nevertheless, I would still say that Jodha Akbar is a great effort and a well made film!

Based on the popular folklore, the story is about young Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammed (Hrithik) getting wedded to the princess of Amer Jodha (Aishwarya), a match arranged for political gain. But, little do both know that this marriage would spark off a fiery romance in the backdrop of young Jalal metamorphosing into an all powerful Emperor Akbar thwarting pressures from family,religious heads & administrative issues.

As such, the story neither has a beginning nor an end that any average moviegoer would look for. In fact, there is a little bit of everything. You can find romance, action including both human and animal duels, large scale wars, songs, great looking lead pair, and most importantly, the opulence and glorification of Akbar’s reign. But, it wouldn’t qualify as a documentary either, since the concept of Jodha in Akbar’s life is in itself fictitious.

The highlight however, is one man who stands out the most in the movie, Hrithik Roshan who has once again proved his star prowess. His talent and hard work is visible in every frame that he is in, be it romancing Jodha or on the battlefield. You would really believe him to be Shahenshah-E-Hindustan (Emperor of India). His shirtless scene with the sword and the sparring contest between the lead pair are extremely praiseworthy.

The Hrithik-Ash chemistry seen in Dhoom 2 has not just been continued here but has taken to a different level altogether. Aishwarya made a great choice to play a proud and defiant princess. The chemistry and the directorial genius can be seen in scenes where Akbar acknowledges his ignorance to read and write, his confusion when offered arati, the sparring and scenes when the couple have their private moments.

With a three and a half hour runtime and lots of sub-plots, Jodha Akbar at times, seems dragged. A tighter script chopping off at least half hour from the film could have helped. The songs, Jashn-E-Bahaara, Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah and the sufi Khwaja mere Khwaja stand out. If not a blockbuster, the movie will definitely go down in history as a well made movie. Recommended for a very patient audience only!

I can't digest that people would protest this amazing film. People need to respect that there are alternate versions of history, and the director states that in the credits from the beginning. If people had some sense, they would respect the integrity of a person committed to bringing history to film with utmost dignity and respect. Those people clashing an protesting the film are idiotic!

The 3 hours flew by because the story was captivating. The actors were amazing, especially Ila Arun...Sonu is also a revelation. Aishwarya was just right! A talent that needs to be recognized, Ash showed how amazing an actor she really is. Hrithik was equally amazing as Aishwarya. I don't understand why there is such sexism in Hindi cinema, the males always get their critiques or praises first and then the females. Well Aishwarya is first here! The music was simply well suited and appropriate. I want A R Rehman to continue being brilliant! That's an order! The director has proved himself yet again that he is simply the best there is in the world of cinema...HE makes South Asians Proud!

I would recommend this film to anyone.

Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodhaa Akbar" is the most ambitious film to emerge from Bollywood's stables in quite a while. Based on the historical alliance between India's greatest Mughal emperor and a Rajput Hindu princess, Gowariker models his film on the Shakespearean mould of palace intrigue with its collection of warring power brokers, plotting princes, distant queen mothers, bitchy but loyal eunuchs, and concubines galore. It's also something of a gamble: Gowariker has never treaded the historical epic in his earlier features, especially one about India's first attempt at religious pluralism. The results are mixed but laudable, largely because the script adheres to the golden rule about bringing historical episodes to film: know the history, but print the legend.

Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Pocahontas were all real people whose life stories have been told and retold in popular Hollywood films, each retelling adding and embellishing elements of the story which have helped the stories attain the status of pseudoreligious myth. India certainly has a rich history of quasi-historical legends: Anarkali, Heer-Ranjha, Umrao Jaan, Devdas, and now Jodhaa-Akbar.

Let there be no doubt: this is not a documentary nor do the filmmakers make any overt attempt at a documentary characterization of Akbar. History tells us that he was a unique and even megalomaniacal emperor: he had many wives and untold numbers of concubines in a harem which (depending on which account you believe) included a few male lovers, invented his own religion in which he was divine, and held court with atheists, Jews, and Jesuits, a practice which would become decidedly less common with future emperors.

Hrithik Roshan puts up what is probably his best performance as Akbar, though he is hindered by the sheer volume of activity making up the plot: an absent queen mother, sinister foster mother, devious brothers, and, above all, a reluctant wife, all demand his attention. Roshan is at his best when Akbar is wooing a banished Jodhaa and when he ventures off into his kingdom; in many ways, Akbar remains a symbol of tolerance and benign authoritarianism throughout—despite the fact that he is the one who sets much of the narrative's action into play, surprisingly few scenes give us insight into his inner workings; the opposite is true for Jodhaa.

In the last decade since Aishwariya Rai was introduced to movie-going audiences, she has grown tremendously as an actress. "Jodhaa Akbar" is not her best work, but it offers ample evidence of her growth along the spectrum of Paro-type roles she has enacted since Bhansalli's "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" : Nandini of "HDDCS," Paro of "Devdas," the eponymous Umrao Jaan, and now Jodhaa are essentially different interpretations of the same feminine archetype: a Lady Beloved of the Legends, who, having been robbed of all agency because of her gender, comes to embody beauty, suffering, fidelity, and, of course, love.

Nandini was a flighty romantic, Umrao Jaan a forlorn romantic, and Paro a languishing fool who settled for survival when love literally slashed her away. Jodhaa is decidedly not romantic, being that she is an emblem of her family's honor. She is given away as a peace offering to an emperor who demands alliance and submission only to find that he wants to become her ally in love.

Rai plays Jodhaa as a torn victim, but she is not without her own inner steel: she sets her own conditions for marriage, challen